Communities and Placemaking Director

About usAt Cratus, we believe communities are built through relationships and strengthened through conversations. Much of our work sits at the intersection of planning, politics and community relationships.Our Communities and Placemaking team works alongside developers, councils and delivery partners to build trust, reduce risk and create places where people genuinely want to live. We support projects throughout their lifecycle from early engagement and consultation, through construction and into occupation. We act as a trusted, visible presence for residents, councillors and site teams creating communities and dealing with issues.We listen first, design engagement that reaches beyond the usual voices, and stay involved to create cohesive communities. Our work brings together community engagement, communications, placemaking and reputation management to create social value, strengthen reputations and support successful delivery.Our work spans town centre regeneration, new settlements and garden villages, multi-phase urban extensions, estate regeneration and major community engagement programmes linked to infrastructure and complex development.As demand for this work continues to grow, we are looking for an experienced leader to shape the next phase of Cratus Communities team: refining our offer, strengthening our market position and building a focused and sustainable Communities and Placemaking service.The roleThe Communities and Placemaking Director will play a fundamental role in the development of the Communities team, helping to shape its vision, strategy and growth over the next five years.You will be an expert in community development and engagement, responsible for leading and growing a team that can deliver high quality work, while also growing a strong and sustainable client base. The role will suit someone creative, with drive and ambition.You will help refine and articulate the Cratus Communities offer, ensuring clients clearly understand the value of our work and enabling the team to secure the right opportunities and the right fee levels for our services. This will include developing and delivering a marketing and business development plan to support the growth of the team, including making smart decisions about where to focus time, energy and budget to maximise impact. You will work to build Cratus Group's reputation and ensure the business becomes an obvious choice for communities and placemaking work.As a senior member of the business, you will lead by example: setting direction, shaping culture and ensuring high-quality delivery for clients and communities alike.Core focus areasJoint development of strategy and vision for the next five yearsClient deliveryTeam development and leadershipBusiness developmentDevelopment of strategy and visionReviewing the market to understand which organisations are funding communities and placemaking projects now, and where future opportunities are likely to emergeWorking collaboratively to develop a clear team strategy, vision, identity and culture for the Cratus Communities and Placemaking offerDefining a practical pathway to delivering the strategy and vision, including consideration of resourcing, marketing and capability needsSupporting the development of a business plan and market proposition that positions Cratus Communities clearly and competitivelyClient deliveryManaging senior client relationships and acting as a trusted adviserQuality assurance across all Communities projects within the region (and, where agreed, supporting work in other regions)Leading the direct delivery of large or strategically important projectsCoordinating with other Cratus teams to deliver integrated solutionsShaping new services and approaches in response to client and market needsTeam development and leadershipLeading, developing and mentoring a small, highly talented and motivated teamRecruiting and retaining staff to meet business objectives, and actively managing resourcing to respond to business needsCapacity planning across the teamDeveloping and presenting the Communities business planProviding accurate and timely information to support business decision-makingSupporting the wider management team in fostering positive staff morale and contributing to internal events and cultureBusiness developmentBuilding Cratus' reputation for community building and placemaking, including developing strong political and commercial relationshipsIdentifying short-, medium- and long-term opportunities for the Communities teamLeading business development activity to meet and exceed agreed objectivesDeveloping and implementing a Communities marketing strategy, aligned with wider company activityCoordinating with Cratus-wide business development effortsCross-selling other Cratus services and ensuring Communities services are cross-sold by colleaguesManaging the Communities team business development budgetThe offerSalary: £70,000 - £85,000 per annum28 days annual leave + bank holidays + birthday leave + one volunteering dayCentral London office with good coffee, free snacks and free on-site gym with classesRegular team socials and company-wide eventsFlexible and hybrid workingPrivate medical insurance upon becoming permanent #J-18808-Ljbffr