Communities and Placemaking Director

About us

At 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 role

The 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 areas

• Joint development of strategy and vision for the next five years

• Client delivery

• Team development and leadership

• Business development

Development of strategy and vision

• Reviewing the market to understand which organisations are funding communities and placemaking projects now, and where future opportunities are likely to emerge

• Working collaboratively to develop a clear team strategy, vision, identity and culture for the Cratus Communities and Placemaking offer

• Defining a practical pathway to delivering the strategy and vision, including consideration of resourcing, marketing and capability needs

• Supporting the development of a business plan and market proposition that positions Cratus Communities clearly and competitively

Client delivery

• Managing senior client relationships and acting as a trusted adviser

• Quality 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 projects

• Coordinating with other Cratus teams to deliver integrated solutions

• Shaping new services and approaches in response to client and market needs

Team development and leadership

• Leading, developing and mentoring a small, highly talented and motivated team

• Recruiting and retaining staff to meet business objectives, and actively managing resourcing to respond to business needs

• Capacity planning across the team

• Developing and presenting the Communities business plan

• Providing accurate and timely information to support business decision-making

• Supporting the wider management team in fostering positive staff morale and contributing to internal events and culture

Business development

• Building Cratus' reputation for community building and placemaking, including developing strong political and commercial relationships

• Identifying short-, medium- and long-term opportunities for the Communities team

• Leading business development activity to meet and exceed agreed objectives

• Developing and implementing a Communities marketing strategy, aligned with wider company activity

• Coordinating with Cratus-wide business development efforts

• Cross-selling other Cratus services and ensuring Communities services are cross-sold by colleagues

• Managing the Communities team business development budget

The offer

• Salary: £70,000 - £85,000 per annum

• 28 days annual leave + bank holidays + birthday leave + one volunteering day

• Central London office with good coffee, free snacks and free on-site gym with classes

• Regular team socials and company-wide events

• Flexible and hybrid working

• Private medical insurance upon becoming permanent