Jenni has lived and worked in the West Midlands for the last 36 years. She began her career as a teacher, working in inner city secondary schools in London and Birmingham. Thereafter, she joined the Department of Social Security where she worked in a number of roles at local and regional level in the West Midlands. She was appointed as Regional Director for The Benefits Agency in 1995 and similarly for The Pensions Service in 2002. In both roles she had the opportunity to lead and contribute to organisational and policy developments resulting in major service changes, including increased access to services for people from diverse backgrounds.
In 2004 she moved to work for The Highways Agency where she firstly led a division of engineering and environmental specialists concerned with road scheme standards and maintenance. She has also led Information Service Delivery for the Agency, providing both internal and external ICT services, and became the Organisational Development Director for Major Projects providing training, recruitment and communication services for the Directorate. She retired from the Highways Agency in 2008. Jenni became the Chairman of Solihull NHS Care Trust in August 2008.