YNYCA Assistant Director of Communications

Thank you for your interest in joining the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority (“the Combined Authority”) at this exciting and transformative time. We are delighted that you are considering this opportunity to help shape the future of our region and play a pivotal role in our journey.

As the first Director of Legal and Governance (Monitoring Officer), I am proud to be part of an organisation that is driving positive, lasting change for the communities and businesses across our region. The Combined Authority is entering a new phase of development, and the newly created role of Assistant Director of Communications is central to our ambition and growth.

This is a high-profile, strategic leadership role that offers the opportunity to take the lead in integrating communications across the Combined Authority, ensuring consistency, clarity, and responsiveness in a fast-paced environment. Working with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, you will be joining a talented team and will report directly to me, shaping our communications function to meet the demands of a dynamic and politically nuanced environment.

This role will be instrumental in shaping the communications service area, reviewing team structures, and ensuring we are best in class as we look to the future. You will be welcomed by a skilled and enthusiastic team, who will enable you to thrive and deliver day-to-day excellence while you focus on strategic direction and impact.

I am looking for an experienced leader who is:

Strategically minded, with the ability to balance short-term priorities with long-term planning.
Politically astute, with experience working in or alongside political organisations, and confident navigating complex stakeholder environments.
A strong communicator, capable of managing high-profile communications and who understands the nuances between political, corporate, and public-facing communications.
A collaborative leader, who empowers their team, builds trust, and fosters a culture of innovation, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
Resilient and pragmatic, with a can-do attitude and the ability to assess and respond to evolving priorities in a fast-paced setting.
Comfortable with ambiguity, able to make sound judgments in grey areas and take measured risks when needed.

The opportunity to join an organisation at this stage of its development—where your leadership can leave a lasting legacy—is rare. If you have the experience, energy, and ambition to help lead us into the next chapter, then we would love to hear from you.

I would be very happy to arrange a conversation to discuss our exciting plans in more detail and please contact a member of the Resourcing Solutions team to arrange this.

Assistant Director of Communications

Salary: £80,216 - £89,556

Location: York & Northallerton / Hybrid

We’re looking for an exceptional Assistant Director of Communications to lead and shape the communications strategy for the Combined Authority, including its integrated work with blue light service - Police, Fire and Crime. This is a high-profile role at the heart of public service, where your leadership will help build trust, drive engagement, and support the delivery of regional priorities.

As Assistant Director, you will:

Lead a multi-disciplinary communications team delivering across media relations, internal and external communications, campaigns, marketing, design, branding, social media, and digital.
Develop and implement a high-impact communications strategy that ensures clear, inclusive, and consistent messaging across all channels.
Act as a trusted advisor to the Chief Executive, Mayor, and senior leadership, providing expert counsel on media strategy, reputation management, and crisis communications.
Build strong partnerships across the region, including with health services, emergency services, and neighbouring authorities.
Champion a modern, digital-first approach to communications, ensuring our messaging is evidence-led, politically astute, and aligned with corporate and Mayoral priorities.

We’re seeking a politically astute and visionary leader who can:

Navigate complex political landscapes with discretion and strategic foresight.
Influence nationally while fostering internal alignment and shared ownership of our narrative.
Provide visible, effective leadership and inspire excellence across the communications function.
Drive innovation and flexibility in communications, ensuring we remain proactive and responsive in a dynamic public service environment.

For more information please the job description here.

The Combined Authority was launched as a new organisation in early 2024. It is a public sector employer with access to powers and funding to unlock transport and housing improvements, boost skills provision and help the economy transition to net zero for York and North Yorkshire. Making the most of the combined strengths of the city region and rural powerhouse, the Combined Authority is a long-term commitment to shaping a brighter future for generations to come. As one of only two combined authorities to incorporate partners in the form of Police, Fire and Crime and the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, plans are in place to harness huge economic opportunity for the region and to raise the living standards for communities to enable the region to make a full contribution to the UK economy. There is a focus on delivery to put the York and North Yorkshire area on the map for regional and national success.

By working for us you will play a part in making positive changes, unlocking investment, supporting business and communities to thrive and creating new and better opportunities for people that live and work here.

Roles within the Combined Authority operate on a hybrid basis. While flexible working is supported, postholders will be expected to attend in-person meetings and partnership activities at our offices in Harrogate, Northallerton, and York, as required by the role and service.

The benefits of working for the Combined Authority include:

Generous leave entitlement, starting at 28 days plus 8 bank holidays (pro-rota for part time staff)
Flexible working practices including working from other locations and from home
Local government pension scheme
Commitment to staff development and continuous learning

York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority

Living and working in York

We are proud of York’s status as one of the safest and best cities to live in the UK, engaging our 202,000 residents and 7 million visitors to live healthier, happier independent lives.

