Job Title: Planning Manager - Band C - Change - Counter Terrorism Policing HQ
Salary: The starting salary is £47,060, which includes allowances totalling £2,928.
The salary is broken down as £44,132 basic salary, which will increase annually until you reach the top of the scale £52,652. Plus, a location allowance of £1,928 and a non-pensionable allowance of £1,000.
Location: West Brompton
For Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP), delivering projects is not just about making and achieving improvements, it’s about keeping millions of people safe throughout the UK. Our Change Pillar supports a portfolio of projects and programmes that help protect the country, and this is an exciting opportunity to join our Portfolio Team and help to deliver change across the entire CTP network. You won’t need a background in policing or security, but to be successful in this role you will:
- Have proven experience of project, programme or portfolio planning
- Effectively apply planning standards in line with industry best practice
- Be able work effectively with a range of stakeholders to analyse and challenge planning outputs
- Be capable of building strong working relationships with key stakeholders
- Be able to prioritise your workload and deliver in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
- Have excellent attention to detail
- Demonstrate strong team management skills
- Possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills and be able to tailor your approach to suit the audience and situation
For further information about the role’s key responsibilities, please refer to the job description attached. This is used as a framework to review and manage performance when a successful candidate is in post, and therefore not all the skills and experience are required from the outset.
The Change Pillar is a supportive team environment and one in which we endeavour to ensure each individual can fulfil their potential. If you have a passion to drive change forward, then we will provide you with the platform, support and opportunities to do it.
Benefits
When you join us you’ll enjoy the great benefits that you’d expect from one of London's largest employers. These include generous annual leave, a highly competitive pension, excellent training and opportunities for development and progression, interest free season ticket loans, membership of Met sports and social clubs, flexible working conditions and much more. For more details please visit our pay and benefits page.
Job Summary
The current operational environment for the Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters (CTPHQ) is dynamic, and CT Policing must continually respond to the threat faced, therefore change is at the heart of CT. Working within CTPHQ, the Planning Manager is part of the Change Pillar. The Change Pillar within CTPHQ is responsible for overseeing change activity across the CT Network
Working within CTPHQ Change Pillar, the Planning Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day management and implementation of the approach, product sets and standards to manage plans at a portfolio level - across the national and London Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters (CTPHQ) portfolio of projects and programmes.
Role Position within the CTPHQ Change Pillar
The Change Pillar manages the delivery of the Counter Terrorism (CT) and Protective Security (PS) Policing Change Portfolio to meet our strategic objectives. It is split into 5 teams; Portfolio Management Office (PfMO), Business Change, Project and Programme Management (PPM), Business Design and Assurance and Standards. The Planning Manager works within the Portfolio Management Office which provides support to the programmes and projects in the CTP Change Portfolio.
This role will report directly to, and be managed by, the Band B Planning and Resourcing Lead.
Job Purpose
Working within the Portfolio Management Office (PfMO), the purpose of this role is to ensure effective management of plans and schedules at project, programme and portfolio level. This will include ensuring that portfolio and programme level interdependencies are understood and managed within the plan.
The role holder will need to work flexibly in periods of high demand. Whilst sitting under the team structure of the Portfolio Management Office (PfMO), the role holder acts as Centre of Excellence lead for Planning and will:
- Provide support to projects or programmes to apply portfolio standards in developing and managing plans and schedules, including facilitation of workshops and internal upskilling.
- Ensure that resourcing demand requirements are considered as part of the planning process and captured in project and programme schedules as effort required to deliver activities.
- Work with portfolio and external stakeholders to develop the tools, templates and guidance for planning and scheduling at project, programme and portfolio levels.
- Maintain Portfolio-level planning controls.
In periods of high demand there could also be a requirement to provide support to the Portfolio Reporting or RAID Managers.
Key Responsibilities
Key responsibilities for the Planning Manager are:
Portfolio Management:
- Day-to-day management of the national and London CT & PS portfolio plans, supporting the sequencing of key change programme and project activities and deliverables, and ensuring that all milestones and resource requirements are captured.
