Principal Place & Regeneration Manager

Job description

Job title: Principal Place & Regeneration Manager

Salary: PO6 £53,051-£56,293

Hours: 37 hours per week

Location: Merrion House, Leeds

Deliver some of the UK's most ambitious regeneration programmes: x3 Principal Place & Regeneration Managers up to £56,293k

Prior to applying, please contact [email protected] for a candidate pack.

Leeds is one of the UK's fastest-growing cities, with a regeneration agenda that is both ambitious and visible. Working at the heart of the Council's Place and Regeneration Programmes team, you will operate across some of the most high-profile and complex projects in the country. Leeds is delivering one of the most ambitious and diverse regeneration programmes in the UK. This is a city investing in growth, infrastructure, housing, innovation and place-making of national and international significance. This is an environment where regeneration is not theoretical, it is happening now.

We are therefore building capacity to deliver the next era of growth for Leeds, and are now looking for x3 Principal Place and Regeneration Managers to play a central role in shaping and delivering this agenda.

You will be working on live, high-profile projects with real visibility and long-term impact, helping to unlock investment, shape major development opportunities and deliver regeneration that will define the future of the city - delivering long lasting benefits for communities.

These are technical and commercial specialist roles for someone who understands how to turn strategy into delivery, working across and through partnerships, unlocking sites and making things happen.

Three Distinct Roles

Role 1: Culture & Heritage and Spatial Programmes

You will co-ordinate the delivery of culture and heritage programmes - leveraging the Council's role as a funder and the utilisation of wider technical + commercial tools, to secure heritage and cultural led physical regeneration.

You will play an integral role in driving the delivery of:

• Temple Works - grant, Homes England partnership, potential delivery of the British Library North, comprehensive area regeneration through land disposal/ developer selection.
• Royal Armouries Waterfront - Grant.
• Neighbourhood Regeneration - Morley Investment Fund & Heart of Holbeck.
• Lower Kirkgate Comprehensive Regeneration via various interventions.
• Technical enabler - Designing and delivering bespoke interventions to drive growth at priority heritage and cultural locations - utilising technical and commercial tools to co-ordinate and enable delivery.
• Global Positioning - Supporting Place Marketing of Leeds to position our anchor project work on a global scale, supporting Inward Investment colleagues.
• South Leeds Gateway Regeneration - covering Key Account Management, Visioning, evidence base, infrastructure scoping, convening work with landowners and developing and implementing interventions to stimulate regeneration through a broad technical toolkit.

This role will be suited to applicants with deep experience of commercial transactions such as administering public grants/ loan to third parties (particularly on culture and heritage assets) developing business cases, funding bids but most importantly, you will have exceptional stakeholder management skills and an ability to drive spatial regeneration beyond any funding agreement. As a built environment specialist, you will be able to utilise development and commercial expertise to drive partnership working that unlocks the delivery of large-scale spatial programmes. You will be comfortable leading financial transactions but also utilising a broader toolkit beyond funding to drive and secure regeneration adjacent to grant/ loan investments through leading spatial programmes, including co-ordinating land assembly, land disposals and utilisation of Council powers to achieve delivery.

The role is more than just process, transactions or governance compliance, but about driving forward commercially, politically and technically difficult projects in line with public law and having the ability to project our ambition to local, regional, national and international audiences. You will understand and be experienced in working within cultural and heritage focussed regeneration and be passionate about how such assets can help Leeds achieve its international ambitions.

Role 2: Economic and Spatial Programmes

You will co-ordinate the delivery of major spatial programmes to deliver place and real estate solutions to achieve major economic growth for key sectors identified in the Leeds Economic Vision through physical regeneration.

You will play an integral role in driving the delivery of

• North-West Leeds Employment Hub - land assembly, developer procurement and Joint Venture formation.
• Elland Road Neighbourhood - investor partnership, positioning and development agreement for development of 30 acres of land and regeneration delivery strategy.
• Microsoft AI Opportunity Zone - defining with partners spatial vision and regeneration delivery plan to complement Microsoft's investment.
• Technical enabler - Designing and delivering bespoke interventions to drive economic growth through physical regeneration at priority locations: utilising technical and commercial tools to co-ordinate and enable delivery.
• Place Marketing - supporting the Place Marketing of Leeds and major real estate focussed inward investment missions and cases, supporting Inward Investment colleagues.
• Innovation Arc/ Investment Zone/ Northern Square Mile - covering Key Account Management, Visioning, evidence base, infrastructure scoping, convening work with landowners and developing and implementing interventions to stimulate regeneration through a broad technical toolkit.

