Programme Director - Race Equality Hub

Programme Director, Race Equality Hub
Liverpool City Region
Competitive salary • initially two years

We're hugely proud to be home to the longest–established Black and Chinese communities in the UK. Yet as in many other places, significant historical and deep–rooted racial inequalities exist within the Liverpool City Region (LCR), and these were further exacerbated by the disproportionate impact of the Covid–19 pandemic on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people.

Our response was considered and ambitious: we established a Race Equality Programme that aims to tackle systemic injustice and inequality and drive forward positive change for our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employees and residents, influencing the partners we work with to do the same. And we committed to significant investment in the establishment of a ground–breaking Race Equality Hub, which will be the catalyst for improved racial diversity across public, private and third sector organisations, and provide support that will improve the business landscape for minority ethnic communities across Liverpool City Region.

This incredibly exciting new venture will be the means by which we deliver that commitment. Our objectives include the creation of over 1,500 new jobs, the provision of training and support to over 400 businesses, direct support to individuals to become job–ready or develop their careers, advice for minority ethnic entrepreneurs and business owners who want to establish and grow businesses, and guidance for mainstream businesses to diversify their workforces and implement positive action schemes.

It's a broad spectrum of work, and we want to appoint someone with similarly comprehensive capacity to lead the work. You'll be a highly visible, encouraging and well–networked professional, with experience of working in equality, employment, skills and business growth, with the overall responsibility for closing longstanding employment gaps between Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic residents of the LCR and their white counterparts. With a nuanced and credible understanding of the barriers to change, and the relationship–building skill to build confidence and influence the development of innovative new approaches, you'll rapidly establish a reputation for the Hub as the go–to place for businesses, entrepreneurs and other system partners. You'll lead a small, expert team that provides best–in–class support and activity for race equality, and makes concrete progress in supporting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities within the City Region to obtain and develop employment, leadership and business opportunities.

Candidates will have the dual ability to develop an inspiring strategic vision, and to lead its operational implementation – we want someone who's as motivated by delivery as they are by design, and tangible effectiveness is the most important indicator of success. Personally committed to an anti–racist and inclusive organisational culture, you'll exemplify positive behaviour and action, and provide a dynamic focal point for all those in the City Region who aspire to change the race equality landscape for good.

A diverse workforce can generate a wide range of benefits to both the businesses and the wider economy, and the Hub is a signatory to the LCR Fair Employment Charter. We strongly encourage interest from candidates with Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and /or lived experience of racism.

Please visit to find out more. For a confidential, informal conversation, please contact Rob Muncaster or Lara Balodis at Cadence Partners on or email

Closing date: midnight, 3 April 2023.