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- Tasks: Lead the Business Planning team to develop impactful strategies for L&Q's future.
- Company: Join L&Q, a leading housing association dedicated to quality homes and community wellbeing.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, excellent pension, generous leave, and lifestyle perks.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in people's lives while shaping the future of housing.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership experience and strong communication skills at senior levels.
- Other info: Embrace a diverse and inclusive workplace with opportunities for professional growth.
The predicted salary is between 79400 - 90600 £ per year.
Title: Head of Business Planning
Contract Type: Permanent, Full-Time, 35 hours
Salary: Starting from £90,480 per annum (London weighted salary) or starting from £79,245 per annum (Regional salary), dependant on experience
Grade: 13
Reporting Office: London, Stratford or Manchester, Trafford
Persona: Agile Worker: 20% – 40% of contractual hours to be worked from reporting office/working location (hybrid working)
Closing Date: Sunday 28th September 2025
Interview Dates: Tuesday 8th October 2025
Please click here for the role profileHead of Business Planning Role
Benefits include: Excellent pension plan (up to 6% double contribution), 28 days Annual Leave rising to 31 days with length of service + Bank Holidays, Westfield Health Cash Plan, non-contributory life assurance, up to 21 hours volunteering paid days, lifestyle benefits, Employee Assistance Programme and many more…
Early applications are encouraged as we reserve the right to close the advertisement and interview earlier than stated.
Join our Strategy and Business Planning Team at L&Q:
We are coming to the end of our current Future Shape corporate strategy at L&Q, and while work to develop its successor is well underway, we are now looking for a senior-level, experienced, capable, and engaging colleague to lead L&Q\’s Business Planning team.
This is a critical role and will report to the Director of Strategy and Business Planning, working within L&Q\’s Governance and Transformation Directorate.
The Head of Business Planning will be responsible for working with senior colleagues from across L&Q to develop both short—and long-range business plans that demonstrate how we will deliver the strategic outcomes within our next corporate strategy, which covers the financial years.
If this sounds like you, we would love for you to apply
Your impact in the role:
We seek an experienced and well-established senior leader, who is able to use their skills to bring senior stakeholders and teams together to define and then deliver brilliant outcomes for colleagues and residents alike.
They must be a natural collaborator, highly capable of influencing at a senior level, extremely competent at communication and engagement, and able to develop colleagues and teams to be the very best they can be.
The successful candidate will be responsible for:
- Leading and maturing our business planning approach in collaboration with business functions across L&Q Group
- Leading and maturing the business performance reporting approach in collaboration with business functions across L&Q Group
- Developing and embedding long-range business planning (2-5 years), aligning this to our corporate strategy and financial planning
- Maturing the alignment between business planning and enterprise risk management
- Maturing assurance and reporting on the execution of corporate strategy, and lead business efforts to ensure execution of the corporate strategy is on target
- Maturing the scrutiny of business plans and performance reporting through our officer-led governance groups.
They will manage a team of Business Planning Partners and Business Planning Officers and ultimately lead the management and development of \’Run the Business\’ plans, our performance framework comprising key performance indicators (KPIs) and performance indicators (PIs), and assurance activity to ensure L&Q governance arrangements apply appropriate oversight and scrutiny.
What you\’ll bring:
The successful candidate will have proven experience in:
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Leadership and management: Experienced leader of both direct and indirect reports, and adept at enabling them to be the best they can be, in support of successful outcomes for them and L&Q. High level of competence at delivering through others. Proven experience working at C-Suite and Board level.
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Communication and Influencing: Highly adept at communication through all media, at all levels, internally and externally. A capable and competent senior-level representative of L&Q Group. Strong influencer. Able to operate successfully as a leader in a large, complex business setting, influencing for business-wide change and delivering through others, with an emphasis on driving operational excellence and simplification of outcomes
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Business Planning and Assurance: Highly adept at collaborating with senior leaders to translate an organisation\’s corporate strategy into tangible multi-year business plans.
