Principal Planning Officer

The starting salary for this full-time, fixed term role is £50,047 per annum based on a 36 hour working week.

This is a 24-month fixed term contract or secondment opportunity.

We currently have an exciting opportunity for a Principal Planning Officer to join our Planning Development Team within the Environment, Infrastructure and Growth directorate at Surrey County Council.

The administrative work base is in Woking, however The Planning Group has an agile workstyle which means that you will work at different locations and venues including from home. Subject to team requirements, Officers are encouraged to choose the location where they think will be most productive and have access to technology to connect with team members, although some office-based working is to be expected.

Rewards and benefits

• 26 days' holiday rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the team

Surrey County Council is embarking on an exciting and transformative journey to become a leading-edge authority - putting Surrey's people and places at the heart of everything we do. By 2030 we want Surrey to be a uniquely special place where everyone has a great start to life, people live healthy and fulfilling lives, are enabled to achieve their full potential and contribute to their community, and no one is left behind.

Surrey is a diverse county with an urban fringe in the north abutting Greater London and towns and villages to the south. It is situated between Heathrow and Gatwick airports and hosts highway networks and rail infrastructure which connect the county to London and the south coast. The county is recognised as a powerhouse of the British economy and provides the largest net contribution to the UK Government after London. It is also the most wooded county in England, some 25% of it is covered by the Surrey Hills National Landscape, and about 73% of it is designated Metropolitan Green Belt.

Consequently, Surrey faces huge challenges to accommodate housing and economic growth in a sustainable way in the context of a changing climate, biodiversity loss, a densely populated and valuable natural environment, sustainable waste management, maintaining the supply of and safeguarding a range of minerals, and identified deficits in supporting strategic and local infrastructure. In this regard the council is a key infrastructure provider and has a statutory responsibility to engage with Surrey's districts and boroughs and surrounding planning authorities in plan-making and provide for minerals and waste management development across the county. In addition, the Development Management team deals with applications from the County Council for important community facilities such as schools, social care facilities and libraries.

About the role

As a Principal Planning Officer you will play a key role within the the Development Management Team, with a particular focus on dealing with the County Council's own planning applications (Regulation 3 applications). The role is fixed-term to help provide additional resource within the team to deal with the County's ambitious development programme, in particular applications for new and expanded schools, adult social care development and other social infrastructure developments across Surrey.

The role will also cover the full range of planning applications that the team handle including delivering sustainable waste management development and the supply of vital mineral resources across the County. You will work closely with internal and external stakeholders to determine planning applications and provide pre-application advice. As a Principal Planning Officer, it would also be expected that you would help mentor and support junior members of the team.

Shortlisting criteria

We are looking for candidates who have significant planning experience, are self-motivated, highly organised and able to independently manage a varied workload effectively. You should be able to establish and maintain constructive and positive working relationships with a range of stakeholders to build rapport and achieve consensus. You may be already working at a principal level or looking to take the next step in your career. Enthusiasm and attention to detail are important personal skills for these roles.

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• A degree qualification in land-use planning or related field (geography, environmental science, urban design, architecture, geology, sustainability)
• A good understanding of land-use planning in England particularly within local government
• Intellectual ability, political awareness and skills that would enable you to be a good communicator, negotiator, influencer and leader
• Experience of dealing with politically sensitive or controversial applications
• Excellent IT skills, including MS Office and database management systems
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively around the County

Contact us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 26th May 2024 with interviews to follow.

This post has been designated as a politically restricted post in accordance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.