Head of Strategic Projects

A bit about the role... You will lead and manage work on HMG priorities in the London & East region. This could include overseeing a pipeline of projects, driving project delivery, and progressing evidence base and operational readiness. You will work on nationally significant projects which could be in Oxford, Oxfordshire, or on wider priorities across the region, that will transform places and communities including new settlements, major urban extensions, and regeneration schemes, while applying expert commercial and development knowledge to help make them a reality.

As a Head of Strategic Projects, you will lead the development and delivery of large-scale, complex housing initiatives and commercial site delivery. Acting as a bridge between strategy and implementation, the role brings commercial and technical expertise to unlock delivery across major sites. You will lead a small team responsible for identifying, developing and progressing a portfolio of projects, and you will procure and oversee expert and consultancy inputs. You will collaborate with internal teams, external partners, and stakeholders to develop innovative solutions that de-risk projects and secure planning certainty. Your work will accelerate housing delivery while championing best practice and forward-thinking solutions.

You will work with multi-disciplinary teams and manage a wide range of activities, including shaping delivery plans and business cases, preparing tender documents, overseeing development, funding and financing strategies, and coordinating consultant teams, preparing approval papers and funding proposals. The role requires strong organisational leadership and the ability to operate at senior levels across government and the development industry. We are looking for skilled professionals with extensive experience in the planning and delivery of large-scale, complex developments. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of housing delivery and create sustainable, thriving communities. You’ll work on nationally significant projects, collaborate with leading experts, and make a real impact on people’s lives.

A bit about you… You will be an experienced leader with a track record of operating at senior level within a complex development, regeneration, infrastructure, housing growth or public sector delivery environment. You will have significant experience in leading, developing and motivating diverse teams. You will have extensive experience managing complex development, property or infrastructure projects. You will also have proven ability to successfully coordinate with multiple stakeholders across public and private sectors. Experience in delivery vehicles such as development corporations is desirable but not mandatory. You will be a critical friend to partners, while also being supportive and engaging, you will be comfortable with having difficult and challenging conversations.

Delivering on a mission as bold as ours isn’t always easy. You will be resilient and comfortable managing stakeholders at a senior level and your discussions will always be shaped by a good understanding of the commercial and operational impact of what we do. You will enjoy working in a fast paced environment with short deadlines where not all the questions yet have answers, and you will need to be able to negotiate and persuade. As an experienced property professional, you’ll understand how to work with multidisciplinary project teams and be able to demonstrate you can work with others as part of a team in a collaborative, inclusive way. You will have a background in working on complex projects, with experience of identifying and overcoming development constraints with a good awareness of key technical project risks, and implementation of appropriate mitigation strategies.

The Applicant will also ideally have experience in the procurement and management of multi-disciplinary teams, with an ability to demonstrate an understanding of forthcoming policy changes and how to effectively manage these through the planning and delivery stages of projects.

Essential: degree level qualification or equivalent experience as a: Chartered Surveyor (MRICS), Town Planner (MRTPI), urban regeneration specialist or experience in development finance. You will be asked to support on a number of projects that require various property development skills and knowledge. We appreciate you may not have all of the skills/experience listed in the job description, but you will have the majority or at least an understanding of them.

Who are we? Homes England: The Housing and Regeneration Agency. We believe that affordable, quality homes in well-designed places are key to improving people’s lives. 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.

How? We form long-term partnerships that bridge the gap between the public and private sector to meet local needs and aspirations. We use our influence to champion the creation of sustainable homes, communities and places that are brilliantly designed for the people that live there now, and in the future. And we use our funding and support to build a more resilient, diverse and innovative housing sector, helping new entrants in the market, encouraging modern methods of construction and design, and promoting the utmost attention to building safety. 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, we are committed to 50/50 hybrid working. We’ll support you, wherever possible, so that you don’t miss out on what matters to you. 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. If you ever need a bit of extra help, we have a great employee assistance programme, a wide range of healthcare plans, financial wellbeing support and access to many great discounts with leading high street names. Our 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.

Homes England are a geographically diverse community. We work to a 50/50 office/ home based model. Moving back into our office environments has enabled us to utilise our space and time together in the most collaborative way. We’re a diverse team of more than 1,000 professionals spanning 17 professions, helping Homes England to be effective, efficient and deliver for communities. 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.

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.