About the role

Help Shape a Cleaner, Healthier Sheffield

Sheffield is the core city at the heart of the South Yorkshire region, a major employment centre and hub for high skilled jobs, global inward investment and knowledge-intensive businesses, with our economic reach extending across Yorkshire and over the Pennines into the North West.

It's an exciting time to join Sheffield City Council. Momentum is building across the city, with significant investment already underway alongside an ambitious 10-year Growth Plan focused on economic growth, regeneration and creating opportunity for all.

A key part of that vision is &slshquot;A City on the Move&slshquot;, improving connectivity, supporting sustainable growth and creating a transport network that works for residents, businesses and visitors alike. Central to this ambition is Sheffield's commitment to improving air quality, reducing emissions and creating healthier places for future generations.

This role offers the opportunity to lead one of the city's most important transport policy programmes, taking ownership of Sheffield's Clean Air Zone and helping to shape the future direction of transport and environmental policy across the city and wider region.

The Role

As Principal Transport Planner (Clean Air Zone), you will lead the management, development and ongoing evolution of Sheffield's Clean Air Zone programme, ensuring it continues to deliver meaningful environmental, economic and public health outcomes.

Key responsibilities include:

Leading the development and implementation of Clean Air Zone policy and associated programmes.
Monitoring performance, analysing data and providing evidence based recommendations
Producing strategic reports, briefings and policy papers for senior leaders and elected members.
Managing relationships with key government and regional stakeholders.
Working collaboratively across transport, regeneration and environmental services to align policy with wider city objectives.
Leading and supporting a team of transport professionals to deliver high quality outcomes.
You will work closely with organisations including Defra, the Department for Transport, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and neighbouring South Yorkshire authorities, representing Sheffield on issues of regional and national importance.

About You

We're looking for an experienced transport professional with a strong background in transport policy, strategy or programme management.

You will bring:

A transport planning or related professional background.
Strong policy development capability.
An analytical mindset, with the ability to interpret complex datasets and performance information.
Experience producing strategic reports and policy recommendations.
Excellent stakeholder management and partnership building skills.
The confidence and credibility to engage with senior leaders, government departments and regional partners.
This role is likely to appeal to candidates from local government, combined authorities, consultancies, transport bodies, environmental policy teams or government departments seeking a strategic leadership opportunity with genuine impact.

Why Sheffield?

Unlike many private sector roles, Sheffield City Council offers the opportunity to combine meaningful, city shaping transport work with an excellent work life balance, a highly competitive pension, flexible and hybrid working, and a strong commitment to employee wellbeing and professional development.

This is a rare opportunity to influence transport policy at a city wide level while helping deliver cleaner air, healthier communities and sustainable economic growth.

Join Sheffield's Transport and Infrastructure Revolution

If you're passionate about transport policy, environmental improvement and creating places where people and businesses can thrive, we'd love to hear from you.

To apply for the role visit the Penna advert for the role here and submit a CV and covering letter.

For a confidential discussion contact:brian.gallagher@penna.comor 07716 098175

We are investing in our workforce and are promoting opportunities to our under-represented groups. We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are focused on increasing the diversity of our workforce, particularly the number of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people, so that our teams reflect the communities in the city we serve. We are also supporting staff with unpaid caring responsibilities to work flexibly.

It is a great time to join us and we welcome your application.

Under the Guaranteed Interview scheme, applicants who are disabled, care leavers, or armed forces veterans will be guaranteed an interview if they meet the essential criteria and indicate their eligibility on the application form. Sometimes, if lots of people apply, we might not be able to interview everyone who qualifies for the Guarantee. In these cases, we’ll interview the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job.

Full-time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.

If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.

Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Find out more on our Sheff news page.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all individuals, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for everyone and where appropriate to the role the successful applicant will be required to undertake relevant safeguarding checks.