Director, Advanced Manufacturing and Director, Industrial Strategy


Company:	Government Recruitment Service
Salary:	£105,000 to £130,000 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	London
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	5 Nov 2026
Closing date:	29 Nov 2026

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Summary

We are looking for two fantastic people to join DBIST. These are both very high-profile roles leading on issues which matter to the UK economy. We are looking for people who lead with excellence across a system, work brilliantly with business and deliver results. We also expect all our teams to work collaboratively and with kindness while delivering.

Director, Industrial Strategy

The Government’s modern Industrial Strategy was published in June 2025. It sets out our 10-year plan to significantly increase business investment in eight growth-driving sectors, by making it quicker and easier for businesses to invest and providing them with the certainty and stability needed for long-term investment decisions.

The Industrial Strategy is designed to help the UK seize the most significant opportunities and create the most favourable conditions in key sectors for companies of the future to emerge – those that have a transformative role to play in the clean energy transition, the tech revolution, the fundamental impact of AI on every sector, and the new geopolitics.

The Strategy will play a vital role in realising the Prime Minister’s vision for reindustrialisation. It has made positive choices: backing eight sectors (IS-8) with the highest growth potential, and the frontier industries at their leading edge – and targeting the places and clusters across the UK that support those sectors, to increase national productivity, strengthen our economic security and resilience, and support our net zero transition. We will enable investment and growth in city regions and clusters across the UK where the IS-8 and foundational industries are based, with a coherent offer across nations.

Director – Advanced Manufacturing

The role covers advanced manufacturing as a whole but focuses on key manufacturing sectors - automotive, aerospace and batteries. It also has a watching brief on wider manufacturing and a role to support other advanced manufacturing frontier sectors.

These industries are often dominated by overseas-owned companies that can choose from competing offers and opportunities across multiple jurisdictions. The Government’s challenge in open and highly competitive markets is not only to retain manufacturing in the UK but also to help it to grow, including by encouraging greater Foreign Direct Investment.

Candidate Information Call

The hiring manager Jaee Samant will be hosting a call for any interested applicants. This will be held via Microsoft Teams on 25th November at 1:30pm, click here to attend.

Director, Advanced Manufacturing.

This is a significant role leading a Directorate of approximately 90 staff and with direct responsibility for the largest programme budgets in BIST other than those handled by Arm’s Length Bodies and oversight of related investments. They will work closely with No.10, No.10 North, HMT, DfT, the Office for Investment and others in a high-profile, politically ambitious space.

Key responsibilities include:

Acting as Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the £4bn DRIVE35 programme and overseeing the delivery and coherence of the overall set of advanced manufacturing programmes – the £2.3bn Aerospace Technology Institute programme, £450m Battery Innovation Programme and the Made Smarter programmes.
Owning the delivery of the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, which is part of the Industrial Strategy. It names the Advanced Manufacturing Director as personally accountable for delivery of many of its individual commitments.
Ensuring that HMG’s relationships with key companies, trade bodies and fora remain productive – e.g. JLR, Nissan, Rolls-Royce, Airbus, the SMMT (automotive); ADS (aerospace) and MakeUK.
Leading work to attract or retain key foreign investors in the AM sector (notably in automotive and batteries) to/in the UK.
Influence wider HMG policy on trade, procurement, access to finance, regulation, tech adoption, innovation, energy and skills to the benefit of the advanced manufacturing sector.
Ensure the implementation of the AM Jobs Plan and AI adoption plan for AM.
Make a wider contribution to Business Group, BIST and the Civil Service as a whole.

Director, Industrial Strategy.

This is a significant leadership role, overseeing the department's signature policy with high profile engagement across CO, No.10, HMT and the wider Civil Service. The individual will be responsible for delivering the policy commitments set out in the Industrial Strategy and sector plans, holding government departments to account, and developing policy to continue support for high-growth sectors in partnership with business and local leaders across the UK..

Key responsibilities include:

Lead the strategic direction and delivery of the Industrial Strategy and sector plans, ensuring alignment with ministerial priorities.
Represent the Industrial Strategy across government, working in collaboration with responsible teams on cross-cutting policy levers and sectors and navigating conflicting interests.
Build partnerships with business, academia and trade unions to understand and address key barriers to business growth and investment.
Lead the policy development of energy interventions to improve UK competitiveness, including delivery of the AI Growth Zones Energy Support Scheme, working closely with HMT and DESNZ to meet legislative timescales and manage commercial risk.
Oversee the sponsorship of the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council (ISAC), working closely with the Director of the ISAC secretariat, including any legislative programme and mandate setting.
Chair the Industrial Strategy Programme Board, bringing together responsible SROs (at director level) for Industrial Strategy priorities to drive delivery.
Play a strong corporate leadership role within BIST and as the leader of the Industrial Strategy Directorate - a multidisciplinary team of around 80 staff, including policy officials, programme delivery professionals and analysts.

This role will report to the Director General and is supported by the Industrial Strategy senior leadership team of five SCS.

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