At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead exciting residential and mixed-use developments from start to finish.
- Company: Join a leading Social Enterprise focused on community growth and regeneration.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, generous holiday, healthcare support, and career development opportunities.
- Other info: Flexible working options and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in creating vibrant communities and sustainable living spaces.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in residential development and strong commercial acumen required.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
We are seeking an experienced and commercially focused Head of Development to lead a portfolio of complex residential-led developments, including mixed-tenure and mixed-use schemes, affordable housing projects, joint ventures and commercial opportunities. Reporting to the Regional Director, you will play a pivotal role in delivering our regional growth strategy, leading a portfolio of complex residential-led developments from acquisition through planning, delivery and completion.
In our Greater London region, we are delivering some of the UK's most ambitious regeneration and housing-led developments. This includes our flagship Eastwick and Sweetwater neighbourhoods in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, East London, where we're creating vibrant mixed-tenure communities with 1,500 new homes, community facilities, public spaces and commercial opportunities. We are also progressing Camden Film Quarter where we are the residential partner, working with our delivery partner Yoo Capital, bringing forwards a major mixed-use regeneration project that will deliver new homes, employment space and a world-class hub for the UK's creative and film industries. These landmark schemes showcase our ability to lead complex partnerships, unlock large-scale regeneration opportunities and create sustainable places where people and communities can thrive.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a business delivering some of London's most significant regeneration and housing-led developments. As one of the UK's leading Social Enterprises, we are committed to creating places where people and communities can thrive, balancing commercial success with long-term social value.
Key Responsibilities
- Identify, assess and secure new residential, mixed-use and regeneration development opportunities.
- Lead complex land and development transactions, including acquisitions, options, conditional contracts, promotion agreements, development agreements and joint ventures.
- Manage projects through the full development lifecycle from site acquisition and planning through to delivery and completion.
- Lead masterplanning, planning strategy and development optimisation across major schemes.
- Prepare and present investment papers, development appraisals, viability assessments and business cases for senior leadership and Board approval.
- Drive commercial performance whilst ensuring developments deliver high-quality homes, strong customer outcomes and sustainable communities.
- Manage relationships with local authorities, Homes England, landowners, registered providers, consultants, investors and development partners.
- Oversee project risks, opportunities and programme performance across a substantial development portfolio.
- Support the identification and securing of grant funding and partnership opportunities where appropriate.
- Lead, mentor and develop Development Managers and wider project teams.
Essential Criteria
- Demonstrable experience delivering a range of residential development schemes across a range of tenures, including Affordable Housing, Build to Rent (BTR) and mixed-tenure developments.
- Proven experience leading and completing complex land and development transactions across a range of projects, structures and tenures including affordable and build to rent.
- Strong understanding of the UK planning system, development process and residential market.
- Strong financial and commercial acumen with experience preparing and managing development appraisals, funding streams, viability assessments and business cases using development financial models.
- Experience of leading master planning and development strategy for large-scale residential or mixed-use developments, working with consultants, local authorities and key stakeholders.
- Experience working collaboratively with a range of partners from all parts of the sector including housebuilders, funds, local authorities and public sector stakeholders.
- Demonstrable success in securing planning permissions and progressing development opportunities into delivery.
More About You
You will be a commercially astute development professional with a strong track record of originating and delivering successful residential and regeneration projects. You will combine strategic thinking with a hands-on approach and be comfortable operating across both public and private sector environments. Equally capable of negotiating complex commercial transactions and building long-term partnerships, you will understand the importance of delivering developments that create lasting value for customers and communities. Whether your background is in housebuilding, regeneration, mixed-tenure development, affordable housing, strategic land or development consultancy, you will bring the leadership capability, commercial expertise and collaborative approach required to drive a significant regional development programme.
Benefits
- Competitive salary with regular annual review
- Pension with matched contributions up to 7%
- 35 days holiday (including bank holiday) with option to buy or sell days
- Healthcare cashback plan for everyday medical costs - up to £500 savings per year
- Access to wellbeing support such as counselling and flu jabs
- Private GP and health support services available
- Access to a rewards platform with retail and lifestyle discounts
- Savings on groceries, travel, shopping and home products
- Ongoing training and development opportunities
- Access to professional qualifications and career progression
- Internal development programmes and learning support
- Recognition schemes such as Star Awards and Colleagues Awards
- Strong focus on inclusion, wellbeing and colleague engagement
- Free membership to Places Gyms
What's next?
As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we offer a guaranteed interview to candidates who are disabled, neurodiverse, or have served in the Armed Forces, provided you meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to be considered under this scheme, please indicate this in your application. We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview experience, please let us know. We understand the importance of a supportive and inclusive work culture so please talk to us at interview about flexibility you may need. We can't promise to give you exactly what you want, but we promise not to judge you for asking. For this role we are open to discussing the possibility of reduced hours, flexible start and finish times or compressed hours.
