Strategic Lead– Place & Regeneration

Leeds City Council | City Development Directorate
Salary: up to £66,318 (pay award pending)

Deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious regeneration programmes

Leeds is one of the UK’s fastest-growing cities, with a regeneration agenda that is both ambitious and visible. From major city centre transformation to unlocking housing growth and infrastructure-led development, this is a place where regeneration is happening at scale.

To drive forward the delivery of the Leeds Ambitions, Leeds Economic Vision and Affordable Housing Strategy, we are now looking for two Strategic Leads to play a central role in shaping and delivering this agenda. Working at the heart of the Council’s Place and Regeneration Programmes team, you will operate across some of the most high-profile and complex projects in the country.

These are roles for someone who understands how to turn strategy into delivery, working across partnerships, unlocking sites and making things happen.

The roles

These are senior, outward-facing roles with a strong commercial and delivery focus. You will be taking strategic responsibility for a portfolio of complex regeneration programmes that span housing, infrastructure, economic development and culture.

You will work across the full development lifecycle, helping to bring forward major sites and programmes through a combination of partnership working, funding, negotiation and problem-solving. This includes supporting the development of regeneration frameworks and masterplans, securing funding through business cases and bids, and working closely with developers, investors and registered providers to unlock delivery by leading teams in using a broad technical and commercial toolkit.

A key part of the roles is acting as an intelligent client, bringing together legal, planning, property and technical expertise to overcome barriers and move projects forward. You will also play a visible role across the organisation and externally, working with Members, senior leaders and partners including Homes England and the Combined Authority through the innovative Leeds Growth Team to drive progress.

What you’ll be working on

Leeds offers one of the most diverse and exciting regeneration portfolios in the UK. Current priorities include city centre regeneration linked to the South Bank, major development opportunities around Elland Road and the Royal Armouries, and significant infrastructure-led growth linked to transport investment. There are also emerging opportunities around new employment hubs, housing delivery and large-scale place-based regeneration.

These are roles where you will be close to delivery, working on live projects, shaping investment decisions and helping to bring forward development that has a lasting impact on the city.

Why these roles will appeal

These are roles for someone who wants to be close to delivery but operating at a strategic level. They offer the opportunity to work across a broad regeneration toolkit, from funding and viability through to partnerships and delivery vehicles.

The team is collaborative and focused on outcomes. You will work alongside a multidisciplinary group of regeneration professionals, with the opportunity to shape how the service evolves as it continues to grow and adapt.

There is also real scope to bring something new, whether that is commercial insight, development experience or a different perspective from another sector.

About you

You will be deeply passionate about place, and delivering transformational outcomes for our communities and economy. You will bring a strong understanding of regeneration and development, whether from a local authority, consultancy, developer or registered provider background. You are likely to have experience of working on complex development or regeneration projects and understand how to navigate the commercial, political and partnership challenges that come with them. You will be politically astute, emotionally intelligent and a confident communicator able to navigate complexity to deliver at pace whilst taking people with you.

You will have a core technical specialism or discipline and will be comfortable working across disciplines and operating beyond your core specialism, bringing curiosity, pragmatism and a solutions-focused approach. Credibility with senior stakeholders is important, as is the ability to build relationships, build positive and compassionate team cultures to drive service improvement, and influence outcomes across a wide range of partners.

Why Leeds

Leeds is a city that is growing with purpose. With strong ambitions around inclusive growth, housing delivery and economic development, this is a place where regeneration is central to the future of the city, underpinned by bold and compassionate visions set out in the Leeds Economic Vision, Leeds Ambitions