Head of Unit for Local Plans in the Urban Development Area of the Climate, Environment and Technical Administration

Do you want to help lead and develop one of Copenhagen Municipality's four local plan units, which create the conditions for the city's development? Can you ensure progress in a large portfolio of plans, support political goals, create high quality in the local plans, motivate and develop a strong professional environment?

So you are the unit manager we are looking for.

About the job and your tasks

As the unit manager for the South and East Local Plans unit, you will lead a unit that works with strategic and holistic urban development through the preparation of local plans in collaboration with the city's stakeholders, ensures political support and coordinates local plan processes across the inner workings of the Copenhagen Municipality. The unit's task is to prepare local plans in the southern and eastern districts of Copenhagen in close collaboration with the other local plan units and to ensure interaction across the Area for Urban Development.

You will – together with the unit's two team leaders – lead about 19 skilled employees with various professional backgrounds such as urban planners, architects and lawyers. Your task will be to ensure good collaboration structures, professional sparring, prioritization of time and resources, and support the employees in contributing to and engaging in collaboration with developers, advisers and developers on the preparation of local plans.

The position is located in the Area for Urban Development, which sets the framework for the city's future new districts and all major new construction in Copenhagen through politically adopted local plans and the ongoing administration of public housing. Our task is to realize the municipality's goals for, among other things, architecture, traffic planning, environment, climate, quality of life and social sustainability in the city that is being built.

We work on a large scale in Nordhavn, Lynetteholm, Tingbjerg and with a wide range of smaller, varied projects across the city, where both new construction, transformation and preservation are taking place. The tasks are often complex, whether large or small. We work in parallel on about 45 local plans in collaboration with citizens, politicians, advisers and developers.

You will report to Area Chief Mette Skovbjerg.

About you

We are looking for a strategically strong and clear people leader who can listen and set direction, and who thrives most in collaborative leadership. You have experience with and are motivated to work with urban planning. You have the ability to prioritize and delegate, are solution-oriented and can create progress. You contribute to making our workplace attractive and efficient with high quality and integrity, which builds trust among Copenhageners, politicians and the outside world in general.

You are able to continuously optimize case workflows and processes in the unit and strengthen collaboration across the area, the department, the administration and the municipality. Your tasks must be solved in close collaboration with your six fellow unit managers in the Area for Urban Development, but also with the rest of the Climate, Environment and Technical Administration and other administrations in Copenhagen Municipality as well as external partners.

You will become part of the Climate and Urban Development leadership forum, which consists of all 22 managers in the department and contributes to the department's overall deliveries, including policy development as well as culture and cross-cutting development. We place a high priority on professional and leadership development.

We emphasize that you

• have a strategic view of local plans as a framework for a holistic planning and urban development in Copenhagen and can navigate between political wishes, legislation, professional considerations and different interests
• have experience working in a political environment and experience with planning law, urban planning, architecture and construction
• can ensure progress and efficient task execution and have experience with managing and coordinating a broad portfolio of tasks
• communicate easily and effortlessly with both internal and external stakeholders and partners, developers and citizens
• have impact, good negotiating skills and thrive in cross-cutting collaboration
• can lead and motivate a diverse and highly professional unit and prioritizes hands-on leadership, contributes to creating well-being and motivation and works to create a trust-based, developmental and inspiring work climate
• thrive in a high tempo and maintain a humorous resilience. You create a good atmosphere and meet your surroundings positively, straightforwardly and with natural authority. You recognize the importance of good collaborative relationships and seek holistic solutions
• contribute constructively and naturally to the shared leadership tasks that cross the area and the department as a whole

About the department

The Area for Urban Development is part of the Climate and Urban Development Department, which with a holistic view, curiosity and high professionalism solves tasks within waste and resources, climate initiatives, urban planning, social housing and analyses. The department has about 400 employees distributed across 17 professional units and a secretariat, all working with a common purpose to make Copenhagen a better and more sustainable city to visit, live and build in.

As part of Climate and Urban Development, you must be willing to engage in collaborations and projects that cross professional areas and disciplines. We believe that good solutions become stronger and more effective when we solve them together – coordinated and across disciplines, units and authority areas. We also operate under the norm of doing things properly, doing it together and doing it for Copenhagen.

The department is centrally located at Njalsgade on Islands Brygge.

Leadership framework

The Climate, Environment and Technical Administration has a leadership framework that sets the expectations for the role of leader in the administration. The leadership framework is our common direction for good leadership. For each level of leadership there are specific roles and tasks. The framework is based on our three norms (values).

• We do things properly
• We do it together
• We do it for Copenhagen

Salary and terms of employment

Salary and terms of employment are determined in accordance with the head salary agreement for Copenhagen Municipality and the applicable collective agreement. We wish to fill the position on 1 February 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter.

More information

If you have questions about the position, you are very welcome to contact Area Chief Mette Skovbjerg at 23 37 11 70.

Apply via the link no later than Sunday 15 November 2026

Along with your application you must upload your CV and proof of your education as well as any other relevant documents.

There will be 1st and 2nd interviews. If you proceed to the 2nd interview, you will be asked to complete a personality test. Feedback on the test will be provided up to the 2nd interview.

We expect to hold the 1st interview on 25-26 November 2026.

About the Climate, Environment and Technical Administration

The Climate, Environment and Technical Administration handles authority tasks and serves citizens and businesses, among others in the environmental area, local plan planning, urban renewal, building case processing and traffic. In addition, it is the Climate, Environment and Technical Administration that is responsible for cleaning, maintenance and development of the city’s roads and parks as well as parking control. We employ about 2,700 staff and administer a gross budget of just under 4.8 billion DKK.