Head of Planning (Policy)

About You

We’re seeking a highly accomplished and strategic leader with a proven track record of delivering complex planning, environment and climate change, and heritage programmes. You bring the credibility and confidence to shape place-based policy, articulate compelling visions, and lead major initiatives from concept through to delivery, unlocking investment, promoting environmental enhancement and transforming places.

You have significant experience of driving forward strategic planning programmes and projects, including statutory Local Plans and providing support to wider regeneration and growth activities. You should have experience and expertise in preparing the necessary evidence base to support sustainable growth plans and can incorporate an understanding of practical challenges to ensure sustainable delivery is enabled. You are able to integrate policy aims relating to development, environment and heritage to underpin the positive evolution of Salford into a diverse, inclusive, and thriving city.

You excel at building and sustaining relationships and influential partnerships across the public and private sectors, including developers, communities, investors, landowners and delivery partners. You foster positive relationships with politicians, based on mutual respect and confidence in your counsel. Politically astute and technically aware, you navigate complex environments with confidence, negotiating outcomes that maximise long-term place value. You communicate with clarity and authority, aligning diverse stakeholders behind ambitious development and regeneration objectives. You are able to foster positive relationships with politicians and can effectively advocate for the most appropriate strategic approaches to this audience.

You combine strategic insight with strong analytical capability, using data, technical and market intelligence and spatial analysis to identify opportunities to achieve policy aims and are committed to seeing these turned into delivered projects. You have a demonstrable ability to originate and manage a robust pipeline of projects to support environment and climate change and heritage objectives, aligning these with funding streams, infrastructure investment, and wider spatial priorities.

You bring a sophisticated understanding of regional governance and the wider policy landscape, including the role of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, its devolved powers, and the operation of funding and delivery mechanisms across the city region. You are confident leveraging this landscape to develop a supportive policy context for Salford and to ensure the city maximises public investment benefitting the city.

Above all, you are purpose-driven passionate about creating high-quality places and delivering inclusive, sustainable growth. You are committed to positioning Salford as a leading, forward-thinking city, comprised of thriving, sustainable, and growing communities. Importantly, you put this commitment at the core of planning, environmental, and heritage activity.

If you have completed the GM Elevate Leadership Development Programme within the last 2 years, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.