Job title:Strategic Development Officer / Directorate: Places
Post number: / Division: Planning and Regeneration
Grade: / Section/team: Development Management
Overall purpose of job:
The effective management of development case work in particular major applications and Nationally Significant Infrastructure proposals.Specific responsibility for managing the archaeology and conservation officers.
Post holders will be expected to be flexible in undertaking the duties and responsibilities attached to their post and may be asked to perform other duties, which reasonably correspond to the general character of the post and are commensurate with its level of responsibility.
Main responsibilities:
1-To be lead officer in managing and coordinating responses to Nationally Significant Infrastructure projects.
2-To undertake all the relevant stages in the processing of strategic and major development proposals including pre application advice,and all types of appeals.
3-To negotiate agreements for the delivery of community benefits and infrastructure through S106 Agreements and CIL.
4-To liaise with the Principal Development Management Officer to ensure that decisions made under the Town and Country Planning Acts and associated legislation are properly made and issued expeditiously in accordance with the services Scheme of Delegation.
5-To coordinate a development team approach to successfully advise on and deliver complex and strategic development projects.
6-To attend meetings of the Planning Committee and present items as required.
7-To advise Enforcement Officers on matters related to unauthorised development.
8-To assist the Principal Development Management Officer in managing the case work of Senior Planning Officers-allocate,monitor and evaluate.
9-To manage the performance of the Archaeology and Conservation officers.
10-To assist in performance management that delivers continuous improvement in the service including customer care and e-delivery.
11-To investigate and respond to complaints.
12-To assist in training events.
13-To represent the service at a senior level at a wide range of internal and external meetings to assist in the delivery of projects.
14-To assist in achieving national and local performance targets.
Knowledge, Skill and Experience Required:
1.University degree or diploma (or equivalent) in a planning or related subject.
2.Eligible for or currently a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
3.Detailed knowledge of planning legislation, guidance and procedures.
4.Thorough knowledge of planning policies and service plans.
5.Ability to analyse and solve problems with minimal supervision.
6.Experience and knowledge of statutory consultation procedures.
7.Presentation of evidence at public inquiries, including major, complex and controversial development proposals.
8.In depth experience of Town Planning and related issues.
9.The ability to communicate clearly and prepare clear and concise detailed written reports within strict deadlines set both locally and nationally.
10.Experience of directing, motivating and developing staff.
11.Understand and commitment to achieving national and local performance targets.
12.Knowledge of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Planning regime.
13.Ability to transport oneself around the Authority’s area.
14.Flexibility to work outside of normal office hours as and when required.
15.IT literate, experience of Microsoft Office and Windows packages.
16.Experience of Geographic Information Systems.
17.Presentation, negotiation and communication skills to explain the issues involved in the consideration of planning and associated applications.
18.Experience of budget monitoring.
19.Ability to understand and co-ordinate technical, social, environmental and economic factors in achieving major development proposals.
20.Experience of developing and maintaining complex internal and external relationships, including statutory and voluntary agencies.
21.Management training qualification.
8.Ability to manage, monitor and review performance standards to meet budgetary targets.
Creativity and Innovation:
Respond in person in writing or by telephone with appropriate help, advice and guidance to questions, complaints or queries raised by individuals, professionals, other council staff, councillors or parish clerks about current, proposed or determined planning applications. All planning applications raise widely different issues or problems and have to be processed on their individual merits.
Problems to be addressed can be summarised as follows:
i.Dealing with irate and upset members of the public.
ii.Explaining complex planning issues to the public in a manner that they can understand, avoiding jargon.
iii.Continuous interruption in your thought process by the telephone, work colleagues and requests to see people at the reception area.
iv.Juggling with a heavy application workload.
v.Meeting specified deadlines.
vi.Reconciliation of conflicting priorities of site and office work.
Whilst every planning application should be determined on its individual merits, differing national and local policies and guidance will apply to each. The post holder has to decide which of the policies and guidance are relevant to enable further advice to be given and to decide on the appropriate course of action to be recommended to both the applicant and the council. The merits and disadvantages of each case have to be given appropriate weight using skill, judgement and experience in order to determine what specific actions are necessary. Extensive professional skills and expertise are used throughout the working day to advise others and to enable the post holder to consider, evaluate and assess development proposals or enquiries.
The post holder is expected to have a thorough knowledge of national development control legislation and local guidelines are also set out by the team manager and through council advice notes, reports and service plans.
The post holder is expected to undertake or oversee the preparation and adoption of policy review issues and any associated documentation related to changes to, or the introduction of planning guidance notes, procedural and design issues and staffing matters.
This should cover the types of work undertaken and the knowledge and skills required to do them.
If not essential knowledge, skills and experience can be desirable and this could be written into the employee specification ONLY.
Experience is what is necessary for effective job performance. It can be tested through questions at interview, written submissions on the application form and references. Experience can be as good as or better than possessing a qualification. The requirement of a certain number of years experience may be discriminatory but it is quality rather than quantity (length of time) of experience that’s important
State what the experience required is.
Education, training and qualificationsthese should not exceed the minimum requirement for satisfactory performance. Qualifications should be the minimum required to do the job and should only be included if they are ESSENTIAL to allow the main responsibilities to be completed. However we can ask for equivalents e.g. experience or a new qualification which is equivalent to the original one required may be sufficient. (Ensure you know the level of older qualifications against the new ones).
Skills and knowledge - should be specifically related to the job. Be specific – instead of ‘communication skills’ use what you want them to be able to do such as, ‘able to give clear verbal and written instructions to staff and contractors’. Only request skills that are measurable such as presentation, organisation, IT, etc. Do not include things such as sense of humour, enthusiasm etc that cannot be measured.
Creativity and innovation:
  • Respond daily in person in writing or by telephone with appropriate help, advice and guidance to questions, complaints or queries raised by individuals, professionals, other council staff, councillors or parish clerks about current, proposed or determined planning applications. All planning applications raise widely different issues or problems and have to be processed on their individual merits.
  • Preparation of detailed balanced reports that interpret complex national and local planning policies and advising on decisions to be made.
  • Explaining complex planning issues to wide audience in a manner that is understood.
  • Negotiating complex agreements and financial contributions and instructing solicitors.
  • Presenting complex evidence in public arenas and responding to cross examination
  • Making judgements on appropriate course of action in planning and enforcement cases and advising staff and members of the public .
  • Contribution to implementation of new working practices and procedures.
  • Extensive professional skills and expertise are used throughout the working day to advise others and to enable the post holder to consider, evaluate and assess development proposals or enquiries and make decisions that are subject to considerable scrutiny.
  • Negotiating improvements to development proposals and drafting conditions that are necessary to secure appropriate development and public benefits.
  • Refocusing and allocating staff and resources to meet performance targets.
  • Determining often complex planning and associated applications in accordance with the scheme of delegation.
  • Devising innovative development solutions to assist in the delivery of projects and proposals.
  • Prioritising complex range of work and advising staff of same.
  • Advising planning and heritage staff of appropriate actions and decisions.
  • Contribute to staff training related to changes to working practices , or the introduction of planning guidance notes, procedural and design issues and staffing matters.