We are a vibrant, digital city at the heart of Yorkshire - the best of tradition and the modern. With excellent connectivity by road and rail, the neighbouring towns and cities of Leeds, Hull and Harrogate are in easy reach. National Parks and areas of areas outstanding natural beauty are on our doorstep, with their quaint villages and market towns, whilst the Yorkshire coast provides a retreat ideal for sunny days.

We are known for our considerable assets – we have our internationally important heritage, with strong creative industries and a significant cultural offering. We have strengths as a science city, and our digital infrastructure recognises us as the UK’s first Gigabit City. We have a young and highly skilled workforce, and lay claim to world-leading universities and some of the highest performing schools and colleges in the country.

We are ambitious and aim to be a prosperous city for all - where local businesses can thrive and residents have good quality jobs, housing, opportunities and access to quality public services. We celebrate and champion the diversity of our population and encourage everyone to play an active role in the city, so that our vibrant economy and rich communities can make York the acclaimed city it is. We are one of the safest cities in the country and offer some of best available education.

A city of Sanctuary and Human Rights, our community is truly multicultural and diverse. We are the first city in the North of England to set the aspiration to make our city an anti- racist and inclusive one. We are committed to tackling discrimination in all aspects of services that the Council delivers, including public health, in order to have an impact and bring about positive change to our residents.

Our thriving retail and visitor economy welcomes millions of visitors every year. We have been recognised as the ‘foodie centre of the universe’ and our Christmas market is the best in the UK. Our many awards include Sunday Times best place to live, Conde Nast city of best architecture and in 2018 YouGov found that we are the nation’s favourite city. We are friendly, community-spirited, festive and summer-friendly – what’s not to like?

Find out more about working and living in the City of York here It's All York

Living and working in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is a thriving county that adapts to a changing world and remains a special place to live and work.

North Yorkshire's natural beauty is captured in its three areas of Outstanding Natural Parks, National Nature Reserves, stunning coastlines, scenic rural villages, vibrant cities and market towns. North Yorkshire really is a beautiful, thriving and special place to live and work, rich in heritage and culture.

North Yorkshire features significantly in the ten best places to live in the UK in Halifax Quality of Life Survey. The Quality of Life index aims to quantify where living standards are highest in the UK by ranking local performance across a range of indicators. Local areas featured in the top ten included Richmond, Selby and Malton.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics bulletin positions North Yorkshire as the safest place in England with extremely low crime rates.

In addition, the county benefits from excellent road and rail links, with easy access via the east coast mainline, the A1(M) and A19. Leeds, York, Newcastle, Durham and Teesside are all easily commutable, and London and Edinburgh are just two hours away by train.

From its lively cities to pretty villages, rolling countryside and grand coastline, North Yorkshire has so much to offer including great employment opportunities for your family members, along with a higher proportion of schools which are good or outstanding compared to national figures.

You can find out more about what North Yorkshire has to offer on the No place like North Yorkshire website North Yorkshire - start planning your visit - VisitNorthYorkshire.com

If you are interested in this fantastic opportunity or would like to discuss the role in more detail, please contact Katherine Brioude Katherine.Brioude@northyorks.gov.uk

To apply please submit one Word document that details a comprehensive CV, including current salary, and a supporting statement outlining your suitability for the role.

Applications should be emailed to Executive.ResourcingSolutions@northyorks.gov.uk. Please do not send PDFs.

It is important that your written application fully addresses the experience criteria as detailed in the person specification.

You should include contact details for at least two referees, one of whom must be your current / most recent employer/engager. If you specifically do not wish referees to be approached without your permission, please indicate this.

We will remove your personal details from your application on receipt to enable anonymised shortlisting, therefore it is important that your application is made using one Word document. Please do not send PDF versions and please make it clear which role you are applying for.

Please ensure that you have included both your work and home telephone contact numbers and e-mail addresses where applicable.

We believe in the importance of inclusion, which is why we are always working towards being a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive employer.

This is a politically restricted post and will require police security vetting.

We will not accept applications nor services from agency suppliers.

Key Dates:

Closing date: Sunday 23 November (midnight)
Shortlisting date: Tuesday 25 November
Interview date: Thursday 11 December at County Hall, Northallerton

York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority

City Region and Rural Powerhouse

Assistant Director of Communications
Salary: £80,216 - £89,556 plus relocation
Location: York & Northallerton / Hybrid

About the role

About the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority