Senior Leader

Occupation summary

This occupation is found in small, medium and large organisations in the public, private or third sectors and in all areas of the economy including health, finance, engineering, manufacturing, business and professional services, education, retail, leisure, technology and construction.

Senior Leaders are a key component of all types of business model where there is a workforce to lead, manage and support. The broad purpose of the occupation is to provide clear, inclusive and strategic leadership and direction relating to their area of responsibility within an organisation. Typically, this involves setting, managing and monitoring the achievement of core objectives that are aligned to the overall strategic objectives of their organisation’s Board (or equivalent). In a smaller organisation they are also likely to contribute to the execution and achievement of these strategic objectives.

A Senior Leader influences at a higher organisational level, including sometimes at Board (or equivalent) level, and sets the culture and tone across their area of responsibility. They may work in varied environments including in an office, onsite, or remotely and demonstrate a high level of flexibility and adaptability to meet the needs of the organisation.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with internal stakeholders such as members of their team, other senior leaders/managers, support services (for example: finance, marketing, HR) and project groups and, in larger organisations, they may be part of a wider specialist team. Depending on the size of their organisation, a Senior Leader may be responsible for reporting results relating to their area of responsibility to a Board, trustees, shareholders, executive team or to other senior management within the organisation. Externally, a Senior Leader acts as an ambassador for their organisation with wide-ranging networks typically involving customers/clients, supply chains and statutory/regulatory bodies. An employee in this occupation will be responsible for:

• Setting direction, vision, governance and providing a clear sense of purpose for their area of responsibility.
• Providing clear and inclusive leadership.
• Identifying longer-term opportunities and risks using data from internal intelligence sources and external influences.
• Developing ethical, innovative and supportive cultures that get the best from people and enable the delivery of results.
• Resources that may include budgets, people, assets and facilities.
• Staying up to date with innovation and championing its adoption.
• Keeping pace with – and responding to change – by leading agile transformation.
• Leading and promoting sustainable business practices.
• Responding and managing crisis situations.

Typical job titles include:

Associate Director, Business unit head, Chief executive officer, Chief financial officer, Chief information officer, Chief operating officer, Divisional head, Executive director, He registrar, Head of department/faculty, Warrant officer.

Occupation duties:

Duty 1

Set the overall strategic direction of their area of responsibility in partnership with the Board (or equivalent), encouraging employees to buy into the organisation’s vision.

Duty 2

Lead on the development and critical review of operational policies and practices within their area of responsibility, to ensure they are aligned to the needs of the organisation and remain fit for purpose and sustainable.

Duty 3

Lead and influence agreed projects to deliver organisational strategy such as change and agile transformation programmes, diversification, new product implementation, and customer experience improvement.

Duty 4

Make decisions about organisational resource requirements (budgets, people, technology) based on strategic insight and reliable evidence.

Duty 5

Lead and respond to crisis management, assessing the risks and opportunities which could affect the business/department performance, and finding solutions that meet the needs of both the organisation and its customers/stakeholders in a responsible and ethical way.

Duty 6

Lead people development including talent management, succession planning, workforce design, and coaching, and mentoring arrangements for people within their area of responsibility.

Duty 7

Promote an ethical, inclusive, innovative, and supportive culture that generates continuous business improvement.

Duty 8

Report to the Board (or relevant governance/management structure) on the progress of their operational activities towards achieving business goals.

Duty 9

Cultivate and maintain collaborative relationships with key senior internal and external stakeholders to influence key decision makers as appropriate.

Duty 10

Shape the approach to external communications for their area of responsibility and ensure it aligns with any wider organisational communications strategy.

Duty 11

Proactively keep up to date with social, economic and technological trends and developments relevant to their area of responsibility and wider organisation, and promote innovation to address changing requirements and to take advantage of new opportunities.

Duty 12

Ensure that their area of responsibility is compliant with internal governance, such as any assurance framework requirements, and with external governance, such as any regulatory and statutory requirements.