The Office for Place is recruiting for a chief executive to lead the new body.
Established last year, the Stoke-on-Trent-based body is set to become independent of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government this autumn.
MHCLG is offering a salary of £80,000 a year for the chief exec role, which will initially be recruited into the department before being subject to a TUPE transfer when the non-departmental public body becomes independent.
The arm’s-length body’s purpose is to ensure good design is at the heart of new housing developments. It aims to help create “beautiful, successful and enduring places that foster a sense of community, local pride and belonging”.
The new Labour government’s key pledge on housing is to build 1.5 million new homes in this parliament and to use planning reform to drive delivery.
The job advert says the ideal candidate should have the experience to lead a small but technical public body comprised of architects, planners, digital and built environment professionals. They will also need to be comfortable leading an organisation of around 24 staff, should be able to set its strategic priorities and have a track record of delivering identifiable outputs and achieving positive outcomes.
MHCLG says candidates should have experience in both the public and private sectors, and be “able to understand the challenges facing industry in securing approval for new development but also successfully able to influence policy and practice in local and central government, and secure the confidence of a sponsor government department”.
“You will be able to work effectively with government departments, local government, and the planning and design sector, able to command the confidence of your peers, provide a visible presence for the Office for Place and build partnerships to champion change,” it adds.
When the Office for Place was announced as a new body in July 2023, then-housing secretary Michael Gove said it would be a “powerful new body” that would “drive building beautifully”.
The job advert states that the new chief exec will need to respond to the direction of the new government.
The closing date for applications to the role is 4 September.