Digital Infrastructure Relationship Manager: example job description

To support delivery of the £55 million Digital Infrastructure Programme of the Swansea Bay City Deal within the county by implementing a programme of activities designed to address strategic and operational issues to accelerate and facilitate the deployment of fixed and mobile infrastructure across the county.

This work will ensure that the council is recognised as a proactive partner by industry and government in all matters relating to digital infrastructure improvements. 

1. Leading and supporting the implementation of the recommendations of the UK Governments Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, and all other UK Government and/or Welsh Government recommendations, within Carmarthenshire as directed by the Regional Digital Infrastructure Programme Team, Programme Board members and local strategic digital/Regeneration leads.
2. Supporting and enabling delivery of all Welsh and UK Government investment in Digital Infrastructure (Fibre and Mobile Connectivity) across Carmarthenshire, including but not limited to Local Broadband Fund Projects, UK Government Project Gigabit, Welsh Government Superfast Cymru 2 etc.
3. To act as Carmarthenshire County Council’s central point of contact between industry and/or governments at local, national and UK levels for digital infrastructure related activity and supporting the Councils digital portfolio in collaboration with the Swansea Bay City Deal.
4. Bringing together and leading operational decisions with local council teams involved in the deployment of digital infrastructure, i.e., Planning, highways, property, legal etc
5. Identifying areas of complexity and challenge for both local authorities and external providers in deploying digital infrastructure. Collaborating with teams in key internal Council services to redesign service delivery to ensure that deployment of digital infrastructure is efficient, integrated and continuously challenged and improved. 
6. Working closely with planners and other colleagues in the planning process to ensure that the benefits and importance of digital infrastructure is reflected in the Local Development Plan and the Strategic Development Plan.
7. Identifying and mapping suitable assets and infrastructure that could be made available to support the installation of fibre and mobile networks. Refining and analysing datasets and working with cohorts across the region to create a consistent dataset, commercial model, and acquisition process to lease public sector assets for mobile operators to use for wireless technology. 
8. Keeping up to date with and communicating opportunities for regional and local investment in Digital Infrastructure (Fibre and Mobile Connectivity) and, where appropriate, exploiting such opportunities in collaboration with the Regional Digital Infrastructure Programme Team, Programme Board members and local digital teams.
9. Promoting the use of digital and the opportunity to develop new, innovative ways of working and facilitating change by ensuring buy-in and support at all levels across the organisation and external stakeholders.
10. Providing data, information, and intelligence from Carmarthenshire to the Regional Digital Infrastructure Programme Team as requested to facilitate Regional and local workstreams and investment in Digital Infrastructure. 

Qualifications, vocational training, and professional memberships

• Educated to a degree level or equivalent professional qualification

Job related skills and competencies

• You can identify potential barriers and describe them in ways that are relevant both to direct peers and to local stakeholders. You can work collaboratively while recommending decisions and the reasoning behind them.
• You know about the strategic context of your work and why it is important.
• You can listen to the needs of private sector and internal stakeholders and interpret them clearly for both audiences. You know how to manage stakeholder expectations. You can be flexible, and you are capable of proactive and reactive communication. You know how to facilitate difficult discussions within the team or with diverse senior stakeholders. 
• You can build consensus between services or independent stakeholders. You engage in varying types of feedback, choosing the right type at the appropriate time and ensuring the discussion and decision sticks. You can bring people together to form a motivated team and help create the right environment for a team to work in. 
• You can make decisions characterised by managed levels of risk and complexity. You can resolve technical disputes between wider peers and indirect stakeholders, considering all views and opinions.
• You know how to communicate plans, planning assumptions and progress to a range of stakeholders. You can maintain the cadence of delivery and manage the relationships between different people within and across teams.

Knowledge

• You have extensive knowledge of project management, service design (end to end processes), and a sound understanding of change management in a digital environment. 
• You will monitor, evaluate, and report on business improvements.
• You are aware of the socio-economic value of gigabit capable digital infrastructure and the application and benefits of new digital technologies.
• You understand planning processes and associated legislation.
• You are aware of Welsh and UK Government digital infrastructure interventions and associated priorities and programmes.
• You have sound knowledge and understanding of the telecommunications industry and associated technologies.

Experience

• You have experience of partnership and collaborative working across multiple organisations, influencing, and negotiating change successfully.    
• You have experience of cross departmental problem solving.
• You have represented multiple stakeholders at a senior level and communicated the methodology to identify the best, mutually acceptable route forward. 
• You have experience of implementing change programmes and working in an agile environment.

Personal qualities

• You can develop positive working relationships with a wide range of individuals, groups, and stakeholders.
• You must be able to work under own initiative.
• You have effective communication skills, both orally and written and can communicate effectively at a strategic and operational level.
• You demonstrate an enthusiastic and positive attitude.
• You have excellent interpersonal, negotiating and influencing skills.
• You have effective leadership and motivational skills.

• Knowledge of or training in Project Methodology, e.g., PRINCE2 (formal or informal). 
• Proven experience and / or relevant qualification in planning or environmental  
• Experience of working in or with local authority planning teams 
• Experience of working with the telecoms industry and associated technologies
• Commitment to professional development