Vacancy Type: Police Staff, Area: Command / Department Corporate Development, Location: North Tyneside, Contract Type: Permanent, Hours: Full Time, Salary Range: £64,959 - £70,071, Closing Date: 29/03/2026
Role
Salary Band 12, £64,959 – £70,071 per annum
Location: Agile, Middle Engine Lane Police Station and homeworking
37 hours per week / Permanent Contract
Working for #TeamNP
Our purpose at Team NP is simple: to keep people safe and to fight crime. It takes more than officers alone to do the job and that’s where our 2,000‑strong team of police staff and 200 volunteers come in. As one of the largest police forces in England we have a huge variety of departments and specialisms offering you endless opportunities. From mentoring and coaching schemes and online soft‑skills courses to leadership development programmes, we’ll give you the support, training and time to carve out the career you always wanted. As a disability‑confident employer, we promote a culture of respect in the workplace so everyone can feel seen, heard and valued. Whether you’re a member of staff or a volunteer, you can also expect first‑rate support to manage your health and wellbeing.
The role
As Head of Strategy and Continuous Improvement, you will play a central role in shaping the future of the Force. As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will lead the strategic planning cycle for the force, ensuring that strategy is informed by robust data, horizon scanning, risk assessment, and a strong understanding of the policing environment. Your work will directly influence decision‑making at the highest level. You will guide the organisation in understanding emerging challenges, using data, research and insight to inform long‑term planning and support effective decision‑making.
What You’ll Do
A substantial part of your role will be to lead and embed a continuous improvement methodology across the Force. You will introduce structured methodologies and empower teams to redesign services, increase efficiency and enhance public value. You will champion a culture where learning, innovation and evidence‑based practice is embedded, ensuring the organisation continually improves service delivery, efficiency and effectiveness.
You will build strong relationships with senior leaders, partner agencies, oversight bodies and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, representing the Force in key strategic forums and ensuring that external insight and expectations are effectively reflected in our strategic approach.
You will lead a high‑performing team of strategy, improvement and insight professionals, modelling the Force’s values and fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous learning. This is a role for a confident, analytical and innovative leader, someone who can think strategically, influence and drive meaningful, organisation‑wide improvement.
What You’ll Bring
* Highly qualified strategic leader with degree‑level education (or equivalent experience) and ongoing professional development, bringing deep expertise in strategic planning, performance management, continuous improvement (Lean, Six Sigma, systems thinking) and a strong knowledge of the UK policing landscape.
* Proven senior‑level transformation and analytical capability, with extensive experience leading organisational strategy and large‑scale change in complex public‑sector environments, supported by strong analytical and problem‑solving skills to translate complex data into actionable strategic insight.
* Demonstrated expertise in strategic and operational planning, combining strong organisational and analytical skills to manage complex priorities and stakeholders, develop and implement planning frameworks and reporting mechanisms, and work collaboratively across departments and external partners to align resources and deliver coordinated outcomes.
* Strong critical thinking and strategic problem‑solving capability, with a proven ability to analyse and synthesise complex data and evidence, diagnose root causes, identify opportunities for improvement or innovation and design sustainable, system‑wide solutions while making sound, evidence‑based decisions in ambiguous or rapidly changing environments.
* Proven leadership in building high‑performing teams, demonstrated through the ability to motivate and develop others in line with organisational values and the policing Code of Ethics, work collaboratively across departments and partner agencies to achieve shared outcomes, and set clear objectives while managing performance in a supportive and accountable way.
* Highly effective communicator and influencer, able to convey complex ideas, strategies and data with clarity and persuasion to diverse audiences, including senior leaders, operational teams and external partners while expertly adapting communication style to context and using evidence‑based insight to influence decision‑making at executive and board level.
We Offer
* 26 days leave (increasing to 30 days for 5+ years of service) plus 8 bank holidays
* NHS Fleet Solutions Car Lease Scheme
* Enhanced maternity, shared parental and adoption leave
* Flexible working (including compressed hours)
* Agile working option to work from home, your team zone and spaces across the force
* Fantastic market‑leading public‑sector pension scheme with up to 16% employer contribution
* Corporate travel schemes (local rail, bus services and metro discounts)
* Access to private healthcare and eye‑test vouchers
* Discounts on shopping and eating out thanks to the Blue Light Card and Blue Light Tickets
* Extensive paid sick leave, trained mental‑health first aiders on site and an employee advice service for additional support
* Access to gyms in some stations
* Sports & Social Club – join our thriving sports scene and enjoy further exclusive discounts on days out and travel
* Cycle‑to‑work scheme
* Opportunity to volunteer in the local community
Terms of Appointment
This is a permanent role subject to a six‑month probationary period.
Just so you know
Our application form will help us understand how your work, education and life experience has prepared you for the role of Head of Strategy and Continuous Improvement with #TeamNP. The recruitment process will consist of an initial application form followed by a face‑to‑face interview and presentation. Please note that you can save your application and return to it any time prior to the closing date.
We are proud members of the Business Disability Forum, working together to improve the lives of disabled employees. As a Disability Confident Leader, we are committed to offering an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. In cases of very high application volumes, we may prioritise those who most closely meet the criteria, following the same fair approach for all candidates. If you tell us that you have a disability, we can make adjustments to support you through the recruitment process (for example, we can arrange extra time for tests or provide a sign language interpreter). You can get in touch with us via email for any application‑process support.
Use of AI in Applications: We embrace innovative technologies to enhance our recruitment process. We encourage applicants to ensure their submissions accurately reflect their personal qualifications, experiences and skills. Our selection process includes thorough evaluations to verify the authenticity and suitability of all applications. We value genuine and thoughtful responses that showcase your unique strengths and perspectives.
If your application is successful, we will ask you to complete a Management Vetting (MV) form, so you must be a resident of the UK for a minimum period of 5 years to ensure vetting checks can be successfully performed. A job offer will be dependent upon vetting clearance, medical information and references.
Equal Opportunities Statement
We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Harnessing these differences creates a productive environment in which everyone feels valued and their talents are fully utilised. Appointments are based on merit alone.
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