Principal Planning Officer

The Planner; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 68,000 - 97,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

Carrington West are assisting their client, a local authority in the East of England, in recruiting an Interim Principal Planning Officer for the Development Management team on an initial 6-month contract. The role requires experience with major planning applications and a hybrid working arrangement with regular office/on-site attendance.

The successful candidate will manage complex cases, prepare reports for committees, and engage with partners and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Experience as a development management case officer in local authority or private practice.
• Strong knowledge of planning legislation and policies.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage a broad range of complex cases and pre-applications, including larger developments and S106/PPAs.
• Act as single point of contact for customers on complex applications and attend appeals/hearings when required.
• Collaborate with colleagues and maintain important relationships with partners and Members.
• Update information systems and maintain master customer records in line with Data Protection principles.
• Prepare and present reports to planning committees and other meetings; present evidence at appeals and inquiries.

Skills

Communication skills

Negotiation skills

Planning professional

Education

Post-graduate degree in planning

Job description

Carrington West are assisting their local authority client based in the East of England in the search for an Interim Principal Planning Officer to join their Development Management team on an initial 6-month contract.

This role requires a planning professional who has previous experience of working on major planning applications and who can manage a varied workload. This role is being offered on a hybrid working basis with an expectation of weekly office/on-site attendance.

Key responsibilities:

• Manage a broad range of more complex cases and pre-applications with particular emphasis on larger developments including negotiating S106 agreements, Planning Performance Agreements (PPAs) and providing resilience and flexibility within the service (Applications including residential schemes of 1000+ dwellings)
• Manage complex and/or contentious planning applications, processes and compliance, regulations and legislation, acting as the single point of contact for customers on those cases and attending appeals hearings and public inquiries as appropriate.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation, as well as Members and managing key relationships with partners.
• Access and accurately update all relevant information systems, both customer and back office ensuring that the master customer record is updated and maintained through verification and validation, and in accordance with Data Protection principles
• Prepare and present reports to Area Planning Committees, District Planning Committee, and other internal and external meetings and present evidence/stand as witness at planning appeal hearings and public inquiries

To apply for these roles, it is essential that you have worked as a development management case officer in a local authority planning department or at an equivalent level in a private practice. The successful candidates must have good fundamental and technical knowledge and understanding of all relevant planning legislation and policies. You will need to have excellent communication and negotiation skills as you will be working in a team environment, as well as dealing with other professionals. We are looking for a motivated self-starter with a can-do attitude.

It would be beneficial to hold a Post-graduate degree in planning, regeneration or a related discipline, and have the eligibility for membership of RTPI.

The council are looking for candidates who will be able to hit the ground running and are offering flexible working arrangements.

Carrington West Pay Rate - Up to £60per/hour

Job Ref - 69585