Fixed term until 31 January 2023

About us

The Local Government Association is “the national voice of local government” of local government in England and Wales. Made up of elected representatives from all the different political parties, we aim to set the political agenda and have our say in the national media on the issues that matter to council members. There has never been a more exciting time to work for us.

The role and requirements

We are looking for a committed Programme Manager to lead and manage the LGA’s flagship National Graduate Development Programme (NGDP). In its 20th year, the NGDP continues to attract new talent to local government and works with councils to develop the future leaders of our sector.

You will be someone who relishes the challenges presented to them and has a solid track record of creative thinking and programme management. In this role you will lead and manage a small team who run all aspects of the NGDP, including recruitment, marketing and council engagement. You will be responsible for the NGDP budget, working closely with the Head of Leadership to exercise discretion and judgement to ensure value for money. You will lead on ensuring that the NGDP’s processes, materials and programme content help us achieve our ambition to provide a diverse pipeline of talented future leaders for local government. You will be committed to and have a strong track record of continuous improvement with respect to equality, diversity and inclusion.

You will be able to demonstrate that you can forge positive internal and external relationships with a range of stakeholders including chief executives, external partners and politicians to help grow NGDP and increase the councils that take part in the programme.

A background or experience in graduate recruitment is not essential, but you should be skilled at managing, overseeing and leading large-scale multi-stage programmes with a range of stakeholders.

You must have the right to work in the UK, the LGA are unfortunately unable to offer sponsorship visas. Evidence for the right to work in the UK will be requested at the interview stage.

As a Disability Confident Leader, the LGA values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community