Inclusive Economy Manager £49,359 per annum (pay award pending) Grade 9 Wellington House, Leeds / Hybrid Full Time 37 hours per week Permanent Closing date: Sunday 21 September 2025 at 11:55pm Please note that the Combined Authority will consider requests for part-time working and/or job share. We currently have vacancies for two Inclusive Economy Managers in our Business team: one within our Business Investment function, and one within our Business Engagement function. Please indicate in the “any other relevant information” section of the application form whether you are interested in both opportunities or prefer a particular role. The Business team leads on creating a thriving and globally recognised business and innovation ecosystem in West Yorkshire, ensuring collaboration and partnerships across the public and private sectors enables all businesses to succeed and strive to become fair employers. The team does this through its system leadership and enabling role, thought leadership and policy development, partnership development and strategic commissioning across key sectors and thematic areas such as innovation, export, business investment and inward investment. The Inclusive Economy Manager (Business Engagement) role sits at the heart of our efforts to strengthen the region’s business support ecosystem, ensuring it works effectively for businesses of all sizes, from innovative SMEs to regionally significant employers. You will play a key role in overseeing the delivery and development of our new business support framework, helping to align local and national offers, improve coordination across partners, and ensure businesses can access the right support at the right time. You will manage a small team, including our key account management function, and work closely with local authorities, business networks, national agencies, and other stakeholders to enhance the connectivity and impact of the business support landscape. The Inclusive Economy Manager (Business Investment) will be responsible for the delivery of initiatives relating to the Business Investment workstream. Work will cover four key areas: improving access to finance, boosting investment readiness, increasing the supply of finance, and working collaboratively with public and private partners to find innovative solutions to increase both the demand for, and supply of, finance. It is critical that solutions address systemic inequalities in accessing investment by founders from groups who are currently underserved. You will manage a small team and will be responsible for the delivery of projects and programmes related to this workstream, which may include procuring and contract managing external suppliers. This is a growing area within the team, and you will have the opportunity to lead and shape this workstream. Our Offer Alongside a competitive salary, we offer an excellent benefits package including: * Work your way – From flexible and agile working options, including a generous flexi-time scheme to help you balance your personal life and career. * Time to recharge – Enjoy 28 days of annual leave (with increases based on length of service), plus all Bank Holidays. * Free greener travel across West Yorkshire – Cover your commute sustainably with unlimited free bus and rail travel using the MCard (Zones 1–5). * Secure your future – Benefit from a highly competitive Local Government Pension Scheme. * Investing in you – Take advantage of fully funded professional development, regular training, and up to 3 paid volunteering days per year. * Grow with us – Incremental salary progression for most roles and annual cost of living increases. * Family first – We offer enhanced parental and bereavement leave, plus other family-friendly policies to support you when it matters most. * Your wellbeing, our priority – Access 24/7 free confidential counselling services and the Headspace app for you and up to 5 family or friends. * Modern workspace in a prime location – Work in bright, contemporary offices just a 2-minute walk from Leeds Train Station, fully equipped with the latest tech. The Role Reporting into the Strategic Lead (Business Engagement) or Strategic Lead (Business Investment) your key responsibilities will include: * Supporting the identification of funding opportunities for revenue and capital programmes, and leading the strategic commissioning for agreed activities/interventions. * Leading the implementation and delivery/commissioning of activities in the Business Engagement or Business Investment functions. * Working collaboratively with partners, securing commitment and support to the Business Engagement or Business Investment agendas from a range of external stakeholders, both local and national, directly influencing support available in the region. * Ensuring that interventions support founders from groups who are currently underserved in accessing business support or business investment. * Act as a Budget Holder for the Combined Authority, managing the budget for your work area. * Providing excellent written reports and verbal presentations to different audiences and levels of seniority, including Combined Authority Boards and Committees. * Developing strategic relationships with decision-makers in key regional businesses. * Leading the team in your work area, ensuring a positive working environment for your team. Please review the Role Profile for more information about the responsibilities. About You You will have the following key skills, attributes, education and experience: * A detailed understanding of the challenges and opportunities relating to supporting SMEs to access business support or investment. * Substantial experience and a high level of understanding of relevant local and national policy, including knowledge and understanding of the political structures and influences within the region. * Experience of managing people with a style that champions the vision of your work area, leads by example and inspires others. * Demonstrable experience of engaging and building relationships with colleagues from a diverse range of organisations and varying levels of seniority, including the ability to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences. * A strong track record of stakeholder engagement and partnership working, with the ability to gain shared agreement from partners. To Apply If this sounds like your next role, please complete the application form and tell us within the supporting statement why you would be a great fit for our role and how your skills, knowledge and experience align with the requirements within the Role Profile. Please visit our Advice for Candidates webpage and review the guidance on this page for support in completing your application form. Further Information The Combined Authority is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better outcomes. We welcome applications irrespective of people's age, disability, neuro-divergence, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity. or other personal circumstances. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neuro divergent. To find out more about inclusivity at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority please visit our dedicated webpage. Under the Disability Confident Scheme, applicants with a disability are guaranteed an interview, subject to the minimum criteria being met. Please note that whilst it is our policy to recruit at SP1 for all appointments, which is the salary stated above, each role includes career salary progression, with incremental increases applicable in most cases on an annual basis