Head of Commissioning and Investment, WEST OF ENGLAND MAYORAL COMBINED AUTHORITY

About the role

Led by Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WECA) brings together Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire to deliver investment and opportunities that improve lives, strengthen communities and support sustainable economic growth across the region.

You will lead the transformation from strategy to delivery, shaping how regional priorities become real-world outcomes. This high-profile strategic role sits at the heart of decision-making, turning policy ambition into impactful programmes and developing prioritised investment plans that deliver for communities, businesses and partners across the region. You will form the bridge between strategy and delivery, leading the development of commissioning strategies and delivery models, identifying the best routes to achieve outcomes, whether through direct delivery, local authority partnerships, commissioned providers, grants or innovative delivery vehicles.

Using evidence, insight and market intelligence, you will ensure investment is designed for maximum impact, value for money and long-term sustainability. Working across complex stakeholder environments, you will bring together policy, finance, delivery and governance to create clear, evidence-led recommendations for investment and implementation. You will build strategic partnerships, oversee commissioning planning, and ensure evaluation and learning are embedded from day one.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of the Combined Authority’s annual Investment Plan.
• Lead strategic commissioning across major programmes and investments.
• Translate regional strategies into investable and deliverable propositions.
• Lead the development of outline business cases and navigate proposals through the Regional Delivery Framework, identifying the most appropriate routes to delivery.
• Use evidence, data and regional intelligence to inform investment prioritisation, business case development and commissioning decisions.
• Provide strategic advice on delivery routes, governance and investment decisions.
• Champion evidence-based decision-making, performance management and continuous improvement.
• Ensure commissioning supports regional priorities, devolution ambitions and funding requirements.
• Develop and lead a high-performing team, creating a culture of ownership, accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.

About You

We are looking for a strategic and commercially minded leader who can connect strategy and delivery. You will bring significant experience of leading investment or commissioning activity in a complex environment, with the credibility to advise senior officers, elected representatives and partners and the judgement to navigate competing priorities and political sensitivities. You will be comfortable operating where there is complexity and ambiguity.

You will be able to assess evidence, understand financial and commercial implications, manage risk and make clear recommendations that enable confident decision-making. You will also be a strong relationship builder. Success in this role will depend on your ability to work across organisational boundaries, bring people together around shared outcomes and develop trusted partnerships with public, private and other external stakeholders. Importantly, you will bring an entrepreneurial and innovative mindset. You will be able to look beyond established approaches and identify new opportunities.

Why join us

The West of England is a region with significant ambition and opportunity. From transport and housing to skills, innovation and sustainable economic growth, our work has a direct impact on the places where people live and work. As Head of Commissioning & Investment, you will have the opportunity to:

• Shape investment decisions that matter – influence where resources are focused and how investment can deliver the greatest regional impact.
• Turn strategy into delivery – move beyond policy and ambition to develop investable, outcome-focused programmes and interventions.
• Work at a regional level – collaborate across councils, government, business, communities and other partners to deliver shared priorities.
• Make a lasting difference – help create the conditions for inclusive, sustainable growth across the West of England.
• Lead and develop others – build a high-performing team and contribute to a culture that is ambitious, collaborative, inclusive, confident and innovative.

Our values

• Ambitious – setting high expectations and taking ownership for delivery.
• Collaborative – working across boundaries and putting organisational and regional outcomes ahead of silos.
• Inclusive – creating environments where people can contribute, succeed and feel valued.
• Confident – making timely, evidence-based decisions and having the courage to provide constructive challenge.
• Innovative – continually improving the way we work and looking beyond established solutions.