- Track key milestones, highlight resource supply and demand, and identify dependencies in the change delivery portfolio, understand how these contribute to delivery of benefits and how any changes affect the risk profile. This will require close working with the Risks and Issues Manager and the Benefits Management Manager, and with the Reporting Manager to ensure that reports accurately reflect progress against the portfolio plan.
- Day-to-day management of portfolio level planning and resourcing supply and demand processes across CTPHQ PfMO, maintaining structure and control at all levels and liaising with senior stakeholders across change.
Centre of Excellence:
- Develop, maintain and implement robust, effective and efficient planning and resourcing approaches and processes, and provide associated guidance and tools required, at portfolio, programme and project levels.
- Provide planning tools and products for monitoring areas such as project milestones, overview plans and timelines, and be responsible for ensuring these are reviewed within programmes and projects and on a regular basis.
- Develop and maintain mechanisms for tracking resourcing supply and demand across the Change Portfolio in line with project and programme plans.
- Ensure that consistent planning and resourcing management standards and practices are adhered to across the CT & PS change portfolios at all levels, working with Project and Programme PMOs to achieve this.
- Use experience and lessons learned to provide best practice guidance to support successful delivery of the projects and programmes within portfolio.
- Provide planning expertise at national and London CT & PS portfolio level, and act as a ‘critical friend’, ensuring plans are robust, realistic and achievable.
- Maintain effective working relationships with Programme Managers, (Senior) Project Managers, Regional Change Managers and others to ensure planning and resourcing practices are embedded either at portfolio, programme or project levels, both nationally and regionally, as appropriate.
Whilst sitting under the team structure of the Portfolio Management Office (PfMO), the post holder could be tasked to directly support projects or programmes in periods of high demand, when requested, to provide hands on specialist support and advice to Programme and Project Managers in in the development and management of effective planning controls.
- Work closely with other roles in the PfMO, notably the RAID and Reporting Managers, providing cover for both in times of need to ensure resilience within the team.
Vetting
This post requires access to the most sensitive intelligence material on a daily basis. Applicants must hold or be prepared to undergo National Security Vetting (NSV) Security Check (enhanced) (SC(e)) level before taking up the post; with a willingness to undergo Developed Vetting (DV) once in post, if required.
This post requires British nationality (some dual nationals may be ineligible) and an Enhanced Security Check (eSC)/Developed Vetting (DV) clearance.
As the post holder will have access to very sensitive information, there are limitations on travelling to a small number of countries and we will undertake additional security checks as part of the recruitment process. Applications from candidates with close connections to certain countries may take considerably longer to process, or in some cases result in a withdrawal of an offer of employment. Further details will be provided at the conditional offer stage.
Confidentiality Agreement
Applicants should also be aware of the need to sign a confidentiality agreement on taking up the post.
Our Employee Commitments
Counter Terrorism Policing aims to create an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere and culture and an environment where all our people feel a strong sense of belonging and are able to reach their full potential. Where any group or individual can be and feel respected, supported and valued to fully participate and contribute to our mission of “Working to keep people safe from Terrorism”.
Inclusion, diversity and equality is at the front and centre of our approach to make the composition of Counter Terrorism Policing more representative of the communities we serve. As Counter Terrorism is rooted in Local Policing, to tackle today’s complex policing challenges, applications from across all communities are therefore essential and encouraged. Counter Terrorism Policing as a network is committed to ensuring that disabled people and those with long-term health conditions have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations’.
Counter Terrorism Policing is committed to creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working arrangements, including part time working or job share. In addition, this role has been reviewed following learning from work during the Covid pandemic and may be done in an agile manner. In the first instance, please contact the vacancy holder to discuss how such arrangements could be accommodated (where applicable).
How to apply
To begin your career at the Met, please click the "apply button “. The application process requires a comprehensive CV, a Personal Statement, and an online application form. In your Personal Statement, you should explain your interest in the position and illustrate how your skills and experiences make you a suitable candidate. Please note that you should not submit two copies of your CV, and ensure that your documents are saved in either PDF or Word format, clearly labelled as CV and/or Personal Statement.
Completed applications must be submitted by 23:55 on 11th December 2025.
Once received, your application will be reviewed against eligibility criteria, following this, your application will be reviewed by the hiring manager.
Following application review, successful candidates will be invited to interview.
www.metpolicecareers.co.uk
