Planning and Enabling Manager

Final date to receive applications: 11th August

Interviews will take place in person:
Week commencing 24th August

Working as part of the North East, Yorkshire and The Humber Planning and Enabling Team the Planning and Enabling Manager, will play a key role in delivering a diverse portfolio of projects across the region, ranging from small sites to large, complex strategic developments.

Based in either Newcastle or Leeds and reporting to a Senior Planning and Enabling Manager, you will contribute to de-risking sites, achieving planning certainty, and enabling the delivery of new homes across Homes England's land portfolio.

You will lead and work as part of multi-disciplinary teams on a range of projects and initiatives, providing planning and technical expertise to support successful project outcomes. Joining an enthusiastic, motivated, friendly and experienced team of highly skilled professionals, you will contribute to delivering projects efficiently, ensuring they are appropriately de-risked and brought to market in a way that maximises early delivery and delivers value for money.

The team is committed to taking an innovative and proactive approach to solving challenges and identifying practical solutions. You will be developing planning and technical strategies, procuring surveys, reports and supporting information to derisk sites, instructing and managing consultants, and overseeing the preparation and submission of planning applications. You will also engage with Local Planning Authorities to agree application content and negotiate appropriate planning conditions and Section 106 agreements, ensuring projects remain deliverable and aligned with programme timelines.

In addition, you may be asked to work across teams and with external partners to provide planning and technical advice with regards land acquisition and disposals, assessing planning risks and opportunities, and shaping planning strategies in accordance with Homes England governance requirements.

You will work with colleagues across the organisation to procure work packages such as demolition, site clearance, creation of serviced parcels, and the construction of spine roads and drainage infrastructure – helping to unlock large complex sites which may have previously been unviable to the housing market.

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to the delivery of complex and rewarding housing and regeneration projects across both brownfield and greenfield sites within a national organisation driven by social purpose.

You will be educated to degree level, with professional membership (MRICS or MRTPI) desirable or working towards this, and experience within the residential sector.

You will have several years experience working within the development or house building industry, or as an experienced planning professional, and you will have strong project management skills, with the ability to manage consultants and collaborate effectively within multi-disciplinary teams. You will have relevant and recent experience of bringing forward deliverable housing schemes through the planning process.

A strong understanding of the housing market, development sector and the Government’s housing agenda is important. You will be confident navigating the planning system, with experience across a range of planning matters including community engagement, technical assessments, and negotiations with local authorities. You will be well organised, an effective communicator, and have an interest in placemaking. Experience with outline permissions, Section 106 agreements, reserved matters, and discharge of conditions is essential.

A solid understanding of the development process — including pre-acquisition technical due diligence, land transactions, risk management, development economics, and viability — will be beneficial. Experience of working with engineers and architects to design technically deliverable schemes, and an understanding of the detailed design and construction process would also be beneficial. You will be comfortable managing multiple priorities, seeking opportunities to improve processes and innovate.

Y…