About the role
Join us. Shape the future. Lead a place where people THRIVE.
West Northamptonshire is a place of huge opportunities and endless possibilities. Proud of our heritage, ambitious about our future, and driven by a clear, shared vision: to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive. We are home to thriving market towns and beautiful rural communities, world‑class venues such as Silverstone and global logistics and innovation hubs, with an energetic and flourishing business base. Our One West Northamptonshire Plan sets out how we are working with partners to boost business, growth and prosperity, create stronger and safer communities and decent homes for all.
Now we are looking for a new exceptional Executive Director to lead this next chapter.
PLEASE NOTE: West Northamptonshire Council are pleased to be working with Opus People Solutions for the recruitment of the Executive Director role. For a confidential discussion, please contact Matt Masters at Opus (matthew.masters@opuspeoplesolutions.co.uk) or Jess Lyon at WNC (jessica.lyon@westnorthants.gov.uk).
What will you be doing?
As our Executive Director of Place, Economy & Environment, you will shape the long‑term future of our area. You will bring vision, creativity and pace to an exciting strategic leadership role, one of the broadest and most influential portfolios in the council. Responsible for planning and growth, regeneration and major projects, economic development and inward investment, highways and transport, environmental services, waste and resources, property and facilities management.
You will lead on our vision for a Thriving Place, play a central part in shaping our devolution journey and strengthening West Northamptonshire’s evolving position as a leading stakeholder, ensuring that growth is inclusive, sustainable and meaningful for every community. You will also operate at the forefront of some of the most exciting partnerships and opportunities in the country. Sitting on the board at Silverstone, you’ll work closely with Government, leading UK universities and outstanding businesses to drive forward a high-performance economy.
You will lead on the delivery of major regeneration that redefines our towns and centres, attract investment that boosts productivity and jobs, strengthen our rapidly expanding visitor economy, and drive practical environmental improvements that make our communities cleaner, greener and healthier.
This is a role where the improvements you make will be visible, tangible and longlasting, offering a truly unique platform for impactful, place-shaping leadership.
Our Culture: We THRIVE
We are a young council with a modern mindset. We encourage fresh thinking, support ambition, embrace flexibility, and create space for our leaders to lead. Our values are more than words, they are the way we work every day.
About you
You are an inspiring, forward‑thinking leader with extensive experience at senior leadership level within a large and complex organisation. You are commercially and politically astute, confident at building powerful partnerships, and motivated by the opportunity to make a real and lasting difference to people’s lives. You thrive in complexity, connect the dots between strategy and delivery, and bring energy, clarity and purpose to shape organisational success, effective services and a thriving workforce.
Above all, you are excited by the scale of this opportunity: to help define a growing region, unlock its full potential, and improve outcomes for everyone who lives and works in West Northamptonshire.
Ready to shape the future?
If you want to lead somewhere with vision, momentum and room to make your mark, West Northamptonshire is the place. Join us—and help our communities, our economy and our organisation truly THRIVE.
For more information visit our recruitment site: https://www.westnorthants.gov.uk/execdirectorplace
Interviews will be held on 4th June 2026 in Northampton.
Our benefits
You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.
About us
At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.
Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.
We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner
The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.
If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.
West Northants Council, where careers thrive.
Attached documents
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