This role will be suited to applicants with deep experience of building and delivering deep rooted partnerships to drive growth as well as real estate focussed inward investment. You will have a full appreciation of the challenges/ opportunities of Leeds' priority sectors and how to translate this to delivery through our built environment.

Through a real estate lens, you will have substantial experience working across professional disciplines such as economic development policy professionals, surveyors and planners to deliver high impact economic growth through physical regeneration. You will be comfortable and experienced in real estate focussed inward investment and city promotion and possess wide-ranging technical and commercial experiences to drive delivery- from authoring business cases, authoring Regeneration Frameworks, to designing and delivering developer procurements, undertaking options appraisals of delivery mechanisms, as well as designing and implementing real estate focussed inward investment campaigns.

You will have exceptional interpersonal skills and proven track record working on large scale and high-profile regeneration activities that bring partners together, an ability to compel a wide range of audiences, and significant experience of close working with developers and investors to achieve transformation.

Role 3: Housing and Spatial Programmes

You will co-ordinate the delivery of major spatial programmes to deliver place and real estate solutions, major housing growth and increased affordable housing provision in accordance with the Leeds Affordable Housing Strategy.

You will play an integral role in driving the delivery of

• Mayoral Development Zone - enabling private sector and Registered Provider led housing delivery
• Affordable Housing - City Wide unlocking of third party led affordable housing through partnership
• Commuted Sums - Grant Programme leadership
• East of Otley - LCC Co-ordination.
• Technical Viability - Undertaking and appraising viability assessments.
• Unlocking growth - Designing and delivering bespoke interventions to drive housing growth at priority locations; utilising technical and commercial tools to co-ordinate and enable delivery.
• Strategic partnerships - with Homes England, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Registered Providers and others.
• West End Riverside & Potential New Town - covering Key Account Management, Visioning, evidence base, infrastructure scoping, convening work with landowners and developing and implementing interventions to stimulate regeneration through a broad technical toolkit.

This is a role suited to technical and commercial specialists with a deep-rooted understanding of development economics, viability, and development delivery, with particular focus on the housing delivery. You will have compelling experience directly delivering homes or working with/ for developers and or registered providers to turn strategy into genuine delivery. You will be confident and experienced in directly undertaking viability assessments, negotiating, convening partnerships, navigating complexity and conflicting positions and ensuring that delivery happens.

You will have the commercial and technical acumen to design solutions to achieve delivery of new provision. For example, you will be able to identify challenges, and lead complex technical work to achieve delivery, whether it be co-ordinating land assembly, leading on Joint Venture delivery structures, or negotiating grant or loans.

A key focus of the role is relational - building meaningful relationships with partner delivery agencies, developers and in particular registered providers. You will be passionate about affordable housing delivery and have the strategic insight to ensure Leeds can influence partners and policy to achieve our ambition. This role is 'sleeves up' and focussed on tangible delivery with one of the most ambitious housing growth opportunities in the country.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary of up to £56,293 and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays (starting at 26 days rising to 28 days and up to 33 days after 5 years' service)
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to Apply:

The Job Description and essential requirements are detailed further below, outlining essential and desirable requirements. These are technical and commercial roles, and candidates should have a relevant technical specialism/ experience and flexibility to work beyond their professional discipline/ interests.

Please upload in one document no more than 5 sides of A4 (size 12 font), both a CV (up to 3 sides of A4) summarising your career history, achievements, and to include a personal statement (up to 2 sides of A4) outlining your fit for the role in line with the Job Description.

Then, complete the online form for the supporting statement in no more than 500 words to describe 1) your motivation for applying for this role (role 1, 2 or 3), 2) your most recent salary and 3) any notice period.

Your application should outline your relevant professional accreditations, technical or commercial expertise and experience.

Read our guidance for further advice.

