SSM Lead

The Greater London Authority is establishing the UK's first environmental services market for sustainable drainage systems: the SuDS through Streetworks Market (SSM). Delivered in partnership with Thames Water, the SSM takes a market-led approach that leverages London's high volume of planned streetworks to deliver SuDS at scale, reducing surface flooding risk and supporting Flood Ready London and the London Surface Water Strategy. The ambition is to run two initial market rounds, deliver at least 100 projects and ultimately convert 7,000 hectares of impermeable land to SuDS.

The SSM Lead will lead a new seven-person team within the Mayor's Infrastructure Coordination Service to implement the market, convening buyers (lead local flood authorities, boroughs and Transport for London) and suppliers (utilities and contractors), and engaging senior stakeholders including Flood Ready London, Ofwat and the Environment Agency. This is a permanent Grade 12 role at £81,138.

• Leading a multi-disciplinary team, ensuring members have the support, resources and tools to carry out their work.
• Providing strategic direction across the SSM's workstreams – stakeholder engagement and comms, SuDS design and streetworks, environmental market economics, governance, monitoring and evaluation, and data.
• Securing a strong cross-organisational set-up with Thames Water, with clear lines of accountability.
• Developing relationships with lead local flood authorities, utilities, contractors and regulators, and working with market participants to resolve complex situations.
• Overseeing the SSM's budget, including staffing and the external consultant work programme.
• Analysing technical, commercial and delivery data to develop business cases for future governance and delivery models, and producing reports, case studies and best-practice guidance.
• Representing the GLA at industry events and preparing briefings for senior management, programme boards and the Mayor's Office.

The Greater London Authority is looking for candidates who can demonstrate:

• A successful track record of leadership, team management and external engagement and relationship building.
• A degree or equivalent in a relevant field, such as civil engineering.
• Technical expertise relating to the water and streetworks sectors and surface water flooding, with substantial experience in environmental markets, construction, streetworks, utilities, development, capital delivery or similar.
• Experience of operating successfully in a complex political environment, preparing clear and concise reports, presentations and briefings on complex, technical or sensitive issues for a range of audiences.
• Strong programme and project management skills, with evidence of successful delivery to time and budget.

The GLA welcomes applications from candidates seeking part-time work, as this role is open to job share. The role is hybrid, based at Union Street SE1, with up to three days a week in the office. The role does not meet the criteria for visa sponsorship for external candidates.

Applicants should submit a personal statement of no more than 500 words addressing the essential criteria, an up-to-date CV, and confirmation of where they first saw the role advertised. Files should be no larger than 1.5MB each, in Word or PDF format, with the job reference (5857) in the file name. As part of its commitment to inclusive recruitment, the GLA removes personal identifiable information from CVs and personal statements before shortlisting.

Applications close on Sunday 25 October 2026 at 23:59. Interviews are provisionally scheduled for the weeks commencing 9 and 16 November 2026.

For an informal conversation about the role, contact the hiring manager Gabriele Caprotti at gabriele.caprotti@london.gov.uk. The ICS team microsite gives an overview of the team’s work and details of online information webinars.