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Current Vacancies

Chief Executive

Organisation: Regional Building Foundation (RBF)
Location: UK, flexible - with regular travel across the UK and weekly meetings in the London office
Position Type: Full-time, permanent
Permanent Salary: £100,000–£120,000 base, with performance-related targets and the potential to reach circa £200,000 as the role progresses
Reports To: Board of Directors

About the Regional Building Foundation (RBF)


We're changing the way the country approaches new communities.
The Regional Building Foundation is a newly established organisation with a bold ambition: to build a transformative national and regional place-building ecosystem. By connecting and enabling regional developers, housebuilders, landowners, materials suppliers, funders, professionals and regional stakeholders, RBF is reshaping how high-quality, sustainable places come to life across the UK.

Our Vision
A new generation of regionally distinctive places that foster healthy, vibrant and resilient communities.

Our Mission
To accelerate 'Place Building' by coordinating regional housebuilders, landowners, materials suppliers and funders with a scalable building system.

Job Purpose

 

The Chief Executive will serve as the strategic coordinator, convenor and leader of this national place-building movement. Working in close partnership with an active, hands-on founding Board, you will guide RBF through its critical early-stage set-up and initial regional forum rollout.

This is not a traditional standalone chief executive role. You will thrive as an entrepreneurial ecosystem-builder, forging strategic partnerships, securing funding across a range of sources, and growing a high-value member network that delivers real value through its services, knowledge hub and regional forums. Above all, you'll bring the conviction to back a bigger vision, and the drive to turn it into something lasting.

Key Responsibilities

1. Ecosystem Building & Sponsorship Generation
  • Sponsorship & Commercial Growth: Design and lead a commercial revenue strategy built around corporate sponsorships, membership and fee-for-service models.
  • High Net worth Funders: Identify, approach and secure investment in RBF's mission for social good.
  • Public Sector Funding: Identify, secure and manage regional and national grants, alongside broader public sector funding streams.
  • Partnership Revenue: Cultivate financial partnerships with major corporate sponsors, financial institutions and industry stakeholders aligned with the place-building mission.
2. Strategic Growth & Startup Operations
  • Agile Setup: Establish the foundation's initial operational infrastructure, policies and processes, bringing a high degree of personal initiative.
  • Ecosystem Expansion: Lead the national scaling strategy, with a strong focus on the successful rollout of regional forums and local networks.
  • Resource Management: Manage budgets flexibly and scale operational resources, building a lean, high-performing team as the ecosystem grows.

3. Board Governance & Active Collaboration

  • Co-Leadership Model: Work side by side with an active, founding Board who will help steer the four core pillars, networking, knowledge hub development, enabling and innovation, through year one.
  • Strategic Coordination: Coordinate Board-led initiatives and operational delivery, keeping strategic alignment across all pillars.
  • Progress Reporting: Maintain transparent, regular communication with the Board on operational milestones, risks and financial health.

4. External Convening, Advocacy & Public Profile

  • Movement Convenor: Act as the primary external representative and high-profile spokesperson, raising RBF's presence across media, industry panels and public forums.
  • Strategic Alliances: Build deep coalitions across the ecosystem, connecting developers, landowners, planners, architects, funders, environmental groups and educational institutions.
  • Policy Influence: Champion the regional building sector, influencing place-making and regeneration policy at local, regional and national levels.
5. Membership Network & Regional Forums
  • Value Proposition: Define and launch a compelling membership offer that recruits, engages and retains regional developers, housebuilders, landowners and other place-builders.
  • Knowledge Hub & Services: Oversee the development of the knowledge hub and enabling services that deliver tangible value to the network.
  • Regional Events: Lead a calendar of high-impact regional forum events, building towards an annual flagship national place-building conference.

Candidate Profile

This is a founding role for someone ready to take a leap, to bring their experience, energy and belief to a mission that is bigger than any single organisation.

Experience & Qualifications

  • Built Environment Leadership: A wealth of senior leadership experience across place-making, development, urban regeneration, regional development, trade associations, membership organisations or broader ecosystem-building initiatives.
  • Startup/Early-Stage Agility: A proven track record of operating successfully within a start-up, newly founded or fast-paced entrepreneurial environment.
  • Commercial Sponsorships: Demonstrated success in securing corporate sponsorships, commercial partnerships or public sector funding.
  • High-Level Convening: Experience building and mobilising complex multi-stakeholder networks, coalitions or national movements.

Skills & Attributes

  • A Genuine Passion: Real enthusiasm for development and for the healthy, vibrant communities that great places create.
  • Entrepreneurial Mindset: High personal initiative, comfort with ambiguity and a hands-on approach to delivery in an early-stage organisation.
  • High-Profile Communicator: Exceptional public speaking, media and communication skills, with the presence to build a strong public profile for the movement.
  • Collaborative Coordinator: The ability to harness and coordinate the active, practical support of an engaged Board.
  • Financial & Political Acumen: Strong financial management combined with the political awareness to navigate complex local and national structures.

Our Board

RBF is guided by a distinguished and highly experienced Board of Directors, who dedicate their time to the foundation pro bono. Their expertise and commitment are central to what makes this role so unique and exceptional.

Meet the Board: https://regionalbuilding.org/board-of-directors/

Applications:

Please submit a CV and covering letter to Anna Geffert, email address: a.geffert@regionalbuilding.org

Closing date for applications: 14 August, 2026