Head of Long Term Strategy


Company:	Government Recruitment Service
Salary:	£57,946 to £74,005 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	LS2 7UA
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	7 Sept 2026
Closing date:	21 Sept 2026

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Summary

Labour Market Directorate are leading on the delivery of Ministers’ ambitions to transform the way that we support people into and to progress in work to deliver on our national priority of economic growth.

The Labour Market Strategy Division is responsible for defining and delivering the department’s overall strategy to move more people into work, help people to progress in work and improve productivity in the labour market – objectives that are key to driving economic growth, unlocking opportunity and increasing living standards. Making progress on these objectives requires close working and leadership across DWP and wider government to deliver a coherent, ambitious labour market strategy now and for the future.

This includes developing an understanding of where we are today, how far current plans take us and where we need to go further, underpinned by high quality evidence and analysis.

We are looking for dynamic self-starters who are looking to work in a high-performing team, are curious and energised by the challenge of leading change across the labour market system. You will have plenty of opportunities for personal development as you build and embed a shared vision for the labour market with other Departments, senior officials, Special Advisors, experts, and Ministers.

This is a challenging role to set the Department's long term labour market strategy. The government's labour market strategy is evolving in response to Ministerial, economic, political, and societal changes and the postholder will need to be able to adjust to this changing environment to deliver a clear strategy for the future. The role-holder will:

Lead the continuous development of the Department's labour market strategy
Shape and drive forward specific policies, research, or engagement to ensure the strategy reflects the latest evidence and political priorities. Previous examples from this role include the March 2026 launch of the Youth Jobs Grant, or the launch of the Get Britain Working White Paper.
Lead work with policy teams, expert advisers, analysts, senior officials, SpAds, Ministers, and others to advance our strategic vision for the labour market
Drive a step-change in how we work with other government Departments, including HMT, DBT, DfE and others, to ensure that there is a shared government approach to addressing labour market issues
Line manage a team, providing coaching and development to inspire high-quality work on complex strategic issues.

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