South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority
Director of Investment
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Hours: 37 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Salary: Grade 17 £94,841 - £106,612
Location: Sheffield (This is a hybrid role with a minimum of 3 days per week in the office)
This is a significant senior leadership opportunity to shape and deliver investment that drives economic growth, business success, and opportunities for people across South Yorkshire.
As Director of Investment, you will provide strategic leadership for a major service area within the Growth, Business and Skills Directorate, helping to translate organisational priorities into impactful programmes, interventions, and investment decisions. You will play a key role in supporting the delivery of SYMCA's ambitions, ensuring investment delivers long-term value for communities, businesses, and the regional economy.
Working closely with the Executive Director and other senior leaders, you will operate at the heart of organisational decision-making, influencing strategic priorities, building partnerships, and shaping the future direction of investment across South Yorkshire.
Applications must be accompanied by a cover letter to detail how you meet the criteria as detailed within the role profile. (please see role profile attached). Please note, all applications should be made directly via our careers portal.
Please note: This role is politically restricted under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. Postholders are prohibited from standing for elected office (except Town or Parish Councils) and from engaging in certain political activities, including canvassing or acting as an officer of a political party.
About The Role
This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for mobilising the investment that will deliver South Yorkshire’s ambition for a bigger and better economy – delivering business growth and greater opportunity. As Director of Investment, you will lead the directorate’s funding and investment function: developing and coordinating the region’s Investment Pipeline, leading investor engagement, leading the region’s Trade and Investment function, and building the business support and early-stage funding offer that helps South Yorkshire firms start, scale, and grow. The role will also help develop the capital investment stacks that are required to deliver our key regeneration projects, as well as considering the development and use of recyclable investment funds within SYMCA to support private sector growth.
You will join the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) at a pivotal moment, as the organisation moves from strategy into delivery with growing powers, investment capacity, and influence. This role develops and coordinates the region-wide Investment Pipeline – with the development of individual schemes led by directors across the directorate – and carries lead responsibility for the broader investment governance, such as the Investment Zone, bringing discipline, pace, and commercial edge to how the region attracts and deploys capital.
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Working directly with the Mayor, senior regional leaders, and national partners, you will be South Yorkshire’s lead voice with investors, government, and the markets, and will lead the region’s trade and investment activity including international missions. The role works in the closest possible partnership with the Director of Growth and Sector Development: where that role proactively develops the opportunity, this role secures the funding to deliver it.
About You
You are an experienced senior leader with a strong background in investment, finance, economic development, business case development, or a related field. You have a proven track record of leading complex services and programmes, translating strategic ambitions into successful delivery.
You Will Bring
- Significant experience of finance, investment, funding, or business case development.
- Strong strategic leadership skills gained within a complex and politically accountable environment.
- Experience of shaping strategy, influencing decision-making, and driving organisational performance.
- Strong commercial, financial, and resource management expertise.
- Experience of leading large-scale transformation, change, and service improvement programmes.
- Excellent stakeholder management and partnership-building skills, including engagement with government, businesses, and regional partners.
- The ability to provide expert advice and influence senior leaders, boards, and elected members on complex and high-profile issues.
- A collaborative and inclusive leadership style that develops high-performing teams and supports organisational success.
You will be a strategic thinker with excellent judgement, political awareness, and communication skills. Most importantly, you will be passionate about delivering investment that creates lasting economic and social value for the people, businesses, and communities of South Yorkshire.
Benefits
All colleagues have access to a Local Government Pension Scheme and the chance to be part of an organisation where you can really make a difference. Located in Sheffield City Centre, we are well-placed for transport links and encourage employees to take advantage of the active travel facilities. Work/life balance is extremely important to us here at SYMCA with our recognised family/friendly policies, genuine work flexibility, recognition, and shared success.
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In addition to the above, some of our benefits include:
- Holiday Entitlement: From 28 to 36 days annual leave entitlement (depending on length of service) plus bank holidays. Pro-rata for part-time colleagues.
- Annual Leave Purchase Scheme: The ability to purchase up to a further 15 days per year in addition to your normal annual leave
- Hybrid Working: Our offices are a space where we come together and collaborate. Most of our roles are offered on a hybrid basis with the exception of some support roles being onsite full time. Please note, unless specified within the job advert, we cannot accommodate remote working contracts.
- Flexible Hours Scheme: Most roles within SYMCA work under the Flexi-Scheme which allows office-based employees flexibility and discretion over their working hours. Under the scheme, employees can accrue a defined amount of credit or debit of working hours, and to take time-off in the form of Flexi-Leave or banked Annual Leave.
- Rewarding You: Reducing everyday expenses through discounts, benefits, financial advice, wellbeing solutions, and more with Reward Gateway and Cycle-to-Work schemes.
- Training on the Job: Support with upskilling skills through on-the-job training and qualifications
- Professional Membership Fees: Where membership to Professional bodies is applicable to your role, SYMCA will reimburse your membership fees where applicable and following approval by Line Management.
Diversity at South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority
Our workforce is made up of a diverse community, where we all belong and feel part of something bigger. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion, and/or belief.
All employees are eligible to request Flexible Working arrangements from day one of employment as such all requests will be considered subject to operational requirements.
Where candidates share disabilities within the application process, if they demonstrate that they meet all essential criteria from the Role Profile within their application, they will automatically be invited to interview.
If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the process, please contact recruitment@southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk or include within your application form detailing the adjustment and how it will assist in managing any barriers.
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