Westminster City Council (WCC) embarked on a landmark organizational redesign to support its long-term capital and regeneration programme. Under the strategic framework of The Westminster Way, the Council identified a critical need to transition from a reliance on interim contractors to a stable, high-performing permanent workforce.
Following a competitive tender process, Goodman Masson was appointed as the exclusive recruitment partner to lead a large-scale talent acquisition programme within the Development and Regeneration Directorate. The objective was to build a world-class team capable of delivering some of London’s most high-profile urban renewal projects while ensuring full alignment with public-sector governance and social value objectives.
The programme involved the phased recruitment of over 16 critical roles, ranging from professional technical leads to senior leadership positions.
The mandate presented a complex set of obstacles that required a sophisticated, data-driven approach to overcome.
1. Severe Talent Scarcity
The market for development and regeneration professionals within local government is notoriously thin. Identifying candidates who possess both the technical rigour of private-sector development and a deep commitment to public-sector values created a highly restricted talent pool.
2. Perception and Market Positioning
WCC faced challenges regarding market perceptions of pace and flexibility compared to private-sector developers. We needed to reframe the employer brand to highlight the unique scale, impact, and complexity of Westminster’s £multi-billion regeneration pipeline.
3. Dependency on Interim Staff
A high proportion of the existing team were interim contractors. This created a lack of organizational "memory" and continuity. The challenge was to attract top-tier permanent talent in a market where many specialists prefer the higher day rates of contracting.
4. Diversity and Inclusion Mandates
Beyond simply filling seats, the Council required a partner who could demonstrably improve workforce diversity, ensuring the team reflected the community it serves, particularly at the senior leadership level.
Goodman Masson executed a structured, multi-phase campaign designed to provide WCC with a sustainable talent pipeline and robust evidence-based reporting.
Sourcing & Attraction Strategy
We moved beyond traditional job boards, utilizing a proactive search model that engaged passive talent networks. By creating detailed candidate packs and immersive insights into the Council’s vision, we successfully "sold" the long-term career upside of the Directorate's restructure.
Data-Driven DEI
Central to our approach was the delivery of real-time demographic reporting. We tracked diversity metrics at every stage—from initial outreach to final shortlist—ensuring the process remained compliant with WCC’s Diversity & Inclusion Strategy and providing the Council with the data needed for transparent internal reporting.
Process Optimisation
We acted as an extension of the Council’s HR and hiring teams, advising on:
The partnership successfully transformed the Directorate’s capability, delivering 16 high-calibre permanent appointments and significantly reducing the Council’s agency spend and reliance on temporary staff.
The successful candidates have provided the stability required to drive Westminster’s capital programme forward, with 100% retention across all appointments made during the programme.
4 Weeks: Time-to-hire (reduced from a 7-week baseline)
18 Months: Duration of the successful exclusive partnership
100%: Retention rate of all permanent hires to date
Zero: Placement fallout during the pre-employment and onboarding phase
“At the end of 2023 Westminster City Council went out to tender for a volume hire recruitment campaign to support the growth of our Development and Regeneration function. The tender was awarded to Goodman Masson, who have been successfully delivering against the project requirements since the start of the year. They have taken the time to fully understand the requirements of the campaign, as well as the values and culture of our organisation. The campaign is managed by expert consultants with extensive market knowledge and a vast network of high-quality candidates. Goodman Masson have gone above and beyond, providing market insights and detailed candidate packs. Due to the success of the project, we have agreed exclusivity with Goodman Masson until April 2025 and look forward to continuing to build our partnership.” - Westminster City Council Stakeholder
75% of all appointments were female professionals
66% overall BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) representation across the campaign
80% BAME representation achieved at the Senior Leadership level
100% compliance with WCC’s D&I reporting and governance objectives
Want to learn more about how we can support your hiring needs? Get in touch with our Development, Land & Regeneration team here
Discover how Goodman Masson partnered with Westminster City Council to overhaul their Development and Regeneration Directorate, delivering 16 critical permanent hires and achieving 80% BAME representation at the senior leadership level.
