Head of Brand Engagement Application Deadline: 31 August 2026 Department: Change and Citizen Experience Employment Type: Fixed Term - Full Time Location: Sheffield Head Office Reporting To: Mark Mobbs, Assistant Director South Yorkshire Narrative and Place Brand Compensation: £61,352 - £66,514 / year Description

Hours: 37 hours per week
Contract: Fixed Term - Up to end April 2028
Salary: Grade 13 £61,352 - £66,514
Location: Sheffield (This is a hybrid role with a minimum of 3 days per week in the office)

This is an exciting opportunity to play a leading role in embedding South Yorkshire's new place brand and narrative across the region. Working with partners, communities, businesses and public sector organisations, you will help build a shared sense of identity and pride, ensuring the South Yorkshire story is consistently understood, reflected and championed. We are looking for an experienced engagement, communications, branding or marketing professional with a strong track record of building partnerships and delivering high-profile initiatives. Passionate about place, identity and storytelling, you will understand the importance of bringing people and organisations together behind a shared vision and creating a narrative that resonates across diverse audiences. You will be a collaborative and influential leader, confident building relationships with stakeholders at all levels, from community groups and businesses to senior leaders and public sector partners. Highly organised and experienced in delivering campaigns, events and engagement programmes, you will thrive in a complex environment, balancing multiple priorities while maintaining a focus on outcomes. This role offers the opportunity to shape how South Yorkshire is represented and experienced, ensuring the region's narrative remains authentic, impactful and aligned with its ambitions for growth, investment, visitor attraction and civic pride. Interviews for this role are expected to take place between 15 - 18 September.

About the role

As Head of Engagement, South Yorkshire Narrative, you will lead the engagement and partnership activity required to embed the region's place brand and narrative throughout South Yorkshire. You will establish and manage the governance, communications and engagement structures that support the successful delivery of the narrative and ensure stakeholders across the region are equipped to champion it in their own work. Working closely with partners, you will develop and deliver campaigns, events, conferences and engagement activity that strengthen understanding and adoption of the South Yorkshire story. You will also play a key role in the launch and ongoing implementation of the place brand, helping to ensure consistency, quality and momentum across all activity.

Key responsibilities include:

Building strong relationships with local authorities, businesses, cultural organisations, education providers and communities
Developing stakeholder communications channels and engagement mechanisms
Delivering campaigns, events and initiatives that support and promote the South Yorkshire narrative
Managing governance arrangements and stakeholder groups
Ensuring the narrative is embedded across SYMCA communications, campaigns and services
Monitoring impact and using feedback and data to continuously improve activity
Acting as an ambassador for the South Yorkshire brand at regional and national events

About you

You have experience leading engagement, communications, branding or marketing activity and are comfortable working across organisational boundaries to build consensus and drive action. You are an excellent communicator with strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to influence and inspire a wide range of audiences. You are strategic, creative and results-focused, able to use insight and evidence to evaluate impact and continuously improve approaches. You are confident operating in politically sensitive environments and can balance strategic thinking with practical delivery. You are passionate about creating positive change through collaboration and storytelling, with a commitment to ensuring the South Yorkshire narrative is embedded, championed and brought to life across the region.

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. 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 operation 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 or include within your application form detailing the adjustment and how it will assist in managing any barriers.

You have experience leading engagement, communications, branding or marketing activity and are comfortable working across organisational boundaries to build consensus and drive action. You are an excellent communicator with strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to influence and inspire a wide range of audiences. You are strategic, creative and results-focused, able to use insight and evidence to evaluate impact and continuously improve approaches. You are confident operating in politically sensitive environments and can balance strategic thinking with practical delivery. You are passionate about creating positive change through collaboration and storytelling, with a commitment to ensuring the South Yorkshire narrative is embedded, championed and brought to life across the region.

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. 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.

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South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority