Regional Land & Planning Director

Are you a strategic planning leader with the vision to unlock large-scale development opportunities and shape the future of communities?

At Wates, our purpose is simple: reimagining places for people to thrive. We're looking for a Regional Land & Planning Director to lead a portfolio of residential and commercial land projects, driving planning success, value creation, and long-term business growth across our Land & Development business.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Reporting to the Operations Director - Portfolio & Wates Commercial & Logistics, you'll play a pivotal role in delivering sustainable growth through the successful promotion, allocation and planning consent of strategically important land assets. You'll lead a portfolio ensuring projects progress efficiently whilst maximising value and managing risk.

This is a highly influential leadership role requiring a combination of strategic thinking, commercial acumen, stakeholder management expertise, and the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams through complex planning environments.

As a Regional Land & Planning Director you will:

• Develop and deliver regional portfolio strategies to secure planning allocations and consents for residential and commercial developments.
• Lead a significant portfolio of projects, balancing priorities, risk, resources, programme delivery and commercial outcomes.
• Maximise land and portfolio value through strategic planning, appraisals, negotiations and value-enhancing opportunities.
• Guide and develop a high-performing team while managing a wide network of external consultants and specialist advisors.
• Build relationships with local authorities, political stakeholders, statutory consultees, landowners and development partners to secure favourable planning outcomes.
• Provide strategic insight and reporting to the Land & Development Leadership Team on portfolio performance, risks, opportunities and future pipeline activity.
• Lead the preparation, submission and progression of complex planning applications from inception through to consent.

What we are looking for

You'll be an experienced planning and development professional with a proven track record of securing complex planning consents and delivering successful outcomes across large and varied land portfolios.

You'll bring:

• Strong strategic and commercial thinking with the ability to maximise value across a development portfolio.  
• Extensive knowledge of the UK planning system and the delivery of complex planning consents.
• Experience reviewing and negotiating land agreements, development contracts and planning obligations.
• Advanced understanding of site deliverability, including planning, infrastructure, environmental and technical constraints.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills, with confidence influencing at senior levels both internally and externally.
• A proven ability to lead teams, manage multiple projects and make sound decisions in complex environments

ABOUT YOU

WORKING FOR WATES DEVELOPMENTS

Wates Developments is an expert in delivering residential planning consents throughout Southern England, West England and the Midlands, it forms part of the Wates Group founded in 1897. Today the family business, now led by the fourth generation, is one of the largest privately owned construction, property maintenance and development companies in the UK. We have a strong team of specialists who lead the agenda bringing forward new sustainable homes through the planning promotions of land and joint ventures.

The Wates vision is to be the most trusted partner in the built environment. The importance of both community and sustainability lies at the heart of the business and we see every development as an opportunity to enhance and improve.

Throughout the planning process Wates Developments positively engage with Local Authorities, Elected Members, Parish Councils, residents and stakeholder groups to understand their needs and aspirations for the future of their environment, enabling us to then sensitively and respectfully inform our proposals.

All our development proposals are based on a thorough assessment of highway and infrastructure capacity, landscape and heritage impacts, and ecology and environmental sustainability. Wates Developments open and consultative approach with the community is consistent with the highly regarded corporate responsibility credentials of the wider Wates Group. www.wates.co.uk   

To find out more about LIFE AT WATES please click on the following link https://www.wates.co.uk/careers/

Our commitments: 

Wates is proud to be an employer where anyone can thrive, and we welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds.  We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every requirement, as we value transferable skills and assess all applications fairly.

We don't discriminate based on a criminal record; all applications are reviewed on an individual basis against the requirements of the role. Some roles may require additional checks, due to the nature of the work.  As a Disability Confident Leader, we offer an interview to applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for the role and opt in to the Disability Confident scheme.  Reasonable adjustments are available, please contact us at recruitment@wates.co.uk