Shape the Future with the National Wealth Fund
At the National Wealth Fund, our mission is to swiftly and effectively mobilise trusted sector insights and investment expertise to unlock billions in private finance for projects across the United Kingdom. Providing £27.8bn of capital and an expanded mandate, we are ready to help the market invest with confidence, continue to drive forward the Government's growth ambitions.
We are looking for skilled and results oriented individuals who are motivated to help us build the National Wealth Fund into an industry-leading institution.
Job Purpose
How to Apply: We are delighted to be partnering with Search Specialist, Korn Ferry in the recruitment of this role. To apply please share with you our application via email to this address: ApplicationsKF@kornferry.com
Location: Hybrid working with 3 days per week in the Leeds office.
Deadline to Apply: 19th Jan 2026. Early submission is encouraged, and applications will be reviewed by Korn Ferry on an ongoing basis.
Early Stage Project Development Director Role Purpose:
As part of the National Wealth Fund’s mission to support a clean energy transition and drive local and regional economic growth, the Local Authority (LA) function plays a key role in enabling technically complex and innovative infrastructure investments.
The LA function is working increasingly in partnership with Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs), city regions and local leaders supporting the development of their local growth plans and investment pipelines. NWF is working with four Strategic Partnerships (Greater Manchester Combined Authority, West Midlands Combined Authority, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Glasgow City Region) through its Regional Project Accelerator offer.
The Regional Project Accelerator model is transforming how the LA function delivers advisory services, moving to longer and deeper involvement in nationally important or regionally ambitious infrastructure projects that drive growth and/or deliver towards the clean energy transition.
The Early Stage Project Development Director role for the LA function is a senior, client-facing, leadership position, that will involve working intensively (location being predominantly client-based) with one or more of our Strategic Partnerships areas (including their constituent local authorities) to help accelerate projects from feasibility to finance.
The Director will bring together excellent project development and programme management skills, a successful track record of leading and managing teams to deliver successful project business cases. The post holder will bring broader market knowledge and financial and commercial experience of leading and developing successful projects. The role will help Strategic Partners, or their constituent local authorities, progress projects and portfolios through their development lifecycle to enter procurement and achieve well-structured commercial and financial arrangements with their private sector delivery partners.
The role will be an integral part of the delivery of our LA advisory and lending services, leading a delivery team, and collaborating with NWF sector and investment teams, to develop investible projects. The LA function’s areas of focus include building retrofit and energy system decarbonisation, clean energy and heat networks, transport, and place-based investment, with scope to expand sectors as NWF’s remit evolves.
Each Director role will work with one or more Strategic Partners (or one or more of its local authorities) on the development of specific projects or programmes that NWF, through the Strategic Partnership process, has agreed to provide more embedded intensive support.
The nature or the required support and length of involvement with each project or programme will vary and the role will involve working on-site with the relevant local authority project team. We are looking for Directors who are prepared to travel for a proportion of the working week.
Core Accountabilities:
Represent the NWF - cement the NWF’s reputation as a centre of excellence in supporting the development and financing of nationally and regionally important infrastructure projects. Working with NWF Strategic Partnership Directors, the role will help identify where we can support authorities to accelerate the pace at which projects in their pipelines are taken through the development stage lifecycle.
Delivery of defined scopes of work – responsible for the delivery of support to Strategic Partners that could range from providing capacity and capability to drive the development of business cases with a small team through to managing a wider NWF team to work in-depth on specific financial and commercial aspects of projects. This will include identifying when resource and support from other LA team members (e.g. with financing or sector knowledge) and from other parts of the Fund (e.g. Banking & Investments, Impact or Policy) is needed.
Strategically solve complex problems, draw on own expertise and identify solutions efficiently. Ensure authorities receive expert advice enabling them to accelerate the delivery of their growth and clean energy ambitions.
Identification of sources of funding and finance, working within a multi-disciplinary environment, develop solutions for the funding and finance of complex infrastructure projects and investment opportunities
Utilise industry experience to advise the Strategic Partners on project risks so they are clearly identified and communicated to the appropriate levels within the local authority.
Support in shaping the Fund’s regional role with local government, through career experience to date and through lessons learnt from the NWF [Early Stage Project Development] role so that best practice, guidance and advice can be more widely shared with other local authorities through the NWF local government Knowledge Service.
Team development – help to attract and retain high performing talent and expertise within the LA function’s early project development support capability and establish NWF as a market leader in the provision of trusted advice to authorities on complex infrastructure projects.
Interface in an open, constructive, and collaborative manner with senior colleagues across NWF to share expert knowledge and experience, draft sector strategies and to fulfil the strategic mission of the Fund.
Knowledge, Skills & Requirements:
Significant experience in early project development and the business case process, particularly financial and commercial cases but also economic and management cases and feasibility and options appraisal exercises.
Extensive experience of working with and managing relationships with key stakeholders - both within local government (senior officers/c-suite) and external to local government (such as central government departments / devolved administrations, financiers and investors private sector delivery partners).
Substantial experience of partnership working and managing advisory engagements; including working with other organisations critical to the development of business cases (technical, financial, legal, etc), understanding the interdependencies between workstreams and ability to lead the assessment of programme/project risks.
Sector knowledge and experience of project / business case development in one or more of the NWF LA functions core areas of focus (building retrofit and energy system decarbonisation, clean energy and heat networks, transport, and place-based investment).
Commercially astute with demonstrable evidence of engagement with relevant markets and organisations in complex multi-stakeholder projects.
Knowledge of local authority governance processes and high-level understanding of local authority finances and funding sources for business case development.
Be a skilled communicator ensuring positive representation of the NWF whilst providing objective, critical friend support to Strategic Partners in relation to project development.
Collaborative team player with a commitment to NWF’s mission and contributing to the positive culture of the organisation.
A career with us offers a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact and work on cutting-edge technologies that will drive the UK’s future. We value diversity in our people and inclusion is at the heart of what we do.
We offer competitive benefits and unique learning opportunities from combining both private and public sector skills and experience. Please note, referencing and background checks are carried out for all roles here at the National Wealth Fund.