Transformation Business Partner

Closing date: 17 June 2026

Salary: Grade 7, £55,101 per annum

Deliver better outcomes for residents, while reducing the cost of how we do it.

This is the North Star guiding our transformation at Somerset Council - and it’s not a simple trade-off. It means holding two truths at the same time: supporting people and services to deliver today, while redesigning how the council works so improvement lasts.

As a Transformation Business Partner, you’ll play a key role in bringing this to life as part of our whole-council Inspiring Innovation programme. This is transformation done differently: people-centred, collaborative, and focused on making real, lasting impact. You’ll work alongside leaders and teams to connect day-to-day activity to long-term outcomes, build capability within services, and turn good ideas into meaningful results.

If you’re motivated by making a difference, working in partnership, and delivering change that improves lives while using public money wisely, this is a chance to be part of something genuinely important.

Role Summary

As a Transformation Business Partner, you will work alongside senior leaders and services to shape and deliver meaningful change - helping turn ambition into action and intention into results.

This is not a role that “runs projects” at a distance.

You will act as a bridge between strategy and delivery, bringing clarity, structure and momentum to transformation activity. This includes helping services define what matters most, building coherent portfolios of work, and ensuring delivery is grounded in better outcomes for residents and sustainable use of council resources.

You’ll combine delivery discipline with relational leadership - offering both support and challenge - and building capability so that improvement is owned by services and sustained beyond the programme.

Success in this role isn’t just about activity delivered - it’s about stronger services, better outcomes for communities, and a council that is more effective, efficient, and able to meet its future challenges.

What you’ll do – Key Responsibilities

• Partner with senior leaders to define what change matters most and why, shaping clear priorities that align to organisational goals.
• Bring coherence across activity, creating aligned transformation portfolios that deliver measurable outcomes.
• Support the development of clear cases for change and practical delivery plans that teams can own and deliver.
• Help teams navigate complexity, trade-offs and competing priorities with clarity, honesty and care.
• Build capability across services, leaving teams stronger and more confident to sustain improvement independently.
• Keep transformation grounded in outcomes, experience, and value for Somerset communities.
• Provide strategic oversight of transformation programmes, ensuring they are well-coordinated, effectively resourced, and delivering agreed benefits.
• Establish and support clear governance, performance tracking, and risk management to enable confident and transparent delivery.
• Ensure transformation activity delivers value for money, contributing to financial sustainability and improved service efficiency.

What we’re looking for – Knowledge, Experience, & Skills

Essential

• Deep understanding of transformation methodologies, change management, and public sector operations.
• Familiarity with council policies, statutory requirements, and financial management.
• Proven track record of leading transformation or change programmes within a complex organisation.
• Experience managing budgets, working with senior stakeholders, and delivering measurable outcomes.
• Degree-level education or equivalent experience.
• Professional qualification in project or programme management (e.g. PRINCE2, MSP).
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to influence at senior levels and manage complex programmes.
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills, with good digital literacy.

Desirable

• Awareness of emerging trends in public sector transformation, digital innovation, and cross-sector partnership working.
• Experience working within a unitary authority or large-scale transformation environment.
• Experience of multi-agency or partnership projects.
• Additional training or qualifications in change management, leadership, or digital transformation.
• Advanced data analysis, facilitation, and coaching skills.
• Familiarity with agile methodologies and digital transformation tools.

Additional Information

• 2-year fixed-term contract (24 months)
• Full-time role (37 hours per week)
• 33 days’ annual leave (additional to Bank Holidays)
• Flexible and hybrid working opportunities.
• Regretfully, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. We are only able to proceed with candidates who already have the right to work in the UK without the need for VISA sponsorship.

As part of your application, please provide a supporting statement (maximum 4 pages) outlining how you meet the role requirements and what attracts you to this opportunity.

Interviews are scheduled to take place on 29 June and 30 June 2026.

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Carl Haggerty, Head of Transformation and Digital, via email: carl.haggerty@somerset.gov.uk

A full job description is available on request via recruitment@somerset.gov.uk and will be provided to shortlisted candidates.