Head of Strategic Change

Business Management and Improvement Governance Planning Project Delivery Strategy, Birmingham, Cardiff, or Nottingham with an element of working from home. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in Great Britain and not overseas. You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process. Informal hybrid arrangements are available and the balance between home and workplace working is to be agreed with the line manager to achieve the right balance between collaboration, in-person engagement and flexibility., As the demand for Acas services increases, we need to review how we deliver these needs in a novel and cost-effective manner. Acas has secured Transformation Fund budget from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT – our parent department) to look at ways in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be utilised to ensure cost effective service delivery. The organisation also has significant business as usual activity which must continue to be delivered during this period of significant investment and change.

As a senior leader within the Acas Senior Leadership Team, the Head of Strategic Change will shape the long-term transformation direction of the organisation, ensuring our portfolio of change is ambitious, coherent, strategically sequenced and delivered, fully aligned to future capability and service needs. The role will focus on horizon scanning, future design and planning, and organisational readiness.

Operating at the centre of Acas, the postholder will:

• Define and steer a forward-looking, 3–5-year change strategy, enabling Acas to anticipate and respond to social, economic, technological, regulatory and business change
• Advise and influence senior leaders, providing the direction, frameworks and insight needed to make informed strategic choices about future investment and organisational capability
• Build organisational maturity in portfolio management, benefits realisation, and change leadership
• Lead the Acas Portfolio Management Office (PMO) team, driving the adoption of modern portfolio practices, in line with wider Civil Service standards
• Support and challenge Directors during this period of significant change, * Set the long-term portfolio vision aligned to future organisational strategy, technological opportunities, and emerging service needs;
• Lead horizon scanning to identify future trends, opportunities, and risks (e.g., AI readiness, digital channels, labour market changes, future regulatory landscapes);
• Convert strategic insights into a cohesive, future-facing portfolio roadmap, sequencing change to maximise impact and organisational readiness.

Transformation Strategy and Design

• Shape and direct Acas’ transformation programmes, working with senior leaders to define future operating proposals and key areas of long-term transformation;
• Lead the design and adoption of modern delivery methodologies, partnering with digital, data, and AI specialists where appropriate;
• Facilitate cross-organisational strategic conversations to agree future capabilities, service models and priorities.

Portfolio Governance and Assurance

• Establish and embed portfolio governance that prioritises strategic value, benefits realisation and long-term ambition, rather than tactical delivery oversight, proportionate to business needs;
• Provide clear, strategic insights to the Executive Board to inform investment, trade-offs, and resourcing decisions;
• Oversee benefits identification, tracking, and long-term realisation across all major change initiatives.

Organisational Readiness and Change Leadership

• Build Acas’ capacity and capability to deliver complex transformation, embedding modern change leadership practices and evidence-based approaches;
• Develop organisational change capability, including training, guidance, and community-of-practice leadership;
• Support senior leaders to role-model and sponsor successful change, ensuring clarity, alignment and intent across the organisation.

Stakeholder Influence and External Engagement

• Influence senior stakeholders inside and outside Acas, ensuring alignment across key partners (including DBT);
• Engage with cross-government transformation networks to bring best practice into Acas.

Digital, Data, and Innovation Leadership

• Promote the use of modern digital, data and AI capabilities to unlock future efficiencies and service enhancements;
• Champion innovation and experimentation, supporting safe exploration of emerging technologies and new delivery models.

Some more generic responsibilities for all Heads:

They are required to create a sense of purpose for colleagues through highlighting connections between our work and the impact on our stakeholders. They will contribute to the development of the vision and strategic goals for Acas and inspire colleagues to be fully engaged in their work. And they will actively promote the reputation of Acas internally and externally, delivering difficult or complex messages with decisiveness, clarity and sensitivity, being persuasive or directive when required. They will promote diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity, respecting difference and external experience, and they will ensure team members are accountable - empowered to make decisions, innovate and challenge. They will be expected to:

• Be self-aware and role-model continuous self-learning and development
• Lead your function to achieve its aims, drawing on best practice and innovation from across the public and private sector, where relevant
• Collaborate with others to achieve the goals of Acas and supporting your team to collaborate effectively
• Represent your function at the Senior Leadership Team and in other internal forums
• Effectively manage resources and budget within the Finance and Governance Directorate
• Role model Acas’ behaviours to lead by example in cultural development

Who we are

Acas exists to make working life better for everyone in Britain. We are the experts in workplace matters, we’re impartial, so we’re not on anyone’s side. That means we’re working for everyone to help prevent, manage and resolve workplace issues.

Acas helps employers and employees by providing information, advice, training, conciliation and other services that prevent, manage or resolve workplace problems.

Acas: Britain’s Workplace Experts

Acas has been recognised for its Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace from the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion awards; it has been Disability Confident Highly Commended, a Pay Gap award winner, and an Overall winner for public sector organisations. Acas is committed to providing services and developing policies which embrace diversity, promote equality of opportunity and eliminate unlawful discrimination., Please be advised that Acas does not hold a UKVI Sponsorship Licence, so we cannot consider sponsoring a visa applicant or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment., * UK nationals

• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Do you have experience in Presentation skills?, * Relevant proven experience of delivering positive and well accepted change within a 1,000+ people organisation and experience of leading successful change management programmes (Lead criterion)

• Experience of managing a diverse portfolio of work, including management of interdependencies, building stakeholder relationships, securing project resourcing etc.
• Experience working with senior leaders to shape change strategies and vision for future transformation
• Experience of identifying business needs and conducting the required analysis and of turning plans into clear actions.
• Excellent data analysis skills and the ability to present and explain numerical information clearly to a wide range of different stakeholders
• Effective communication and persuasion skills when dealing with senior stakeholders
• Experienced in working effectively and resiliently in a fast-changing environment
• Experienced in managing conflicting priorities, ensuring agreed outcomes and outputs are delivered
• Relevant qualification or equivalent professional experience

Essential technical experience

• Understanding of Change Management principles/models and utilisation within a medium/large organisation, Managing Successful Programmes Practitioner • PRINCE2 Practitioner • Managing Successful Programmes Advanced Practitioner • P3O Practitioner • APM Chartered Project Professional • Project Leadership Programme • APM Project Management Qualification • Managing Projects and Leading Workstreams • Change management practitioner

Or equivalent professional experience - If using this as evidence, please explain in the text box that appears in the online application form., * Seeing the Big Picture

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service, * Lead Essential experience criterion: Relevant proven experience of delivering positive and well accepted change within a 1,000+ people organisation and experience of leading successful change management programmes, * Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service

A reserve list will be created for this position; this means that if you have passed the interview, but we cannot immediately offer you this position, you will be placed on a reserve list for 12 months and may be considered for similar positions during that time.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader, Acas is committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process. If you have a disability and feel that any part of the recruitment process puts you at a disadvantage, we will work with you to make Reasonable Adjustments that support your needs. If you require any changes to help you apply, Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Pulled from the full job description

• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme, £76,123 - £79,141 The Civil Service Pay Remit and Acas Pay Policy will apply. A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% GBP, Alongside your salary of £76,123, Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service contributes £22,052 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

We’re big believers in rewarding people for the amazing work they do. Take a look at some of the fantastic benefits we offer:

• Learning and Development
• Health and wellbeing
• Pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Volunteering opportunities

Could you ask for any more?

You’ll have access to a Lifestyle website where you’ll be able to grab savings on a wide range of products, from holidays to your weekly shop.

To find out more, check out: Working for Acas