Please contact Lee Arnell or Stephanie McGourlay if you would like an informal discussion in advance submitting your application. To request a candidate pack, please email [email protected]

Lee Arnell - phone: 0113 3787717 email: [email protected]
Stephanie McGourlay - phone: 0113 3782134 email: [email protected]

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job purpose

Lead, manage and co-ordinate priority activities and teams to secure the delivery of complex place and regeneration priorities set out in the Leeds Ambitions, Leeds Economic Vision and Affordable Housing Strategy. Colleagues should work in line with our hybrid working principles and spend regular time in the workplace to support service delivery, meeting the needs of the team and the requirements of their individual role.

Responsibilities

• Manage external multi-sector and disciplinary partnerships and cross service teams through the utilisation of a wide-ranging place-based toolkit (as defined at bullet number 7 below).
• Secure successful delivery of regeneration and place programmes and projects, including through: funding bids, viability assessments, appraising and managing grants and loan facilities, regeneration frameworks production, delivery vehicles formation, land assembly strategies, real estate focussed inward investment.
• Lead role on programmes of project activity, major complex anchor projects, large scale funding programmes, and leading regeneration delivery within large scale spatial areas. To develop and lead housing, culture, economic, heritage and transport/ infrastructure led place & regeneration programmes at priority locations- to achieve major regeneration outcomes including job creation, new inward investment, new housing & affordable housing provision and significant public and private capital investment.
• Lead responsibility for defining and delivering workloads within approved budgets, to defined timescales achieving the required quality and following agreed procurement processes.
• Lead responsibility for developing and maintaining effective consultation and communications with staff, community representatives, Councillors, trade unions, partners and other stakeholders in ways which support open, responsive and accountable government.
• Lead role in ensuring that value for money is achieved in all aspects of the work programme by pursuing the use of risk management, cost planning and value management.
• Lead role on programme team activities as required and provide expertise and relevant skills set within the programme area, including a leading role, in undertaking and leading multi-disciplinary teams in delivering technical and commercial activities including:
• Working collaboratively internally and externally to overcome barriers to growth in Leeds, leveraging convening power to bring together partners and broker delivery solutions between parties based upon knowledge and good practice, building consensus and mediating between conflicting positions where necessary.
• Ensuring connections and alignment between different professional disciplines within and outside the Council to align objectives to achieve priority Council place-based objectives: providing thought leadership and cultivating relationships to shape regeneration delivery.
• Working in partnership with key place agencies including WYCA, Homes England, Historic England and wider Government departments such as MHCLG and DCMS.
• Authoring or appraising funding bids, in line with Treasury Green Book business cases and other funding appraisal methods of funders/ funds.
• Undertaking and or clienting viability assessments.
• Positioning Leeds for funding opportunities, securing funding and negotiating, administering and governing capital grant and or loan programmes, including on infrastructure, heritage, housing, economic development focussed activities.
• Authoring subsidy control assessments.
• Co-ordinating technical work where the Council's powers may be used, including Compulsory Purchase, Appropriation etc to secure delivery that supports place and regeneration outcomes. Including the intelligent clienting of legal and surveying specialists.
• Producing regeneration visions across spatial areas, including producing or co-ordinating regeneration frameworks and site-specific masterplans or development briefs or Supplementary Plans.
• Supporting the development of Planning Policy by providing specialist advice and expertise to the Local Planning Authority through market analysis.
• Community and stakeholder engagement on place-based plans.
• Close working with major investors, registered providers, and developers to secure the delivery of housing and economic growth including through Key Account Management and management of data/ information of evidence-based development pipelines.
• Informal and formal partnerships to secure place delivery, including formal structures such as Joint Ventures and Memoranda of Understanding.
• Clienting technical teams undertaking land assembly, land disposals to achieve regeneration outcomes or procuring of developer partners.
• Supporting 'real estate' focussed inward investments to secure new businesses and organisations to the city Promotion of the city to external audiences, including promoting the city at events, international relations etc Providing place-based advocacy and evidence to support investment cases into major infrastructure.
• Intelligence gathering, monitoring market trends and analysis or production of local and regional policy.
• Spatial strategy and delivery and developing funding and financing mechanisms to unlock regeneration delivery.
• Preparing tender documents & managing contracts for, but not limited to, property advice, economic studies, planning and multidisciplinary services, legal advisors and instructing solicitors.
• Applying commercial and financial management techniques to support delivery including budget monitoring and reporting.
• Utilising project management tools and risk management strategies through sound governance methods Other technical, commercial and development focussed activities as may be required by the service.
• Continuously build knowledge and professional networks relevant to the delivery of place and regeneration programmes to support service delivery, and maintain a strong network across the city.
• Produce reports up to Exec Board and Scrutiny Board level and produce and provide briefings for senior officers and elected members, Executive Members and MPs.
• Responsible for the management and achievement of the service plan for your area so that it achieves its corporate and service objectives and outcomes. Motivate, develop and coach staff within your area of the service and take a lead tole build a compassionate and empowering culture to achieve Best Council Plan, directorate and service plans.
• Ensure good working relationships with colleagues and clients to deliver council objectives across all levels to support the leadership and management of major regeneration initiatives and work programmes.
• Contribute to team activities and initiatives as required. The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications Required: Degree level or equivalent qualification.

