Roney was an apprentice at 16 with
Birmingham City Council's housing department. She later went on to become Director of Housing for
Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council, West Yorkshire. She then worked for 10 years as
Sheffield City Council's Executive Director of housing and community care where she was involved in the regeneration of
Park Hill estate by
Urban Splash. While working her way through the ranks she studied part-time at
Birmingham University and gained an MBA in public sector management. In 2009, the
Anglo Irish Bank, which was funding half of the £200 million need for
Trinity Walk shopping centre, Wakefield, collapsed and the developer, Modus, went into administration. Roney devised a rescue package of new finance and in 2010, the scheme was sold to a consortium (Sovereign Land, AREA Property Partners, and
Shepherd Construction). She helped the council to create its own housing company, Bridge Homes, in joint partnership with WDH construction in 2014. Roney took up her position as
chief executive of
Manchester City Council in April 2017. On 22 October 2025 the case against Manchester council and Joanne Roney for alleged ‘discrimination on racial grounds’ was dropped, with the property agent claimant discontinuing his claims and paying all legal costs. ==Personal life==