Lead the partnerships that are shaping Sheffield’s future.

Sheffield faces complex, system-wide challenges – and meeting them requires strong, trusted partnerships. We’re looking for a Strategic Partnerships Manager to lead and evolve the City Council’s interface with the city’s new, dynamic partnership landscape, ensuring collaboration genuinely delivers better outcomes for Sheffield and its people.

This is a senior, influential role at the centre of the Council’s Strategy and Partnership team. You’ll lead a skilled team, work closely with elected politicians and senior leaders, and act as a key interface between the Council and partners across the public, voluntary and community sectors – locally, regionally and nationally.

What you’ll be doing

Leading and managing the team that supports Sheffield’s core strategic partnerships, including the Health and Wellbeing Board, Sheffield Stronger Together and the Race Equality Partnership for Sheffield.
Shaping and delivering outcomes-focused partnership policy and strategy for the city
Building and sustaining high-trust relationships with senior partners, councillors and stakeholders
Supporting effective, collaborative governance and ensuring partnerships are well-coordinated and impactful
Helping Sheffield contribute effectively to city-regional and national partnerships
Leading projects, managing resources and budgets, and ensuring value for money
Creating the conditions for innovation, shared learning and system-wide improvement

Who we’re looking for

You’ll be a strategic, politically astute leader who:

Has a strong track record of working at senior level in complex organisations
Understands how partnerships function – and how to make them work better
Can influence, negotiate and challenge constructively to get results
Is experienced in policy development, strategy and delivery
Leads people and resources with clarity, confidence and purpose

Above all, you’ll be motivated by place-based leadership and committed to working with others to improve outcomes for Sheffield.

Why join us?

This is a rare opportunity to shape how one of the UK’s major cities collaborates to meet its biggest challenges. You’ll play a pivotal role in delivering Sheffield’s ambitions for fairness, health and inclusive growth.

Find out more

Contact Laurie Brennan (Head of Policy & Partnerships) for an initial conversation on laurie.brennan@sheffield.gov.uk

Fair and Healthy Sheffield Plan: https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/fair-healthy-sheffield

Sheffield City Goals: https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/sheffield-plan

We are investing in our workforce and are promoting opportunities to our under-represented groups. We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are focused on increasing the diversity of our workforce, particularly the number of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people, so that our teams reflect the communities in the city we serve. We are also supporting staff with unpaid caring responsibilities to work flexibly.

It is a great time to join us and we welcome your application.

Under the Guaranteed Interview scheme, applicants who are disabled, care leavers, or armed forces veterans will be guaranteed an interview if they meet the essential criteria and indicate their eligibility on the application form. Sometimes, if lots of people apply, we might not be able to interview everyone who qualifies for the Guarantee. In these cases, we’ll interview the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job.

Full-time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.

If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all individuals, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for everyone and where appropriate to the role the successful applicant will be required to undertake relevant safeguarding checks.

Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Find out more on our Sheff news page.