Principal Delivery Officer

Good Growth

Good Growth is responsible for delivering and implementing the Mayor’s environment, transport and economic strategies and for the effective implementation of the London Plan. The Directorate is also responsible for regeneration (where the programme is not housing led), enterprise, growth, capital projects and design work.

About The Team

The Mayor’s Infrastructure Coordination Service (ICS) is an innovative, award-winning, multi-disciplinary team that drives better collaboration in the planning and delivery of London’s utility infrastructure. This advertised role will sit within the sub‑team responsible for the development and implementation of the SSM: the SuDS through Streetworks Market (SSM).

This is an exciting opportunity to play a leading role in this flagship innovation initiative: establishing the UK’s first environmental services market for sustainable drainage systems (SuDS).

The SSM holds the potential to dramatically increase SuDS by leveraging planned streetworks. A cross‑organisational partnership – delivered in collaboration with Thames Water – will put forward a market‑led approach based on Nobel prize winning economics that will significantly reduce surface flooding risks and positively move the dial on green infrastructure across the city.

Our novel approach sits at the heart of London’s climate resilience agenda, supporting Flood Ready London as one of the London Surface Water Strategy’s key delivery mechanisms. Through the SSM, we are aiming to oversee two initial market rounds, deliver at least 100 projects and ultimately convert 7,000 hectares of impermeable land to SuDS to meet our target number of properties at risk from a 1 in 30 year storm.

About The Role

As Principal Delivery Officer within the Mayor's Infrastructure Coordination Service, you will lead the technical side of the SSM team. Working at the intersection of environmental markets, surface water management and infrastructure delivery, you will oversee the development of the SSM framework and successful implementation of the SSM market rounds.

You will manage a number of technical and interdependent workstreams – SuDS design, market design, trading platform, data, monitoring & evaluation, delivery, among others – to ensure the SSM work programme is delivered successfully and within budget.

This will involve convening ‘buyers’ – lead local flood authorities, Boroughs and Transport for London – together with ‘suppliers’ – utilities and contractors – to develop market and commercial arrangements, technical guidance and best practice, ensuring lessons are learned from each market round and refine the wider SSM processes. The SSM leverages London’s high volume of annual streetworks and encourages contractors to reinstate SuDS rather than traditional asphalt and concrete into their planned streetworks, thereby delivering SuDS at scale, lowering costs of delivery and reducing road disruption.

The role offers a unique opportunity to work on a high‑profile programme with significant visibility across City Hall, government and industry. You will engage with senior stakeholders across the GLA and the wider sector – including Flood Ready London, Ofwat, lead local flood authorities and the Environment Agency – to help shape how London’s infrastructure networks support the city’s growth ambitions.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical acumen, a can‑do attitude and programme management skills with the ability to understand and communicate complex SuDS / utility issues. Whether your background is in sustainability, environmental markets, utilities, infrastructure or a related field, you will be motivated by solving challenging problems, building effective partnerships and delivering tangible outcomes for Londoners.

What your day will look like

• Supporting a multi‑disciplinary team environment, ensuring team members feel supported and have the right resources and tools to carry out their work.
• Providing strategic direction across the SSM’s technical workstreams, addressing risks and technical barriers whilst achieving delivery targets.
• Providing support to Buyers and Suppliers and developing strong relationships with key stakeholders, including: lead local flood authorities, utilities, contractors and regulators.
• Working with SSM market participants to identify and deliver practical solutions to complex situations relating to environmental markets, SuDS and streetworks.
• Managing a large programme budget, including external consultants and overseeing procurement processes to deliver high‑quality technical work, ensuring KPIs are delivered on time, within budget and to a high standard.
• Producing reports, case studies and best‑practice guidance that capture lessons learned and influence infrastructure delivery across the sector.
• Analysing technical, commercial and delivery data to develop business cases for future governance and delivery models, identifying opportunities for innovation and improvement.
• Representing the GLA at meetings, workshops and industry events, championing collaborative approaches to infrastructure connections and housing delivery.
• Preparing briefings and updates for senior management, programme boards and the Mayor’s Office, ensuring risks, issues and opportunities are clearly communicated.

Skills, Knowledge And Experience

To be considered for the role you must meet the following essential criteria:

• A successful track record of leadership, team management, and external engagement / relationship building.
• Degree or equivalent in a relevant field (e.g. Environmental studies, Sustainability, Civil Engineering).
• Technical expertise on issues related to the water, infrastructure and streetworks sectors, and addressing surface water flooding issues, as well as substantial experience relating to: Environmental Markets, Construction, Streetworks, Utilities, Development, Capital Delivery or similar (relevant transferable experience and skills welcome).
• Experience of successfully operating in a complex political environment and an ability to prepare timely, clear and concise reports, presentations and briefings on complex, technical, and/or sensitive issues for a range of different audiences.
• Strong programme and project management skills and experience, including evidence of successful delivery to time and budget.

Behavioural Competencies

Communicating and Influencing

… is presenting information and arguments clearly and convincingly so that others see us as credible and articulate, and engage with us.

Level 3 Indicators Of Effective Performance

• Encourages and supports teams in engaging in transparent and inclusive communication
• Influences others and gains buy‑in using compelling, well‑thought‑through arguments
• Negotiates effectively to deliver GLA priorities
• Synthesises the complex viewpoints of others, recognises where compromise is necessary and brokers agreement
• Advocates positively for the GLA both within and outside the organisation

Building and Managing Relationships

… is developing rapport and working effectively with a diverse range of people; and sharing knowledge and skills to deliver shared goals.

Level 3 Indicators Of Effective Performance

• Actively engages partners and encourages others to build relationships that support GLA objectives
• Understands and recognises the contributions that staff at all levels make to delivering priorities
• Proactively manages partner relationships, preventing or resolving any conflict
• Adapts style to work effectively with partners, building consensus, trust and respect
• Delivers objectives by bringing together diverse stakeholders to work effectively in partnership

Problem solving

…is analysing and interpreting situations from a variety of viewpoints, and finding creative, workable and timely solutions.

Level 3 indicators of effective performance

• Clarifies ambiguous problems, questioning assumptions to reach a fuller understanding
• Actively challenges the status quo to find new ways of doing things, looking for good practice
• Seeks and incorporates diverse perspectives to help produce workable strategies to address complex issues
• Initiates consultation on opportunities to improve work processes
• Supports the organisation to implement innovative suggestions

Research and analysis

…is gathering intelligence (information, opinion and data) from varied sources, making sense of it, testing its validity and drawing conclusions that can lead to practical benefits.

Level 3 indicators of effective performance

• Expands networks to gain new information sources for research and policy development
• Identifies and implements methods to ensure intelligence is of a high quality
• Encourages others to analyse data from different angles, using multiple perspectives to identify connections and new insights
• Tailors research investment in line with likely impact for Londoners and policy priorities
• Retains a bigger picture view, ensuring research recommendations are appropriate and practical for the GLA and its stakeholders

Planning and Organising

… is thinking ahead; managing time, priorities and risk; and developing structured and efficient approaches to deliver work on time and to a high standard .

Level 3 Indicators Of Effective Performance

• Monitors allocation of resources, anticipating changing requirements that may impact work delivery
• Ensures evaluation processes are in place to measure project benefits
• Gains buy‑in and commitment to project delivery from diverse stakeholders

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