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. But 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. With year-round events, a 24/7 welfare support hotline and a leading approach to neurodiversity, our initiatives enable you to be at your best.
Above all else, here at Team NP, we can offer you a career that is so much more than just a job, it’s a chance to be part of something that really matters.
Learn about our full benefits package
The role
Here at Northumbria Police, we think our region is amazing! It takes a great deal of people from different backgrounds, with diverse skills and experience to serve our force area effectively, think you have what it takes to help us make a difference? This could be the perfect time for you to join us in our Corporate Hub as a Head of Strategy and Continuous Improvement.
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.
Sound interesting? For further information, and to support your application, please view the job description
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 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 know it's important for you to feel that you're not only part of a great team, but part of a community. 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.
Interested to learn more? For further information about the role please contact Paul Godden, Head of Corporate Development by email at paul.godden@northumbria.police.uk
What we offer
- 26 days’ leave (increasing to 30 days for 5 years+ service) plus 8 bank holidays
- NHS Fleet Solutions Car Lease Scheme
- Enhanced maternity, shared parental and adoption leave
- Flexible working (we are happy to discuss options such as 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
- We’ve invested in extensive paid sick leave, trained mental health first aiders on-site, an employee advice service for the times you need that additional support
- Access to gyms in some stations
- Sports & Social Club – join our thriving sports scene at Team NP and enjoy further exclusive discounts on days out and travel
- Cycle to work scheme
- Opportunity to volunteer in local community
We are committed to building a dynamic, agile workplace where meaningful connection are key. For roles designated as agile or home-based, employees will work from a Force site at least once a week, with two days recommended. Hiring managers will be happy to discuss how this works in practice at interview stage. This approach helps build strong relationships, supports wellbeing, and fosters collaboration across teams.
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 a Head of Strategy and Continuous Improvement with #TeamNP. To help support your application research what makes us tick here at Northumbria, the role you’re applying for and the values and behaviours that contribute.
The recruitment process will consist of the initial application form followed by a face to face interview and presentation. Just so you know, you can save your application and come back to it any time prior to the closing date on the advert.
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, applying 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 careers@northumbria.police.uk for any support regarding the application process. Please provide us with plenty of notice so we can ensure your visit goes smoothly.
Use of AI in Applications: At Northumbria Police, we embrace innovative technologies to enhance our recruitment process. We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While AI can be a valuable resource, 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’ll ask you to complete a Management Vetting (MV) form, therefore 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.
Terms of appointment
This is a permanent role subject to a six-month probationary period.
If you are successful in your application, you will have a six-month probation period with us where you will be unable to apply for any other post advertised internally or externally.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
