Principal, Culture & Heritage
| Posting date: | 12 May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | Competitive |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 11 June 2026 |
| Location: | Manchester, M1 6EU |
| Company: | inploi |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 75807566 |
Summary
The opportunity
Culture and heritage shape how Greater Manchester feels, functions and grows. They support pride in place and belonging, bring people together, strengthen town centres, and play a real role in regeneration, wellbeing and the visitor economy.
We’re looking for a Principal Officer Culture & Heritage to lead the development and coordination of culture and heritage policy across Greater Manchester, and to turn strategic priorities into deliverable programmes. You’ll work across GM’s ten local authorities, with sector leaders and delivery organisations, and with Government departments and national bodies (including DCMS), to help deliver key elements of the Greater Manchester Strategy, Good Growth agenda and wider devolution priorities.
Your roleAs part of GMCA’s Culture Team, you will provide leadership and direction across a high-profile portfolio. This is a role for someone who can connect policy to delivery, bring partners with them, and keep programmes moving with clarity and pace.
You will:
- Lead the development of clear, practical culture and heritage policy for Greater Manchester, grounded in strong evidence and designed for delivery.
- Build the evidence base to shape policy and influence decisions, working closely with colleagues across place and investment to support growth in the culture and heritage sector.
- Work with local authorities, Government and senior partners to agree how plans and programmes will be funded, governed and delivered.
- Develop strong relationships with key stakeholders to enable shared learning, co-design and programme development.
- Act as a key external point of contact for culture and heritage on behalf of the Directorate, representing GMCA in relevant forums and discussions.
- Provide advice, support and coordination across the portfolio, including briefings and inputs for senior leaders as required.
- Bring leadership on the connection between culture, heritage and place, working with partners (including Marketing Manchester) to strengthen the visitor economy through culture and heritage.
- Line manage and support the Senior Policy Officer Culture & Heritage, helping them deliver priorities and develop professionally.
- Oversee the Culture & Heritage budget, ensuring resources are planned, allocated and managed appropriately in line with GMCA requirements.
The complexity of this work will excite you. You’ll be comfortable working in a fast-moving, politically visible environment, and you’ll understand how to bring together local partners, national bodies and sector leaders to deliver shared goals.
You’ll bring:
- Strong policy and programme delivery experience, ideally in culture, heritage, place-based investment or related fields.
- Confidence working in partnership environments, including with local authorities, Government and national delivery organisations.
- Excellent stakeholder and relationship-management skills, with the ability to build trust and move work forward across multiple organisations.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including producing clear briefings, papers and presentations.
- Analytical capability, able to interpret evidence and translate it into practical policy and delivery choices.
- A collaborative, solutions-focused approach, with good judgement and the ability to manage competing priorities.
- A commitment to inclusion and accessibility, ensuring culture and heritage investment benefits all communities.
GMCA is a public sector employer of choice in Greater Manchester, working at the forefront of public sector innovation and devolution. We offer flexible and hybrid working, a generous annual leave offer, access to the Local Government Pension Scheme, and a wide range of wellbeing, learning and development and staff network support.
Our commitmentWe value the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce that reflects our communities. We welcome applications from everyone and will consider reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.