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Job description

ROLE PROFILE

Job Title: Senior Planning Policy Officer

Job Family: Professional/Technical

The ‘role profile’ is the contractual element that your post has been assigned to and generically sets out in broad terms the responsibilities the post holder is expected to have.

Service Area: Economic Development & Planning Policy

Grade: OPS5/PTC (plus Market Forces Supplement reviewed annually)

Responsible to: Planning Policy Manager

Responsible for: N/A

Generic Responsibilities:

• Provide specialist expertise in relation to the development of policy and interpretation of changing external requirements within the relevant professional discipline, taking account of service and community demands and the political priorities of the council.
• Provide specialist advice and support both internally and externally (whilst using good judgement to avoid risk, make decisions and resolve complex issues in the interests of the council and its people).
• Provide relevant professional and technical direction, support and training to colleagues (and guide the decisions they make).
• Lead on and deliver the review and updating of relevant (cross council) service specific policies and procedures.
• Represent and protect the reputation of the council both internally and externally as part of your work and advise on the formulation of associated strategy and framework.
• Retain relevant professional membership or licence, work to its codes and participate in learning that will help you perform your role successfully and the wider team meet the standards expected.
• Fulfil the work schedule and key performance targets set for your role and team including the management and delivery of a related caseload of work.
• Lead on or make a significant contribution to specific project work including the associated fundraising, budget oversight, procurement and purchasing.
• Lead a team of people to deliver a significant project (or significant part of a service) and plan the capacity, ability and work schedules accordingly.
• Demonstrate a strong customer focus when developing both internal and external partnerships relevant to your work (and continue this standard throughout any subsequent management of contracts).
• Take an entrepreneurial approach to your thinking, enabling you and your team to recognise opportunities for doing things more efficiently and then play a lead role in the embedding of process and performance improvement.
• Research, report and analyse performance management information to make useful recommendations for process and performance improvement (and advise management in their decision making).
• Provide a service link to other similar professionals across the council to ensure a corporate approach is achieved.

Professional/Technical Roles- TASK SPECIFICS

The ‘task specifics’ is the non-contractual element that your post has been assigned to and is a more detailed description of day-to-day activity which will be reviewed in line with PDR objectives and can change when priorities change.

JE Reference EDP4.3

Purpose

To work on matters relating to strategic planning, researching and analysing information across a broad range of disciplines, forward planning, plan making, policy development, infrastructure delivery plans and city-wide topic studies, together with all elements of the statutory planning system.

Service to Customers

• To liaise with Worcestershire County Council, adjacent District Councils, and other relevant organisations and agencies in the proper planning of the City of Worcester including taking the lead in multi authority projects and plans, where relevant.
• To play a significant role in the preparation of the development plan for the City of Worcester, leading on specific policy areas as appropriate. To lead on the preparation of Supplementary Planning Documents and other planning policy reports, where required.
• To formulate programmes and allocation of work related to the Planning Policy function, and the necessary organisation and control, including line management of specific team members together with coordination of workload for officers from other services.

Business Improvement/planning responsibility

• To plan for the long term future growth and needs of the City on the basis of the objective assessment of a full range of technical evidence, together with the views of local residents, statutory and other key consultees.
• To contribute to monitoring the effectiveness of planning policies including the development of databases and the collection of relevant data, including through Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
• To contribute to the monitoring of s106 legal agreements, receipt and spending of developer contributions and Community Infrastructure Levy funding, including the production of an annual Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS).
• Analysis, interpretation and presentation of monitoring data and outputs, including to elected members, Corporate Management Team (CMT)/ Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) and the public.
• Responding to annual monitoring requests from central government to provide monitoring data in a range of formats and using bespoke software applications.
• Responding to government consultations relating to national planning matters.
• Provision of expert advice on options to address deficiencies identified as a result of monitoring.

Colleagues, Self and Partners

To present and explain planning policy advice to committees, public meetings, exhibitions or other functions, and appear as the Council’s representative at Inquiries and Examinations.

Provide planning policy advice to:

• Development Management including:
• Responding with planning policy advice to relevant planning applications.
• Providing pre application advice.
• Attending relevant meetings to provide planning policy advice.
• Preparing appeal statements and appearing as the Council’s expert witness at public enquiries and examinations.
• To members of the public, developers and other Council departments.
• To elected members and the Council’s management team.
• To respond to FOI and EIR requests.

To assist with the development of strategies and policies prepared by other Council Service Areas and other Councils and public bodies.

To commission planning advice from King’s Counsel and other senior legal practitioners.

Commission advice from planning consultants on the wide range of planning related evidence required to prepare planning policy or defend decisions of the Council.

Managing Resources (people, equipment, buildings)

Accountability

• Coordinate and project manage the preparation of new and revised planning policies (DPDs and SPDs). This requires extensive knowledge of relevant legislation and existing and past planning practice as well as an ability to rapidly change and adapt work to take account of changes to planning regulations, planning appeal decisions and high court judgements.
• Responsible for allocating and overseeing the work of Planning Officers and Assistant Planning Officers, reporting to the Planning Policy Manager.
• Responsible for letting contracts and commissioning evidence studies from planning consultants, including managing budgets over £100k and consultancy contracts.

Nature of Contacts (internal/external)

• Consultation
• Scope and prepare public consultations including:
• Understanding the planning and legal framework of public consultations.
• Preparing consultation materials, displays, explanatory documents and methods of response.
• Representing the Council at public consultations and presenting planning in a transparent and easily understood way to a wide range of stakeholders.
• Manage expectations of what planning policy can achieve, including the expectations of government agencies and other significant Council partners.
• Acknowledge, collate, analyse and respond to consultation representations.
• Prepare post consultation reports and advice and present this to the full range of planning policy customers.
• Working with Partners:
• Worcestershire district councils and district councils in neighbouring counties which border Worcestershire.
• Worcestershire County Council.
• Working with councils across the West Midlands and beyond where the evidence suggests the Duty to Cooperate applies.
• Local Enterprise Partnership.
• Infrastructure Service Providers at least 25 separate organisations.
• Sport England, Environment Agency, National Highways, Historic England, Natural England.
• Developers, land agents and planning consultants.
• Educational establishments including the University of Worcester.
• The emergency services.
• Faith communities including the Worcester Diocesan Board.
• Planning Policy Customers:
• Other City Council service managers
• Members of the public, local community groups and NGOs
• Developers, land agents and planning consultants
• Other District and County Councils
• Government departments and agencies
• Infrastructure service providers
• Elected members of Worcester City Council and other Councils
• Provide timely advice to the Council about changes in Local, National and European Planning/ Environmental legislation.

Procedural Context

• Scope, commission and manage the preparation of planning evidence documents. This requires extensive specialist knowledge of the topic or subject, the letting of contracts, the management of consultants, the dissemination of the findings to members and managers including CMT/CLT and the application of the evidence to planning processes such as a public inquiry.
• Scope, research and write planning policies and their related evidence documents. This requires extensive specialist knowledge of the topic or subject, high level analytical skills, report writing skills and presentation skills to ensure evidence is robust, usable and easily understood by a very wide range of customers.
• Scope, research and write development briefs. This requires extensive detailed knowledge of planning matters and the circumstances relevant to the subject, i.e. the location or neighbourhood that will be the subject of the development brief. In turn this requires townscape analysis skills as well as the ability to communicate this analysis to the public and others.

Key Facts and Figures

• To assist in the planning and development of budgets for the delivery of the Planning Policy function and the managing of related income and expenditure.
• Raise purchase orders and process invoices.
• Provide guidance, support, supervision and mentor less experienced team members.
• To undertake any work expected of less experienced team members to reflect the availability of staff resources and workloads.
• To deputise for the Planning Policy Manager as necessary.

Knowledge and Skills

• Qualified Planner with Chartered membership of the RTPI.
• Degree in Town Planning/Urban and Regional Planning
• An extensive knowledge and understanding of planning legislation, planning policy and the plan-making process.

Behaviours

• Work to the Council’s values, have an awareness of the Council’s safeguarding policy in their service area and understand how to report any concerns.
• Awareness of the Council’s Health and Safety policy in their service area and a commitment to safe working practices.
• A willingness to attend meetings across south Worcestershire including occasional evening and weekend meetings where necessary.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: £35,411.00-£39,493.00 per year

Benefits:

• Additional leave
• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee discount
• Flexitime
• Gym membership
• Private medical insurance
• Relocation assistance
• Sick pay
• Store discount
• Wellness programme
• Work from home

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Worcester, WR1 1DT

Reference ID: WCTY000000757