The public body focused on enhancing design standards is expanding its leadership team while securing a new base in Stoke-on-Trent
The Office for Place is advertising for a permanent chief executive while simultaneously searching for a long-term home in Stoke-on-Trent.
Currently operating from leased desks at Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Civic Centre, the Office for Place had previously announced its commitment to establishing a permanent base in the city. The new chief executive, whose position is being advertised with an annual salary of £80k, will succeed the current interim CEO, Suzanne Kochanowski.
A key responsibility of the new chief executive will be to oversee the development and implementation of a proposed national accreditation scheme for design codes.
In addition to the chief executive position, the Office for Place is also looking to fill several other key roles, including a head of finance and corporate services, head of digital placemaking tools, head of HR, a procurement and project manager, and four senior planner positions, all of which will be based in Stoke-on-Trent.
Originally launched in July 2021 under the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the Office for Place is a non-departmental public body responsible for developing knowledge and resources to support the creation and stewardship of what its chair, Nicholas Boys Smith, describes as “popular, healthy, beautiful, and sustainable places.”
Its origins can be traced back to the Building Better Building Beautiful Commission and the publication of the National Design Guide and National Model Design Code, which are intended to help local authorities and communities define and achieve high-quality design standards in their areas.
The new recruits will initially join the MHCLG, but the Office for Place is on track to become fully independent by this autumn.
>> Also read: Nicholas Boys Smith on design, deregulation and the Office for Place
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