Contacts and relationships:
Contacts are both internal and external and are varied and extensive. They range from advising the general public through to negotiating with applicants and their agents. Councillors and Committees plus Government Agencies.
  • Staff in service area –daily exchanging information offering advice and instruction on priorities and courses of action.
  • Staff in other service areas –daily exchanging information offering advice at senior level.
  • Line manager regular contact for advice and priorities.
  • Members of the public and professional agents –daily advising on range of issues.
  • Elected Members –regular contact re planning issues and advice.
  • Heads of Services –Regular in connection with NSIP and other major projects.
  • Parish Councils and other stakeholders –regular to advise on projects and procedures
  • Briefing legal advisers regularly in relation to complex cases and agreements.
  • Attendance at Planning Committee occasional.

Decision making:
  • Make recommendations on planning applications, including complex and controversial proposals .-daily with significant implications for economy and environment.
  • Making decisions on range of planning applications in accordance with scheme of delegation –daily significant implications for economy and environment
  • Exercise discretion by delegating to senior officers recommendations on straightforward or less complicated development proposals.
  • Giving legally binding decisions or acting on behalf of the council, as to whether or not planning permission is required and negotiating the issue of Section 106 legal agreements.-Daily significant implications for economy and environment.
  • Presenting evidence on behalf of the Council and responding to cross examination-Regularly significant implications for economy reputation and environment.
  • Assessing sometimes conflicting advice and balancing range of considerations to determine development proposals-daily..
  • Decisions made can have substantial implications for the reputation of the authority ,and legal and financial consequences.
  • Responding to complaints and ombudsman investigations-occasional but requiring in depth analysis
  • Daily management and support of staff with different specialities in team principally responsibility for Heritage Team but also assisting in the management of the planning and enforcement officers.
  • Briefing solicitors and negotiating legal agreements for community benefits.
  • Instructing others on work priorities.
.
Responsibility for resources:
Financial resources:
Advise on appropriate planning application fees and negotiate re community benefit contributions .
Physical resources:
General office equipment, including computer, mobile phone
Work Demands
  • Work is subject to interruption by telephone enquiries, unscheduled visits by the general public and other staff requiring help, advice and assistance.
  • Workload is driven by strict and demanding timetable for the planning committee meetings ,appeals and targets with high expectations from Councillors and public.
  • Development management workload is high profile due to the volume and type of applications submitted and the contributions that the service makes to the economy.
  • Evidence preparation for National Infrastructure Projects and appeals is subject to very demanding and rigorously enforced timetable.
  • Constantly having to manage and adjust workload to meet changing demands and priorities.
  • Regularly having to assess complex proposals and make professional judgements that will be open to scrutiny.
  • Regular lone working away from base with autonomous role as sole representative of the council.
  • Pressure of meeting numerous performance targets.

Physical demands:
Normal office environment generally
Site visits and external meetings occasional inclement weather and unpleasant sites.
Working conditions:
Normal office base but approximately 30% site work out doors where conditions may be inclement.
Presenting evidence at public inquiries is challenging and high profile–with public anticipation and cross examination as expert witness for the Council-occasional
Occasional presentations to public audiences eg planning committee/parish councils
Dealing with irate or disappointed members of the public can be challenging.
Often dealing with awkward members of the public.
Work context:
Dealing with irate and upset members of the puplic can be challenging
Some risk from entering premises and open land often unaccompanied.
Some risk from dealing with awkward or aggrieved customers.
PPE provided for outdoor working.

Position in organisation:
Indicate how many staff the post is directly accountable for:
Are posts in more than one location? Yes No
Is this at the same site? Are the posts managed highly mobile?
Is the supervision/management shared with another post in the structure? NO
Please indicate which post(s) ______
You must provide an organisation chart that shows where the job sits within the structure. This should be a simple diagram but with enough detail to put the job into context, i.e. the post holder may manage different groups of staff undertaking different tasks. The chart must show the job in question, the job to which it reports, those jobs which report alongside it and any subordinate posts.
Head of Development Management------Strategic Development Officer----Sites and Monuments Officer—Archaeology Assistant Heritage ---Environment Officer (Built Conservation)
The post is subject to:
Disclosure of convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exemption) Act 1974 Yes □ No □
Political restriction Yes □ No□
Employee:
(signed) / (print) / Date:
Manager: (signed) / (print) / Date:

Policy and Resources Cabinet Member – 19th September 2012, Implemented – 8th October 2012 Page 1 of 9