Hello, I am Sharmila Kar, Joint Director of Equality, Inclusion and Engagement, and I am delighted that you are interested in the role of .
This is a particularly exciting time to join our organisation and the wider Manchester system. Manchester is still a place defined by its diversity, vibrancy, and creativity. As we work for a more equal and greener future, we will continue to build on our history of finding new ways of working and getting things done.
Manchester City Council is a commissioner and service provider and one of the larger local employers in the city, working closely with strategic partners and other local organisations. This puts us in an ideal position to play a significant role in leading the way to ensuring everyone has opportunities available to them, is treated fairly and is made to feel like they belong.
The new Our Manchester Strategy (2025-2035) that is being developed along with a refresh of Council’s Equality Objectives (2024 -2028) will enable us to ensure that advancing equity and tackling inequality are at the heart of our approach to deliver effective interventions at the right place and level so that we can make a difference to our diverse population.
We work with passion and pride in Manchester. You will be working with a team of involvement and engagement professional officers across the council and health to assist us to deliver on our ambitions to embed and advance equity and inclusion. Working on behalf of our residents, Council services and communities is a deeply rewarding, yet challenging experience.
This is a new integrated senior role, working closely with me you will play a key part in driving forward the delivery of a range of programmes, to support both Manchester City Council and Manchester Integrated Care Partnership’s activities to deliver on our ambitions by scaling up and accelerating high impact actions to reduce inequality.
I look forward to your interest and learning more about you.
Best of luck with your application!
Sharmila Kar
Assistant Director Development & Investment Estate
Hello, I’m Becca Heron, Strategic Director – Growth & Development, and I’m delighted that you are interested in the role of Assistant Director, Development & Investment Estate.
This is a particularly exciting time to join our organisation. Manchester is often held up as an exemplar of growth and regeneration, and rightly so – our city has been transformed in recent decades.
By working with partners in the delivery of our long-term strategic vision we have rebuilt our city centre, revitalised our neighbourhoods, expanded our public transport network, developed our knowledge economy, supported our creative industries, hosted major events, celebrated our diversity and strengthened our partnerships. We have seen remarkable growth in our population, our jobs, our businesses and our incomes.
We have become a global city with a strong identity and a confident voice, placing high in the global rankings of the top cities to live in, work in and visit.
However, we know this journey is not over, and Manchester must continue to grow. Despite our success we still have a long way to go in connecting all our residents to the opportunities created here, and therefore enabling them to become more prosperous. We know that to do this we have to build on the progress we have already made to continue our current trajectory.
We have a number of nationally significant developments underway. ID Manchester provides an opportunity to expand the city’s innovation ecosystem. The redevelopment of East Manchester continues, with a further phase of development underway in Ancoats, the expansion of the Etihad stadium, the opening of Co-op Live and plans for 4,000 new homes in Holt Town. Victoria North will deliver 15,000 new homes across Red Bank and Collyhurst. We’re developing a masterplan for the regeneration of Strangeways and are in the process of selecting a development partner for the redevelopment of Wythenshawe Civic. Our ambition is huge.
The role of the Development team in helping us to deliver this ambition is critical. Manchester’s success has been forged through the development of a long-term strategic vision for our city and the places within it, by establishing strong, pragmatic public/private partnerships, the use of our land assets as a platform for development and the ability to lever in public and private investment.
Alongside your professional background and track record in leading major development schemes, we are looking for colleagues who are truly team players, able to forge strong relationships with developers, partners and colleagues, and more importantly able to provide effective leadership, support and advice to deliver our objectives for growth, new homes and attracting investment.
If you share our ambition for our city, and would like to have a more informal conversation with me about the role, please contact deborah.o’grady@manchester.gov.uk
I look forward to your interest and learning more about you.
Becca Heron