Head of Planning

A strategic Head of Planning is required to lead and drive all Town and Country Planning strategy and strategic initiatives in relation to Thames Waters Property and estate. With the purpose of managing, promoting and lobbying the successful outcome of all planning applications to enable operational site development, asset enhancement, land disposal & development. Key to this role will be working closely with key stakeholders across Thames Water, our outsourced property service provider and external bodies, such as the local government authorities and/or London Borough Councils.


What you will be doing as Head of Planning


Operational – Capital and Operational Delivery - 

• Overseeing planning team in assessing the strategy for proposed operational development on Thames Water's land, and preparation and submission of planning applications and LPA correspondence where required.

Thames Tideway Tunnel - 

• Review and draft key reports and ensure planning strategy is accurately reflected in the overall commercial strategy.
• Provide advice on planning implications or elements of any future commercial agreements with landowners.

Planning Strategy -

• Maintain an awareness and advise the business on emerging and adopted policy in relation to planning and the environment that might affect Thames Water (e.g. renewable energy, biodiversity net gain).
• Identify opportunities to promote Thames Water sites, for operational uses where required, and alternative uses – including sales - in liaison with the Land Strategy Manager.

Stakeholder engagement and management - 

• Build collaborative working relationships with external bodies as Thames Water’s representative, i.e. Local Planning Authorities, development partners, Water UK and Government departments.
• Appoint, instruct and manage Thames Water Legal Team where required to assist on planning projects – e.g. for S106 agreements.

Development - 

• Work closely with Land Strategy Team within the Property function to develop planning strategies for development pipeline or provide assurance on outsourced provider and/or development partner strategies and reports.

Relationship management - 

• Work collaboratively within the Property team and wider Thames Water, providing advice on likely constraints and opportunities to all business activity as town planning may affect it.

What you should bring to the role

Essential

• Ability to create compelling business cases based on sound development planning logic, with the skills to influence strategic stakeholders at all levels.
• Be technically strong with the ability to manage complex relationships.
• Have extensive experience in Town and Country planning.
• Proven commercial acumen to deliver favourable outcomes for Section 106 agreements.
• Project management experience and understanding of understand of project methodologies.
• Possess a relevant professional qualifications e.g. Planning/Property qualification (MRTPI/MRICS).
• Strong and demonstrable numeric and analytical skills.
• First class presentation skills, with the ability to produce material to a high quality and for executive/director level audiences.

Desirable

• Experience of working client side in an operational organisation or otherwise in the delivery of infrastructure.
• Experience of leading planning input into reviews of opportunities for promotion of surplus land.

 
What’s in it for you? 

• Competitive salary of £75,000- £80,000 per annum depending on experience.
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service. (Plus bank holidays) 
• Car Allowance - £5,800.
• Annual Bonus - up to 25% of base salary.
• Private Medical Health Care.
• Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contribution.
• Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year.
• Wider benefits scheme including our benefits hub, which is packed full of offers and information to save you money and support your wellbeing.

Who are we? 

At Thames Water, our purpose is crystal clear - to deliver life’s essential service so our customers, communities and planet can thrive. 
 
Water is life’s great leveller. Every living thing needs it, every single day. From people to plants, birds to bees, farms to factories, we all need it to thrive, and we’re committed to taking care of it for us all. 
 
But keeping water flowing is becoming harder. From scorching summers to wetter winters, extreme weather affects everything from our pipes to our local rivers. We need to keep millions more kettles boiling, public services operating, washing machines spinning, showers running and more, so every drop is more precious than ever. Are you ready to play your part? 

Working at Thames Water 

At Thames Water, we recognise that people are at the heart of our business. To help us succeed in providing life's essential service, we need a range of skills and capabilities, representative of society throughout our business. 

We seek to attract and retain a cultural mix of people who can offer different but complementary attitudes, values, talents, and knowledge. We understand the importance of appreciating and harnessing the unique skills, experiences, backgrounds, and differences that each individual brings. 

Our over-arching diversity and inclusion aim is to ensure Thames Water is a diverse and inclusive great place to work. We encourage applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. 

Find out more about working at Thames Water. 

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business, meet colleagues and earn some extra money along the way. 

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.