Head of Corporate Strategy

ABOUT THE LAND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

The Land Development Agency (LDA) is the State’s affordable housing delivery body.  Its main role is to acquire and develop State and other land to deliver affordable homes, supporting the creation of thriving communities and delivering ongoing positive social impact. It is overseen by an independent Board of Directors and has total capitalisation of up to €8.75bn. To date €6.25 billion of equity capital has been committed by Government and a further €2.5bn capitalisation is permitted under legislation from other sources/debt.

The LDA is active on more than 20 State Land sites and has a delivery pipeline in excess of 25,000 homes.  The Agency also works in partnership with the country’s largest and most experienced homebuilders and will deliver a further 8,000 homes under its Project Tosaigh initiative. Additionally, the LDA is working on large-scale longer-term strategic areas by master-planning and bringing forward planning applications in locations such as Limerick Colbert Quarter, the Digital Hub in Dublin and Sandy Road in Galway.

Role Purpose

Reporting to the Chief of Staff (COS) and working in collaboration with ELT (Executive Leadership Team) and other senior colleagues, The Head of Corporate Strategy is responsible for developing, implementing, measuring and overseeing the Land Development Agency’s strategic direction in alignment with national policies, government priorities, and stakeholder needs. The role involves strategic planning, policy and performance oversight and reporting, and internal and external stakeholder engagement, to ensure the organisation delivers on its strategic objectives efficiently and effectively.

Key Responsibilities:

In consultation with the ELT and Board, lead the development of the LDA’s corporate strategy process, encompassing strategic goals and objectives, risks, key performance indicators (KPIs) and management agenda items.

Drive the formulation, delivery, and evaluation of the LDA’s strategy development framework and performance management framework, ensuring supporting policies and processes are embedded.

Identify emerging trends, risks, and opportunities that may impact the organisation’s strategic direction, including advise on options and proposed direction of travel.

Continuously seek to improve the corporate strategic planning process – assessing and adopting tools and methods that improve the efficiency and accuracy of strategic evolution, performance management and reporting processes.

Advise and support the COS and CEO on strategic direction and initiatives.

Provide strategic advice to senior leadership, Board members, and relevant stakeholders.

In conjunction with Finance, lead delivery of the LDA’s integrated planning process (annual strategy, budgeting and business planning process).

Lead compilation of the LDA’s 5-year business plan incorporating a suite of key performance indicators and management agenda items.

Collaborate with cross functional teams to co-ordinate delivery of the LDA’s business performance and management agenda across the Agency and provide regular updates.

Lead delivery of business performance reporting to key internal and external stakeholders including the board and government departments.

Ensure alignment of strategic initiatives with national policies, government priorities, and sectoral strategies and ensure compliance with statutory, regulatory, and governance frameworks.

Working closely with the CFO and Finance team, lead the compilation of the LDA’s Annual Report in accordance with relevant corporate reporting standards and good practice.

Engage with the ELT, Board members, Government colleagues, regulatory bodies, industry partners, and, as appropriate, the public to support the achievement of strategic initiatives.

Plan and facilitate delivery of key strategic initiatives and lead strategic reviews and special projects on behalf of the CEO and COS.

Build and maintain strong and effective relationships with key stakeholders to align internal strategy with wider Government policy, Housing for All and ensure effective monitoring and reporting on same.

Represent the organisation at external forums, consultations, and strategic partnerships.

Assist with research, briefings and provision of relevant material, external presentations and performance management / expectation setting regarding LDA (e.g. Oireachtas Committees, Government Departments), where necessary.

Support alignment and collaboration across different units, departments to implement and adapt initiatives and projects. 

As part of the COS function, lead and facilitate the identification, assessment, mitigation, monitoring and reporting of principal strategic risks, threats and opportunities and support their incorporation in the corporate risk register.

Person Specification

Extensive experience in strategic planning, corporate governance, and public sector policy.

Proven leadership and management experience, ideally in a public sector or regulated environment.

Strong analytical, problem-solving, project management and decision-making skills.

Excellent written and verbal communication and negotiation skills.

Proven stakeholder engagement skills including the capability to present complex concepts, ideas and data to various stakeholders. 

Excellent collaborative attitude and capacity to work with a multitude of stakeholders to build strong professional relationships by utilising high levels of emotional intelligence.

Demonstrable persuasion and influencing skills.

Being a team player is a pre-requisite.

Knowledge of Ireland’s and EU State public sector frameworks, regulatory environment, and economic policies.

Familiarity with performance management, impact assessment, and reporting methodologies.

Ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives in a dynamic policy environment.

Comfortable dealing with ambiguity, with strong planning, prioritisation, and organisational skills with attention to detail.

Strong strategic mindset to anticipate future scenarios, identify opportunities and threats and where necessary develop and implement enabling actions or mitigations.

Strong leadership attributes including fostering a cohesive and collaborative environment within the COS function and across the Agency and encouraging reflection and continuous development.

Be able to demonstrate a public service ethos and an interest in the societal and economic issues that impact Ireland.

To Apply:

The closing date for applications is 5pm on the 29/05/2026.  The Land Development Agency (LDA) is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to promote and support a diverse and inclusive workforce, and we endeavour to provide reasonable accommodation where requested.