City Centre

City Centre & Visitor Economy Partnership Manager - Fixed term - Cambridge

We are seeking a proactive and strategic City Centre and Visitor Economy Partnership Manager to play a crucial role in leading the Council’s approach to supporting the local visitor economy and developing city centre partnership working.

Working within the Economy and Place group, you will balance policy development with hands-on partnership management to steward the environmental, social, and economic health of Cambridge city centre. You will collaborate with businesses, strategic partners, and internal services to ensure our historic city centre remains a vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive place to live, learn, work, visit, and do business.

This high-impact role involves shaping strategic policy, building stakeholder relationships, securing investment, and integrating data-led decision-making across our visitor economy agendas.

In this role you will:

• Lead Cambridge’s involvement in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) and Destination Management Plan delivery.
• Take forward the ‘Thriving City Centre for All’ motion to shape a shared, vibrant, accessible, clean, and safe city centre vision.
• Shape local strategic approaches to emerging opportunities, including preparations for a potential local Visitor Levy.
• Liaise with key partners such as Cambridge BID, Visit Cambridge, the Chamber of Commerce, and regional or national tourism bodies.
• Build and maintain a comprehensive city centre data dashboard using wide-ranging datasets to support evidence-based decision-making and policy.
• Identify and secure external investment, capital, and revenue funding to enhance the city centre and manage visitor economy impacts.
• Collaborate across internal teams and regional frameworks (such as the Combined Authority and Greater Cambridge Partnership) to align place-making, transport, and operational workflows.

About You

We are looking for an innovative and collaborative leader with a strong track record in economic development, tourism management, visitor economy delivery, or town centre regeneration within a complex heritage or urban setting. You will be adept at navigating political sensitivities, working across organisational boundaries, and driving positive change.

The successful candidate will bring:

• Essential Experience: Proven success in establishing and managing strategic partnerships across public and private sectors, drafting and implementing economic or visitor strategies, and delivering complex multi-dependency projects.
• Data & Policy Skills: Outstanding analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex datasets (such as footfall or tourism metrics) to justify policy changes, establish baselines, and support funding bids.
• Communication & Influence: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the presence and diplomacy to build consensus, influence diverse networks, and work closely with Elected Members.
• Qualifications: A relevant degree-level qualification e.g., geography, economic development, place-making, public policy, tourism management) or equivalent professional experience.
• Values & Commitment: A strong commitment to inclusive and sustainable development, championing diversity, wellbeing, and climate action.

Experience working within local government, commissioning external consultants, and a understanding of the local Cambridge city centre landscape would be highly desirable.

The candidate must have a Full UK Driving Licence

Why join us?  

As well as being part of a supportive team delivering meaningful work that directly impacts our communities, we offer a supportive and rewarding working environment along with a  wide range of benefits , including:  

• Excellent learning and development opportunities supported via a range of sources and methods and, where applicable, recognised through Digital Badges 
• Access to the  Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and Additional Voluntary Contribution (Shared AVC) Scheme
• Ag