Director of Place Planning

Description

Lead the planning vision for two of London’s most diverse and ambitious boroughs.
Richmond and Wandsworth have come together to create The Better Service Partnership, which has created a platform for growth, innovation, and leadership at scale across both boroughs. Together, they represent a truly unique and diverse urban landscape: from the creative and commercial energy of Wandsworth’s town centres and riverfronts to the green spaces, historic charm, and strong local communities of Richmond.

This is also a brand-new directorate, created to bring fresh thinking to how we plan, grow, and invest in our places. We’re building something from the ground up – and that means this role is not just about delivering today, but about shaping the future. We have adopted a place-based approach to growth that ensures we employ system-thinking to draw on the strength of partnership in our borough and drive better outcomes for all.

This is a brand-new leadership role that will help shape planning and place strategy across a shared population of more than 500,000 people – with the scale, visibility, and ambition that comes from working across two major London boroughs in partnership.

As our new Director of Place Planning, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of this shared landscape – leading planning, spatial strategy, building control, and transport policy across both boroughs. You’ll help create places that reflect our shared ambition: sustainable, connected, inclusive, and built around the people and communities who call them home.

We bring together the best of what London has to offer in terms of ambition, scale, sustainability, and world-class landmarks – making us unique in our location, identity, and partnership approach.

This is an opportunity to join an exciting new leadership team being built within the Richmond & Wandsworth Better Service Partnership. You’ll help define how two forward-thinking councils collaborate to deliver a single, integrated vision for growth and place – one that supports London’s wider growth agenda while championing local distinctiveness and environmental quality.

You’ll lead high-performing teams, guide major development and infrastructure planning, and work closely with elected Members, investors, developers, and communities to turn ambition into action. It’s a role that combines strategic influence with visible impact – from shaping major regeneration sites to enabling the next generation of homes, transport networks, and public spaces.

We’re looking for energetic, experienced leaders who thrive in dynamic, fast-paced environments and who can confidently navigate the unique political dynamics that come with operating at this scale.

This is your opportunity to:

• Lead the combined planning, building control, and transport strategy functions across two high-performing London boroughs.

• Shape places and policies that enable good growth and deliver lasting community benefit.
• Join a new, ambitious team committed to collaboration, innovation, and delivery at scale.
• Drive sustainable, inclusive development that balances growth with great design, liveability, and community benefit.

If you’re an experienced planning and place leader with the vision, energy, and political acumen to make change happen – and the passion to deliver outstanding places for people – we’d love to hear from you.

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Further info

For information, please visit our microsite https://join-richmondandwandsworth.com and contact our partners Frazer Thouard 07384 810 743 (frazer.thouard@gatenbysanderson.com) Ben Parsonage 07530 578 921 (ben.parsonage@gatenbysanderson.com) and Duncan Collins 07586 705 475 (duncan.collins@gatenbysanderson.com) at GatenbySanderson.