Cambridgeshire
Eastbrook House, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge, CB2 8DU

Director - Planning and Place

Salary: £121,076 - £141,210
Working Pattern: Full Time
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: 35
Closing Date: Thu 01 Oct 2026 - 10:59 pm UTC
Apply Now
Director - Planning and Place

Director - Planning and Place

Closing Date: 01/10/2026

Interviews will take place week commencing 05/10/2026 and 12/10/2026

There will be a two stage interview process and you will be required to complete an online Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ) prior to second stage. The second stage interview will include a focus on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

 

About the role.

 

This is a senior leadership role within Greater Cambridge Development Corporation (GCDC), reporting to the Deputy CEO. 

The post holder will work with economic, housing and other technical experts, local government, business, community and other stakeholders, to:

  1. provide strategic leadership of the Planning & Place Directorate, including setting the direction of the Directorate’s activities and management of its budget
  2. lead the setup of GCDC as a local planning authority (subject to the Parliamentary approval of the GCDC Planning Functions Order) 
  3. lead the next phase of work on the Corporation’s Framework for Good Growth, including engagement with stakeholders and local communities.
  4. provide direction and strategic leadership to support unlocking and accelerating development on GCDC’s priority sites that will contribute to the overall growth ambition as set out in Framework for Good Growth.
  5. lead work on developing and delivering a Quality placemaking framework for GCDC.

The post holder will lead an existing team of c11 FTE and will oversee the further expansion of the team over the next 12-18 months. They will also be accountable for the delivery of a c£2m budget.

This role is being recruited by Homes England to support the establishment and operation of the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation. The successful candidate will initially be employed by Homes England and will work predominantly on matters relating to the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation and its activities. 

 

About you.

 

We are looking for someone with a proven track record in strategic planning and delivery or large-scale housing and economic growth to join our team. You should understand and be passionate about the planning and delivery of quality homes, placemaking and regeneration and want to work in an inclusive, supportive and driven team. 

You will be motivated by the transformative impact of placemaking and understand the ability of a development led response to tackle social deprivation and economic underperformance.

The successful candidate will use their skills and experience in leadership, strategic planning and delivery of large scale economic and housing growth, complex infrastructure schemes and sustainability and placemaking to support the Cambridge ambition. An excellent understanding and practical experience of all aspects and stages of the planning system including both plan making and development management and working knowledge of CPO will also be valued.

The role also requires a deep understanding of sustainable place-making and relevant Government policies and priorities and will have experience of translating policy into operational delivery. 

The successful candidate will have substantial experience of developing well-organised, effective teams and setting clear objectives aligned with the wider strategic ambitions for the wider team.

 

Who are we? 

 

Homes England: The Housing and Regeneration Agency

As the government’s housing and regeneration agency, we create thriving new places and transform urban areas, combining the full breadth of our powers, expertise, land, capital and influence to bring investment to communities and get more homes built.

We form long-term partnerships that bridge the gap between the public and private sector to meet local needs and aspirations. And we use our funding and support to build a more resilient, diverse and innovative housing sector. Together with our partners, we’re accelerating the pace of house building, remediation and regeneration across the country, as we seek to deliver ever more affordable homes in places people are proud to call home for generations to come.

 

What we offer. 

 

As well as a competitive salary and 33 days annual leave. Homes England are a geographically diverse community, and we are committed to 50/50 hybrid working model.

Membership of the Homes and Communities Agency Pension Scheme, which is a contributory defined benefit scheme with the amount you receive on retirement based on your salary and years worked at the Agency.

Internal applicants: please note that if you are successful, the salary you are offered will be in accordance with our pay policy. You can find details on the HR Hub SharePoint site.

Employee assistance programme offering a wide range of healthcare plans, financial wellbeing support and access to many great discounts with leading high street names.

A range of network groups are also there to support you to be yourself at work and play a key role in helping shape our future.

If you are a member of a professional body, we’ll pay for your membership and once you get your digital kit, you’ll be good to go.

We would encourage all applicants to apply as soon as possible as we may close vacancies early should we receive a high number of applications. We also encourage you to apply using the full application option as opposed to quick apply, this is especially important if you would like to indicate to us that you would like to be considered under the disability confident scheme.

Our people remain at the heart of everything we do, and we’re committed to building an Agency that not only reflects the diverse communities we serve, but also champions inclusion in how we shape homes and places across the country. For more information about our EDI strategy please see our Homes England equality, diversity and inclusion reports -  Homes England equality, diversity and inclusion reports - GOV.UK

You will be required to have the Right to Work in the UK and Homes England do not offer visa sponsorship. If your application is shortlisted to interview we will require you to provide proof of your Right to Work in the UK at this stage.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

You are applying for...
Director - Planning and Place
Salary: £121,076 - £141,210
Working Pattern: Full Time
Contract Type: Permanent
OR
Questions
Do you currently have the right to work in the UK without the need for visa sponsorship? If you answer yes to this question, we will need to see evidence at interview stage.
Please tick yes to confirm that the responses provided are your own, reflect your personal understanding and experience, and have not been generated by AI tools such as ChatGPT.
In 300 words, please explain how your skills/experience align with the job requirements.
?
We ask this because we're interested in your suitability.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Thank you for assisting us by completing the questionnaire.

We want to understand our candidates. We ask these questions to collect overall statistical information – not to pinpoint individuals. It helps us understand which groups are underrepresented in our candidate pool and whether all groups’ needs are met.
Your information is safe. There are strict laws to make sure your information is stored safely and responsibly. For further information please refer to our Privacy Notice which can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/homes-england/about/personal-information-charter.
Your answers are confidential and will not be shared with hiring managers, therefore no decisions in relation to your application will be made based on this information. Homes England is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal data.
Your information will be stored in our internal recruitment system and will only be used to monitor our recruitment processes. If successful, this data will not be shared to our onboarding team, they will ask you to provide this data separately.
Your information will be used for statistical purposes only and will help to drive the actions that Homes England takes to ensure that our recruitment process is as inclusive as can be and that we are reaching out to a diverse pool of candidates. This will help us to create an organisation that reflects the diversity of our communities.
By completing this information you can help us become a more inclusive employer. By learning more about our candidates, we can make sure everyone has access to the same opportunity, remove any barriers faced by specific groups and ensure that all candidates feel welcome, supported, and able to succeed here.

Age

Gender Identity

Disability

The Equality Act 2010 defines disability as ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities’.
If you chose the answer Yes, please indicate the nature of your disability.
If you have multiple disabilities, please select multiple boxes, or self describe:

Please advise if you require any reasonable adjustments for the recruitment exercise:

Ethnic Group

Sexual Orientation

Religion or Belief

Please upload your CV
Simply drag and drop your CV here, or select a file from your machine
Drop here upload_file
For Security purposes you can only upload the following types of documents:
Documents (.doc, .docx, .pdf)
Images (.jpg, .jpeg, .png)
The following sections are incomplete
Personal Details
Questions
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
CV
?
Once you are happy with your application please click 'submit application' below
You may also be interested in…

Director - Planning and Place

Cambridgeshire
Permanent

Senior Manager - Partnership and Business Development

Birmingham
Permanent

Project Manager - Regeneration

Birmingham
Permanent