Planning Policy Team Leader

Southwark Council; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Home working

Local government pension scheme

Staff Benefits

Job summary

Southwark Council is seeking a Planning Team Leader to shape the borough’s future through robust housing delivery policies and city-wide planning strategy. You will lead a sub-team within the Planning Policy group, collaborating with consultants and internal stakeholders to develop clear policies and monitor progress.

With a focus on housing, the role requires strong leadership, policy-writing skills and a collaborative approach to ensure alignment with the London Plan and Southwark Plan.

Qualifications

• Understanding of urban planning and strategic planning processes.
• Strong communication and leadership abilities to manage junior staff.
• Experience delivering policy-focused outcomes in a local government context.

Responsibilities

• Lead a sub-team within the Planning Policy team focusing on Housing and Local Plan delivery.
• Collaborate with consultants and stakeholders on policy writing, research and monitoring.
• Translate complex planning issues into clear, practical development policies.
• Ensure alignment with local and national planning policies.
• Uphold high standards of decision-making with transparent and robust processes.
• Support Corporate Delivery Plan while aligning strategies with council objectives.

Skills

Urban planning

Team leadership

Policy writing

Stakeholder management

Communication

Job description

Southwark Council is the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues such as The Shard, The Tate Modern and Borough Market along with conservation areas, historic buildings, social enterprises and a young, diverse, and growing population.
At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals, and attend our universities. Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark 2030 and Southwark Stands Together, underpins all that we do.

Do you have a passion for urban planning and a flair for producing effective, evidenced planning policies? If so, Southwark Council is calling you to join us as a Planning Team Leader, where your expertise will shape the future of our vibrant community!
Your role is not just important; it's transformative to our borough with many new developments taking place along the river Thames, residential estates at Elephant and Castle, at the former Surrey Docks at Canada Water, and through to Peckham and Camberwell. We have started on the process of updating the Southwark Plan under the new planning system. Your work will be varied and will include leading on Housing workstreams and digital initiatives. You will provide essential input into the Southwark Plan and the emerging London Plan and provide a leadership role within the team. We provide a strong emphasis on training and continued professional development and access to an extensive programme of training opportunities.

What You'll Be Doing

Do you have a passion for urban planning and a flair for producing effective, evidenced planning policies? If so, Southwark Council is calling you to join us as a Planning Team Leader, where your expertise will shape the future of our vibrant community!
Your role is not just important; it's transformative to our borough with many new developments taking place along the river Thames, residential estates at Elephant and Castle, at the former Surrey Docks at Canada Water, and through to Peckham and Camberwell. We have started on the process of updating the Southwark Plan under the new planning system. Your work will be varied and will include leading on Housing workstreams and digital initiatives. You will provide essential input into the Southwark Plan and the emerging London Plan and provide a leadership role within the team. We provide a strong emphasis on training and continued professional development and access to an extensive programme of training opportunities.

Your mission:

• Lead a sub-team within our Planning Policy team, guiding crucial work on Southwark’s Local Plan, with a technical focus on Housing delivery.
• Collaborate with consultants, partners internal and external stakeholders on policy writing, research, and monitoring.
• Translate complex strategic planning issues into clear and practical development management policies.
• Ensure alignment of policies with both local and national planning policies.
• Uphold the highest standards of decision-making, ensuring our council's actions are transparent, accountable, and legally robust.
• Use your excellent team working, stakeholder management and communication skills to play a pivotal role in the development and execution of the Corporate Delivery Plan, aligning our strategies, policies, and operational plans with the council's ambitious objectives.
• Your ability to handle complex planning matters with finesse will ensure our council meets its planning objectives and delivers outstanding value for our community.

What We're Looking For

How will you make an impact: We need a dynamic and experienced Team Leader planner who is driven to make a difference and can bring a blend of the following:

• A proven understanding of urban planning issues and the ability to tackle strategic planning with clarity and creativity.
• Strong communication skills to simplify complex issues into effective policy and capability in managing and leading junior staff.
• An enthusiastic, customer-first mindset, driven to help shape the future of Southwark’s urban landscape.
• Passion for learning, team development, and making a meaningful impact.
• Able to demonstrate how your insights have contributed to the achievement of strategic Planning goals.
• The capability to work in a fast‑paced environment, maintaining high standards of attention to detail while meeting deadlines.
• This role offers flexible home working blended with travel into our modern London Bridge office.

Contact Information:

For an informal discussion about the role, please contactCharlotte Brooks-Lawrie , [e-mail]

Benefits and more information:

In your role, we want you to feel supported, challenged and rewarded. You will benefit from our family‑friendly policies including flexible working, home working, and a local government pension scheme, plus many other staff benefits. You will join a motivated, driven and supportive team that strives for excellence and values its members. You will also be part of a successful and high‑achieving development team that is making a real difference to the lives of residents in the borough. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Staff Benefits page.

Additional Information

Closing Date: 15/10/2026

Shortlisting Date: 17/10/2026

Interview Date: 26/10/2026

Hours of Work: Monday to Friday (36hrs per week)

Location: 160 Tooley Street, SE1 2QH

Type of Contract: Permeant

DBS: No DBS is Required for this role

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Southwark Council will only contact candidates through official Council recruitment channels. We will not ask you to provide passport details, proof of address, National Insurance number, bank details or payment at application stage. These checks are only requested at the onboarding process – once an offer of employment has been made. If you’re unsure whether a communication you’ve received is genuine, please contact the Resourcing team directly on [e-mail] before sharing any personal information.

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative . We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

Members of the Armed Forces and veterans

Are currently in care, or have previously been in care

If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

Salary Range (Full time equivalent) £54,360 - £61,686