Location
London

Hours
Full Time

Salary
£85,413

About the Role
As joint Head of City Planning Policy, you can make your own powerful contribution to Westminster’s success. This is a rare opportunity to lead city-wide planning policy development in one of the most complex, high-profile urban environments in the world. Working as part of a flexible job-share (three days per week), you will shape the long-term physical fabric of Westminster – from iconic landmarks to distinct neighbourhoods – ensuring that our planning policy framework supports the city’s evolving needs, communities and strategic goals. You will lead on the development and implementation of key planning workstreams, including supplementary planning documents, neighbourhood planning, planning evidence and monitoring, and the Council’s response to national, regional and London Plan policy reform. You will provide strategic advice and direction to Members, senior officers, and partners – helping to shape Westminster’s corporate position on major planning issues. Your work will be critical in supporting the Council’s leadership, including engagement with residents, businesses and visitors in the development of spatial, environmental and neighbourhood planning policies. You will also prepare and present Westminster’s responses to planning policy changes, ensuring alignment with council priorities and contributing to shaping wider policy direction. A key part of your role will be to collaborate across departments and external partners to ensure integrated, multidisciplinary working – aligning spatial planning policy with wider social, environmental and economic objectives. You will be expected to lead by example – modelling inclusive values, embedding equality and diversity in your work, and proactively promoting fair access to the planning profession. You will also be responsible for maintaining compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, ensuring Westminster’s policy outputs reflect best practice and are legally robust. Working across a complex stakeholder landscape, you will demonstrate excellent relationship-building skills, balancing technical planning expertise with the ability to engage and influence at all levels.

Experience
You will bring a successful track record of leading and developing functions within a large, complex, multi-disciplinary organisation, managing comparable resources and budgets. With experience navigating complex policy and service environments, you’ll be confident working with senior managers, councillors, statutory bodies, and a wide range of internal and external partners to deliver shared outcomes.

About you
You will have sound knowledge of town planning and the wider challenges facing local government, with a clear understanding of the legal, political and financial frameworks that shape public sector delivery. Equipped with excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, you will influence, negotiate and build productive relationships at all levels. You’ll bring advanced interpersonal skills to lead, motivate and develop high-performing teams, and be confident translating strategic objectives into deliverable plans. You will also have strong political awareness and the ability to work effectively within a democratic environment. A visible commitment to equality, diversity and inclusive leadership is central to how you work, ensuring these values are embedded in both team culture and policy delivery.

Qualifications
Experience of managing resources and delivering high-quality services through robust budget management, business planning and performance monitoring will be essential.