Desirable: Professional accreditation with either Royal Town Planning Institute, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Royal Institution of British Architects, or Chartered Institute of Housing.

Essential requirements

Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.

• Significant experience of delivering place and regeneration focussed projects/ initiatives - including overcoming barriers to deliver successful outcomes through partnership and analysing complex technical and commercial situations, identifying problems and leading multi-disciplinary teams in developing and implementing solutions within agreed timescales. Including significant and directly relevant operational experience managing activity in a related built environment related area such as regeneration, planning, housing delivery, surveying, heritage, design/ architecture, economic development, development funding/ financing, infrastructure or cultural/ community focussed regeneration.
• Significant experience and detailed knowledge and of relevant policy, legislation, and commercial considerations and ability to interpret and apply them consistently in relation to the successful delivery of place and regeneration initiatives and programmes. Including comprehensive understanding, experiences and evidenced ability of: addressing market failures, property development delivery methods, Planning, project and development financing, development viability, business case production, and the roles of the public and private sectors.
• Experience and ability to successfully lead on technical and commercial negotiations at a senior level on a diverse range of project delivery activities - including cross sector negotiations in order to achieve results in a politically sensitive environment on complex commercial matters.
• Experience of facilitating joint working and collaboration on large scale activities, and able to take a lead role driving partnerships with the public and private sectors and across professional disciplines and networks. In doing so be able to, and use experience of, communicating appropriately and effectively with a wide range of people including internal and external partners, political representatives and members of the public, through a variety of different methods, influencing views and behaviour to resolve conflict amongst stakeholders.
• Able to lead / experience of leading multiple projects and deliver at pace, work to multiple and often conflicting deadlines, manage competing priorities whilst delivering on a range of service objectives and adapting to changing circumstances. Able to and experience of managing and monitor performance effectively and set clear objectives for the review of individual and service level performance.
• Able to, and significant experience of, gathering a wide range of complex commercial and technical information and accurately entering and retrieving data and information from digital and manual systems - preparing and being able to present reports, information and data to communicate and engage effectively to a wide range of audiences: including to senior officers, Members/ MPs or Senior Clients, Boards, partners and stakeholders.
• Able to and experience of managing, planning, deploying resources and motivating staff following procedure and maintaining accurate records and ability to play a lead role in service improvement and building a positive team culture, including developing staff through appraisal, coaching, service planning mentoring and training.
• Experience of developing and implementing service improvement and business planning processes, and able to contribute to change programmes, improve service quality and support a culture that drives up standards and performance.
• Able to and experience of monitoring activities in accordance with approved procedures whilst adhering to Financial Regulations. Knowledge of relevant financial regulations to carry out financial transactions, and significant experience of, and able to manage, monitor and report on large budgets through sound financial management techniques.
• Understand responsibilities in terms of Health, Safety, Wellbeing, security, confidentiality and data protection.
• Able to use and experience of the use of information technology e.g. word, spreadsheet, database, email etc.

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics

• Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct
• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Leeds Ambitions of health and wellbeing, inclusive growth, thriving strong communities and a resilient sustainable city
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
• Carry out duties having regard to an employee's responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing.
• Participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills.
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding equality & diversity of Leeds City Council.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
• The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol, and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.