Head of Planning & Development
| Posting date: | 15 October 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £66,920 to £79,210 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 29 October 2025 |
| Location: | Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG22 4BU |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 2 days per week |
| Company: | National Highways |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 6672_1760533542 |
Summary
We're looking for a Head of Planning and Development to join our Operations team in the South East. In this pivotal role, you'll use your understanding of the asset management lifecycle and stakeholder insight, to develop long term plans for our future capital delivery projects that put customers at the heart, are commercially viable and meet National Highways' strategic objectives.
As an integral part of our regional management team, you'll also be dedicated to enhancing and improving the safety and experience of customers on one of the busiest parts of our network, with opportunities to help shape our strategic imperatives and vision.
The successful candidate will be subject to a National Security Clearance
You will:
- Proactively assess regional demand: Use diverse data sources to understand future needs and inform strategic asset management planning.
- Shape viable plans: Develop and prioritise business and asset plans with robust budget forecasting that delivers value.
- Enhance Asset Management: Drive capability and improvements in engineering practices and investment decisions to optimise asset performance and efficiency.
- Secure sustainable development: Oversee effective delivery of planning control services that align with broader economic, social, and environmental goals.
- Lead positive change: Inspire high performance across cross-functional teams, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and talent growth.
About you
- Strategic, with demonstrable experience of developing long term business and asset management plans.
- Collaborative, with the ability to lead, engage and inspire diverse teams across boundaries.
- Proven asset management knowledge/skills, including up to date understanding of CDM and health and safety regulations.
- Proven ability to lead and manage business change and associated risks and issues.
- Effective stakeholder management and communication skills.
- Understanding of financial, commercial and contractual principles, with the ability to apply these to manage and influence performance.
About us.
Here at National Highways, we manage and improve England's motorways and major A roads, helping our customers have safer, smoother and more reliable journeys. Our priorities are safety, customers and delivery, and at the core of this, are our values of passion, integrity, safety, teamwork and ownership.
Operations is at the heart of keeping the strategic road network moving and ensuring our customers get the best possible experience when using our roads.
We address over 39,000 customer enquiries every month, plan and deliver all maintenance activities on the network, drive efficiencies and improvements across our systems and roads, and respond to incidents across 4,500 miles of motorways and major A-roads that we manage. All to make sure National Highways customers have safer, smoother, and more reliable journeys.
External candidates will be offered a starting salary at the lower end of the pay scale, while current employees will be appointed in accordance with our established pay policy.
We are committed to creating a diverse environment and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
About Us
Why you should join us
At National Highways we believe in a connected country. We are passionate about creating a culture where colleagues feel connected, included and enjoy greater wellbeing to achieve this. We're proud that as an organisation we are continually striving to do better and actively encourage and support our colleagues to do the same with their careers.
So, if you put safety first, take ownership of your work, show passion for what you do, work effectively in a team, and demonstrate integrity in how you do it - then you'll be a great fit for our organisation.
A connected and sustainable working approach has been adopted across National Highways. For some roles, this means being able to work in a hybrid way spending up to 60% of time working from a remote location such as home.
We offer many different ways to work flexibly and we're open to discuss part-time working, job shares, and flexible start and finish times.
Please wait until the interview stage before asking us about flexibility, and we will explore what is possible.
Our benefits package
- Our total reward package includes basic salary, the potential for a performance related bonus
- Contributory pension scheme with employer contribution of up to 10%
- Annual Leave starting at 26 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising by 1 day each year up to 31 days (plus Bank Holidays)
- Flexible hours and an approach driven by connected and sustainable working which includes hybrid working
- Life assurance of 4 times annual salary
- Health and wellbeing support, including an Employee Assistance Programme, available 24/7 365 days and network of mental health first aiders. Plus access to a wellbeing app to enhance your self-care 24/7, Occupational health service and flu vaccines
- A cycle to work scheme for the purchase of a bicycle and equipment for healthy, low carbon travel
- Significant investment in your career development, through learning and development, talent management, coaching, mentoring and on job experience
And we are
- Family friendly with enhanced maternity leave and pay, paternity leave (15 days), shared parental leave, adoption leave. Plus access to financial support for holiday play schemes and paid special leave (up to 5 days pa), eg for caring responsibilities
- Money friendly with access to a discounts platform including over 3000 discounts for supermarkets, eating out, leisure, holidays. Alongside a financial wellbeing programme
- Community friendly - offering paid leave to volunteer, 3 days basic/year
If you are successful, it is key to know all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory completion of our pre-employment checks which include:
- Right to work check
- 3 year employment history references
- DBS criminal record check
- Social media and adverse journalism check
- Driving licence check (if applicable)
- Fit to work questionnaire (for all), followed by a medical check (if applicable)
- Qualifications and/or professional membership check (if applicable)
And finally
We reserve the right to close before the advertisement expires.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme