Chief Executive Officer – Planning Inspectorate in Bristol

The Chief Executive of PINS is a pivotal leadership role, responsible for the overall success, strategic direction, and operational delivery of the organisation. Working closely with the PINS Board and MHCLG, the Chief Executive ensures the Inspectorate delivers its mission, supports government priorities, and provides high-quality, impartial services to customers and stakeholders. In doing so, the CEO leads a highly skilled workforce, ensuring the Inspectorate is a modern, confident, customer‑focused organisation capable of delivering at pace while maintaining professional integrity – with an increasing focus on taking a collaborative approach to engagements with local and strategic authorities.

As the Inspectorate’s most senior executive, the CEO is responsible for ensuring the organisation delivers an effective and efficient service that underpins the Government’s ambitious agenda for planning reform. This includes making sure that the Inspectorate’s services reflect and implement the significant changes the Government has and continues to make to national planning policy, and to the structure and process of development plans, as part of the Government’s growth mission. As Accounting Officer, the CEO is responsible for the highest standards of financial administration and best utilisation of public assets. This includes providing robust leadership to the Executive Team and working closely with the PINS Board to deliver effective corporate governance.

• Strategic Leadership: Set and communicate a clear vision for PINS, aligning the organisation with evolving government policy and the needs of a modern planning system.
• Organisational Alignment: Lead the organisation to deliver efficient, timely, and high-quality services against targets, while promoting inclusivity and diversity.
• System Collaboration: Build and maintain effective partnerships across government, local authorities, industry, and community stakeholders.
• Digital Transformation: Drive innovation and digital transformation to enhance service delivery and customer experience, in particular through the incorporation of AI tools.
• Governance and Accountability: As Accounting Officer, ensure robust financial management, risk control, and compliance with statutory requirements.
• Change Management: Lead and inspire the organisation through change, embedding a growth and continuous improvement mindset.
• Professional Renewal: Foster a culture of continuous professional development, reflective practice, and cross‑disciplinary collaboration.

We are seeking an accomplished leader with proven experience guiding large, complex organisations or teams at a senior level. The ideal candidate will demonstrate the ability to set strategic direction, drive organisational transformation, and deliver technology-enabled change and business improvement. They will possess exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the credibility to represent PINS externally, alongside strong commercial awareness, risk management expertise, and financial acumen to fulfil Accounting Officer responsibilities. A commitment to professional development, inclusivity, collaboration, and adherence to Civil Service values is essential.

• Essential Criteria:
• Experience and track record of successfully leading organisations and/or operations of a comparable scale and complexity, in a customer focused environment with the ability to inspire colleagues at all levels of the business.
• Successful track record of devising strategy and effectively translating it into deliverable actions that have made a demonstrable difference to business performance.
• Credibility and experience of building long term, sustainable partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholder and board level operators across a complex and multi-disciplinary environment.
• Successful experience of leading significant transformational change programmes that have delivered continuous improvements to the business operation, with the ability to take people at all levels on that transformational change journey where innovation can be embraced and fostered.
• Track record of experience that will enable you to add a valuable perspective to the UK planning system, which critically, involves the ability to build credibility with subject matter experts.

Alongside your salary of £130,000, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £37,661 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.