Planning Manager

South East Water; Tonbridge and Malling; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A water utility company in the UK is seeking a Planning Manager to lead a new team focused on engagement with local planning authorities. The role involves developing strategies for proactive consultations, enhancing transparency through GIS platforms, and ensuring compliance with sustainable development policies. Candidates should hold a relevant degree and possess extensive experience in planning applications and local planning processes. This offers a dynamic environment with competitive benefits including a strong pension scheme and generous holiday allowance.

Benefits

Excellent stakeholder pension scheme

5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays

Flexible annual leave policy

Paid volunteering days

Cycle to work scheme

Health cash plan

Life assurance

Wellbeing related benefits

Qualifications

• Qualified to a degree level with a relevant degree.
• Expertise and experience in responding to planning applications.
• Extensive experience in the field of local planning and strategy.

Responsibilities

• Develop a common database/GIS engagement platform with Councils.
• Streamline consultation responses and processes.
• Lead annual webinars with local planning authorities.
• Ensure early engagement in Local Plan processes.

Skills

Expertise in planning applications

Experience with Local Plans

Understanding of water efficiency

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Degree in relevant field

Job description

Overview

Ready to lead and shape planning development policy across the South East? We’re looking for an innovative Planning Manager to create and manage a new team focused on proactive engagement with 34 local planning authorities. You will be the driving force of a new planning team to ensure proactive engagement with councils to influence sustainable development, promote water efficiency, protect water resources, track new development/demand and support new resource developments.

Responsibilities

• Work with the wider business to develop a common database/GIS engagement platform to ensure transparency of interactions with Councils across all parts of the business.
• Develop common messaging / templates / pro‑formas to reflect company‑wide interests that can be included in consultation responses and streamline response processes.
• Develop and lead a series of annual webinars with Councils.
• Ensure early engagement in the Local Plan process with our 34 local planning authorities, identifying areas of supply/demand risk within specific WRZs and flagging this risk within the business. This includes Local Plans, Neighbourhood Plans, Infrastructure Delivery Plan, Water Cycle Studies, Strategic Flood Risk Assessments, Sustainability Appraisal etc.
• Develop a protocol for how enquiries from Councils and Council‑related issues should be disseminated within the business. This should include ownership of issues and who within the business should be consulted/involved with engagement on the issue.
• Develop a forum for sharing intelligence across the business about Council‑related interactions and issues. This could be a quarterly open forum or an informal chat channel. This would be in addition to the more formal database platform.
• For some planning applications that raise significant concern, development of an escalation process will be required. This may require town planning input to advise us how best to liaise with planning officers and, if necessary, represent SEW at planning committees.
• Indicate how policies should be changed, why and how changes would comply with the NPPF (including ‘tests of soundness’, duty‑to‑co‑operate etc).

Qualifications

• Qualified to a degree level with a relevant degree.
• Expertise and experience in responding to planning applications.
• Worked in developing or reviewing Local Plans, Neighbourhood Plans, Infrastructure Delivery Plan, Water Cycle Studies, Strategic Flood Risk Assessments, Sustainability Appraisals.
• Advising on town planning issues across the business including responding to local plans and SEW’s own developments that require planning consent.
• Extensive experience in the field of local planning and strategy, gained through working within the local authority environment or within the water industry.

Employees are required to be flexible and to be prepared to perform duties and other tasks within their capabilities. The nature of our business is such that the contents of any job profile are subject to change from time to time.

Benefits

• Excellent Stakeholder pension scheme, up to 10% employer contribution.
• 5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays per annum, increasing to 6 weeks with length of service.
• Flexible annual leave policy to buy or sell holiday leave.
• Paid volunteering days.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Health cash plan.
• Life assurance.
• Wellbeing related benefits.
• Compensation package.

Application Process

• To apply for this position, please submit your CV on our careers website.
• It is necessary for you to have the legal right to work in the UK when you begin employment with South East Water.
• Additionally, as part of the employment offer, you will need to pass background, identity, and employment referencing checks.

South East Water kindly asks that recruitment agencies refrain from submitting CVs to our employees or associates without explicit invitation from our HR Resourcing team. CVs sent on a speculative basis will not be acknowledged and will not assume any responsibility for fees or commissions in the event that we hire a candidate who applied directly or subsequently introduced by an instructed agency.