North London Waste Authority - Programme Director - North London Heat and Power Project

Location: Tottenham Hale / Edmonton EcoPark, North London (with flexible working arrangements)

Salary: £165,000 + bonus

The North London Waste Authority (NLWA) serves more than two million residents across seven London boroughs and is delivering one of the UK's most significant local authority infrastructure programmes. Through the North London Heat and Power Project, we are creating the next generation of sustainable waste infrastructure for north London, providing facilities that will serve communities for decades to come.

At the heart of the programme is a state-of-the-art Energy Recovery Facility currently under construction at Edmonton EcoPark. Once complete, it will process up to 700,000 tonnes of waste each year, generate electricity, support a major district heating network and deliver some of the highest environmental standards of any facility in the country.

We are seeking an exceptional Programme Director to lead the final delivery, commissioning and transition into operation of this landmark project. Reporting to the Managing Director and working closely with Members, senior stakeholders and LondonEnergy Ltd, you will provide visible leadership through a critical stage of the programme's lifecycle.

This is a role that extends well beyond project delivery. You will lead the Authority's relationship with major contractors and delivery partners, provide assurance on programme performance, risk and expenditure, and help senior decision-makers navigate complex technical, commercial and governance issues. You will play a key role in maintaining confidence, building consensus and ensuring momentum is maintained through to completion.

You will inherit a mature programme, an experienced client-side team and an established network of specialist advisers. Your challenge will be to provide strategic leadership, exercise sound judgement and guide the project through construction, commissioning and operational readiness while maintaining the highest standards of safety, environmental performance and public accountability.

We are looking for an accomplished infrastructure leader with experience of delivering programmes of comparable scale and complexity. You may come from the energy, utilities, transport, nuclear, waste or wider infrastructure sectors. Most importantly, you will bring the credibility to operate at board level, the commercial judgement to manage complex contractor relationships, and the ability to provide assurance to Members, Chief Executives and senior stakeholders.

You will be collaborative, resilient and inclusive in your leadership style, with the confidence to make difficult decisions and bring people with you. Combining strategic thinking with a strong delivery focus, you will be motivated by the opportunity to shape the successful completion of one of the most significant infrastructure projects currently underway in local government.

For more information, please download a candidate pack here.

For a confidential conversation about the role, please contact:

• James Miller on 07701 233159 or james.miller@penna.com
• Tom Niven on 07860 657044 or tom.niven@penna.com

Recruitment Timeline:

• Closing Date: Midnight Sunday 13th September 2026
• Technical / Preliminary Interviews: W/C 21st September 2026
• Shortlisting Meeting: W/C 28th September 2026
• Further Assessment and Stakeholder Interviews: W/C 5th October 2026
• Final Panel Interviews: W/C 12th October 2026

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