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Performance Management and Assurance: Experienced and knowledgeable in developing, managing and improving frameworks that enable the effective measurement and monitoring of business plan and strategy delivery. Experience of working with Board, Committee and Officer-level Governance Groups to ensure there is adequate assurance, oversight and scrutiny of our business plans and performance reporting.
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Judgement and Vision: Takes a pragmatic approach to getting the best overall outcome, providing clear direction to senior colleagues as well as those they manage. Proven experience of getting senior colleagues on board through displaying sound judgement and clarity of vision. Ability to make the complex simple and turn conceptual ideas into concrete delivery.
A Recruitment Advocate will join this recruitment process as a panel member. This is part of an internal scheme supporting our recruitment process to be fair, transparent and consistent, particularly at senior levels.
If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage during this process, including application stage, please email
About L&Q:
We\’re one of the UK\’s leading housing associations and developers. We were founded on a simple belief: high quality housing is vital for people\’s health, happiness and security. Everyone deserves a quality home that gives them the chance to live a better life.
250,000 people call our properties \’home\’, and we\’re proud to serve diverse communities across London, the South East and North West of England.
At L&Q, people are at the heart of our business and our success depends on employing the best people and getting the best from them. The foundation of everything that we are is built on our corporate values and behavioural framework, which outlines our core expectations and should be demonstrated at all times, and all levels, when representing L&Q.
L&Q strongly believe a diverse and inclusive workforce is important, and inclusion is part of our core values and everyday working practices. We make hiring decisions based on your experiences, skills and merits and we are recognised externally for our commitment to inclusion. We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Disability Confident (Committed) employer and have signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge to demonstrate our commitment to end mental health discrimination in the workplace. Click here to read more.
At L&Q, sustainability is at the heart of what we do. We recognise the responsibility we hold as one of the UK\’s largest housing associations.
Click here to find out more about L&Q and why you should join us
TJ
Head of Business Planning
Location: London – Stratford or Manchester – Trafford
Posted: 16/09/2025
Closing date: 28/09/2025
Closing time: 23:00
Head of Business Planning employer: L&Q
Contact Detail:
L&Q Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Business Planning
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections on LinkedIn or attend industry events. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews! Research the company and its culture, and think about how your experience aligns with their goals. Practise common interview questions and be ready to showcase your leadership skills.
✨Tip Number 3
Follow up after interviews! A quick thank-you email can go a long way. It shows your enthusiasm for the role and keeps you fresh in their minds as they make their decision.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! We love seeing applications directly from candidates who are genuinely interested in joining our team. Plus, it’s a great way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Business Planning
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Head of Business Planning role. Highlight your leadership experience and how it aligns with our goals at L&Q. We want to see how you can bring your unique skills to the table!
Showcase Your Communication Skills: Since this role involves a lot of collaboration and influencing, don’t forget to demonstrate your communication prowess. Use clear examples in your application that show how you've effectively engaged with senior stakeholders in the past.
Be Specific About Your Experience: When detailing your previous roles, focus on specific achievements related to business planning and performance management. We love numbers and results, so if you’ve improved processes or led successful projects, let us know!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves. Plus, you’ll find all the details you need about the role and our values there!
How to prepare for a job interview at L&Q
✨Know Your Stuff
Before the interview, dive deep into L&Q's current corporate strategy and their future plans. Understand how the Head of Business Planning role fits into this picture. This will not only show your genuine interest but also help you articulate how your experience aligns with their goals.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples that highlight your leadership and management experience. Think about times when you've successfully led teams or influenced senior stakeholders. Be ready to discuss how you can enable others to achieve their best, as this is crucial for the role.
✨Communicate Clearly
Practice articulating your thoughts clearly and concisely. Given the emphasis on communication in the job description, consider rehearsing answers to common interview questions. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses effectively.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions to ask at the end of the interview. This could be about the team dynamics, the challenges they foresee in implementing the new corporate strategy, or how success is measured in the role. It shows you're engaged and thinking critically about the position.