Safeguarding
At Places for People, safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. We are committed to creating safe communities for our customers and colleagues by protecting children, young people, and adults at risk from harm, abuse, and neglect. We follow robust safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring all employees, volunteers, and contractors uphold the highest standards of safeguarding and accountability. Our recruitment process includes pre-employment checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks where applicable, to promote a safe and secure working environment. By joining Places for People, you are expected to contribute to our safeguarding culture, following our policies and reporting concerns to protect those in our communities.
Armed Forces
We are proud to support the Armed Forces Covenant. Places for People will guarantee an interview for any candidate who is serving or has formerly served in the Armed Forces, as a reservist, armed forces veteran (including the wounded, injured and sick), cadet instructor and military spouse/partner and who meets the essential criteria for the vacancy.
Disability Confident
We are proud to be a member of the Disability Confident scheme certified as Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. This helps us to successfully employ and retain people with disabilities and health conditions. Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for a vacancy will be guaranteed an interview. The Equality Act 2010 (Disability Discrimination Act 1995 for NI) defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on their ability to do daily activities.
Neurodivergent
Neurodiverse individuals have highly valuable skills, and we recognise that a traditional interview process sometimes works against them and doesn’t allow them to self-advocate. Neurodiverse applicants who meet the criteria for a vacancy will be guaranteed an interview.
Head of Development in London employer: Places for People
Places for People in Birmingham is an excellent employer, offering a vibrant work culture that prioritises community engagement and exceptional service delivery. With flexible working arrangements and health memberships, employees are supported in achieving a healthy work-life balance while also having access to numerous growth opportunities within the leisure and hospitality sector.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Development in London
✨Join Construction Networks
Get yourself involved in local construction networks or industry events. They often have job boards, and networking can lead to unadvertised positions. Plus, it’s a great way to meet potential future colleagues!
✨Show Off Your Skills on Site
If you’ve done any hands-on work, whether it's through internships or personal projects, make sure you can showcase it. Consider volunteering for local construction projects or getting involved in community build days; it’s a solid way to demonstrate your skills and build connections.
✨Utilise Construction Job Sites
Don't just rely on the big job boards. Look at niche construction job sites—many companies prioritise these for full-time roles. Apply through these sites, but don’t forget to reach out directly to companies you admire, like Places for People, to express your interest!
✨Tailor Your Application for Full-Time Roles
Make your application stand out by tailoring it specifically for full-time positions. Highlight how your previous projects align with the company's work. At StudySmarter, we encourage you to demonstrate your commitment and long-term interest in the industry when applying for roles like Head of Development at Places for People.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Development in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Relevant Experience:In the construction industry, it's essential to highlight any hands-on experience you have. Whether it’s past projects you've worked on or specific roles you've held, make sure your CV emphasises your practical skills and contributions to construction sites.
Include Certifications and Qualifications:Don’t forget to list any certifications relevant to construction, like CSCS cards or other safety qualifications. These can really set you apart from other candidates and show that you’re serious about health and safety on-site.
Tailor Your Cover Letter to Construction:When writing your cover letter for a construction role, focus on your problem-solving capabilities and teamwork. Construction relies heavily on collaboration, so mention how you’ve worked successfully with others to complete projects on time and within budget.
Adapt Your CV Format to the Field:Ensure your CV is clear and easy to read, with sections dedicated to skills such as project management, technical abilities, and site supervision. Construction roles often require a blend of technical know-how and soft skills, so make sure both are highlighted effectively.
How to prepare for a job interview at Places for People
✨Brush Up on Technical Knowledge
For a construction role, it's crucial we have a solid grasp of industry standards, safety protocols, and specific tools used on-site. Make sure you're familiar with relevant regulations and can talk confidently about them, as these often come up in interviews.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Since this is a full-time position, be ready to discuss any previous construction projects you've worked on. Bring a portfolio or have detailed descriptions that highlight your role, the challenges you faced, and how you overcame them—this’ll show you’re not just book-smart but also practically savvy.
✨Understand the Team Dynamics
Construction is all about teamwork, so prepare to discuss how you interact with different stakeholders like architects, engineers, and contractors. Maybe think of examples from past experiences to illustrate your ability to communicate and collaborate effectively.
✨Prepare for On-the-Spot Problem Solving
Be ready for some practical questions or scenarios where you'll need to demonstrate your problem-solving skills. Interviewers might present you with a hypothetical construction issue to solve, so practice articulating your thought process clearly and logically—this could really set you apart!
