At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead planning policy to shape vibrant communities and drive positive change.
- Company: Join the dynamic London Borough of Waltham Forest, a hub of culture and innovation.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, flexible working options, and a commitment to diversity.
- Other info: Collaborative team environment with opportunities for professional growth and mentorship.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on sustainable growth and community development in a thriving borough.
- Qualifications: Degree in Town Planning or equivalent; experience in policy and project management.
The predicted salary is between 57402 - 62766 £ per year.
Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest
Salary: £57,402 - £62,766 (PO7 - PO8)
Contract Type: Full-time Permanent
Working hours per week: 36
Application Deadline: 11/09/2026
Proposed Interview Date(s): W/C 21st September 2026
Reference: 2258
About Us
Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work. We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.
London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London's Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.
About the role
We are looking for an experienced, ambitious and creative planning professional who is passionate about shaping places and delivering positive change through planning policy. The successful candidate will lead the Council's Policy for Place function, taking a strategic role in the preparation, implementation, monitoring and review of the borough's Local Plan and wider planning policy framework. Working across a broad portfolio, you will help shape supplementary planning guidance, design codes, masterplans, planning briefs and neighbourhood planning initiatives, ensuring that planning policy supports the delivery of high-quality homes, jobs, public spaces and infrastructure across the borough.
The focus of the team over the coming years will be on implementing our ambitious adopted Local Plan, preparing for future reviews and responding to a rapidly evolving national and regional planning agenda. This role will lead on commissioning and managing evidence studies, undertaking public consultation and engagement, monitoring policy performance and providing expert planning policy advice to senior officers, elected members, developers, community organisations and residents.
The right candidate will be passionate about planning and placemaking, with a strong understanding of planning policy and the plan-making process. They will be comfortable working collaboratively across disciplines, communicating complex ideas clearly and building positive relationships with colleagues, communities and partners. Experience of working within a political environment, managing complex projects and helping to shape policy solutions to contemporary challenges such as climate change, biodiversity recovery and sustainable growth will be highly advantageous.
In this role you will work across the wider Place and Design Team alongside planning policy, design, conservation and biodiversity specialists, supporting our matrix working approach and helping to build skills and resilience across the service. The role reports to the Head of Strategic Planning and Design and will have responsibility for supervising specialist officers and managing consultancy commissions where required.
The Place and Design Team
We work to ensure that growth is inclusive, creating a fairer borough and to deliver the new homes and jobs that the borough needs. We are committed to engaging the borough's diverse communities at all stages of the development cycle to ensure that future development brings the benefits they need. The team works to ensure that all new development is of exemplar quality and is supported by the right infrastructure, built in the right places. We work closely with stakeholders - whether strategic authorities, investors or developers - to make sure that development contributes to wider ambitions, enhancing biodiversity, mitigating flood risk, and tackling the Climate Emergency head on.
We work within an inclusive structure that rejects silos, embraces sharing and learning and works flexibly and collaboratively. We have adopted a matrix working approach that assembles the right teams for the right projects, building resilience and skills. We also work collaboratively with other teams across the council, including Development Management, Area Regeneration, Employment, Business and Skills, Culture, Housing, Property, Capital Delivery, Strategy & Design, and Highways. We have built a reputation as an innovative, positive, proactive team that delivers excellent results with work produced in-house.
The recent achievements of the team include adopting our Local Plan and having our Site Allocations Plan pass examination, contributing to award-winning buildings and public spaces, developing the Waltham Forest Design Awards, producing high-quality guidance such as the Residential Alterations and Retrofit SPD and the Leyton Mills SPD, as well as rejuvenating our Local Heritage List.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the preparation, implementation, monitoring and review of Waltham Forest's Local Plan and wider planning policy framework, ensuring compliance with national, regional and local planning requirements.
- Lead the development of supplementary planning documents, design codes, masterplans, planning briefs, neighbourhood plans and other place-based planning frameworks that support sustainable and inclusive growth across the borough.
- Provide strategic planning policy leadership on key priorities including climate resilience, biodiversity recovery, active travel, healthy placemaking, heritage conservation and sustainable development.
- Commission and manage evidence base studies, technical assessments and specialist consultancy projects, ensuring a robust evidence base for policy development and delivery.
- Monitor the effectiveness of planning policies and statutory strategies, ensuring planning documents remain up to date and respond to emerging legislation, opportunities and challenges.
- Provide expert planning policy advice and guidance to senior officers, elected members, developers, communities and external stakeholders on a wide range of planning and regeneration matters.
- Lead public consultation, engagement and statutory plan-making processes, ensuring meaningful involvement of residents, partners and stakeholders in shaping the borough's future.
- Build and maintain effective partnerships with regional bodies, neighbouring authorities, community organisations and other stakeholders to support the successful delivery of planning policy objectives.
- Contribute specialist expertise to cross-disciplinary projects across the Place and Design Team, helping to deliver high-quality, sustainable and inclusive place-making outcomes.
- Support, mentor and develop colleagues within the service, promoting collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.
Qualifications and Requirements
- RTPI recognised degree level qualification in Town Planning or equivalent.
- Eligibility or membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
- Advanced user of Microsoft Office, especially Word and Excel and other relevant software enabling the review and maintenance of the Local Plan process.
- Experienced user of GIS Software such as StatMap and QGIS.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace.
The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives:
- Promoting equality of opportunity
- Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage
- Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels.
- Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all.
Respecting Diversity is a core Council value. To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting.
The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme.
For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy. We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council.
If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.
Contact Information
If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Conor Keappock, Acting Head of Strategic Planning & Design at conor.keappock@walthamforest.gov.uk
If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk
The Council's preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method.
Planning Policy For Place Lead employer: Waltham Forest Council
As a leading employer in the social care sector, we offer a supportive work culture that prioritises employee well-being and professional development. Our Senior Social Workers benefit from competitive pay, ongoing training opportunities, and a collaborative environment that empowers them to make a meaningful impact in the lives of children and families within the community.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Planning Policy For Place Lead
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We think you need these skills to ace Planning Policy For Place Lead
Some tips for your application 🫡
Highlight Relevant Experience:In the public sector, having experience in community engagement, policy analysis, or project management stands out. Make sure to showcase any previous roles or volunteer work that reflects your understanding of public service values and how they've shaped your career path.
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How to prepare for a job interview at Waltham Forest Council
✨Get to Know Public Sector Values
Before your interview with Waltham Forest Council, dig deep into their mission and values, especially how they align with public service and community impact. Understand the key policies or initiatives they are involved in – you’ll want to show that you genuinely care about serving the community.
✨Brush Up on Regulatory Knowledge
Brush up on the regulations, laws, and compliance standards relevant to the role you’re applying for. Since this is the government and public sector, they might throw technical questions related to policy frameworks or project management best practices that you'll need to navigate day-to-day.
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Craft a few STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) stories that demonstrate your experience in similar roles. Whether it’s a project that made a difference in the community or a challenging situation you managed, be ready to express how your skills and experiences make you a valuable asset for Waltham Forest Council.
