Planning Compliance and Enforcement Monitoring Officer

Overview

If you have excellent interpersonal, persuasion and negotiation skills with experience of co-ordinating partnership working, this could be the role for you. Most importantly, you’ll enjoy building new relationships, with the welfare of our residents at the heart of what you do. 

You will work as part of the Planning Compliance & Enforcement Team to help deliver excellent services to the people of Buckinghamshire, by investigating alleged breaches of planning control and resolving these in a solution-focused, proportionate manner. You will work as part of the Planning Enforcement Team and help develop and deliver the Councils Enforcement service in line with the Vision for the Planning Service.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally. 

We are a highly motivated, agile and results-driven Enforcement team that delivers an efficient, high quality, resilient and customer focused Enforcement service to the residents of Buckinghamshire.

Career development is something we take seriously and we love nothing more than seeing our colleagues grow with us, with many members of the team progressing quickly as they gain more experience and responsibilities within their specialist areas. We are committed to building an exceptional Compliance & Enforcement Team, utilising our colleagues’ talent, and making the most of what they have to offer

With a strong and supportive senior management team behind you, you’ll play a key part in helping us achieve our Planning and Environment Business plan and assist in driving forward our vision as a top performing unitary authority.

We offer flexible working arrangements to suit your needs both in terms of location and flexible office hours.

There will be times where you’ll need to be in the office - whether that’s for meeting clients or collaborating with peers - but we actively encourage our colleagues to adopt a flexible working approach and take control of their work-life balance. Our current vacancies are flexible and part-time work will be considered. We have offices based in Aylesbury and High Wycombe.

About the role

You’ll be responsible for managing a case load of enforcement investigations, specifically relating to planning conditions, and small household development type investigations, ultimately seeking resolution of breaches of planning control. 

Alongside this you will be responsible for coordinating and liaising with stakeholders to give advice on development related matters, engaging with local communities, parish and town councils, and the public as required through the processing of enforcement investigations. 

You will contribute to achieving high performance standards and the delivery of a quality service that is customer focused, whilst maintaining a high quality and efficient Planning Compliance and Enforcement service that is trusted and respected by customers and across the Council.

Key Accountabilities

To actively contribute to driving service change, including the development and implementation of an agile and capable enforcement service team; contributing to the adoption of new ways of working, more flexibly to better meet customer needs, increase productivity; improve service delivery and deliver efficiencies, and drive cultural change programme in line with Councils’ strategic objectives and values.

You will be responsible for planning and delivering a varied caseload of compliance and monitoring investigations and related appeals, ensuring that cases are processed and determined efficiently using professional experience in line with relevant timescales. 

For full details please see the attached job summary.

Mobile:

A ‘mobile’ role gives you the flexibility to schedule your own diary, so you can meet with colleagues and clients in a variety of locations. You’ll access digital folders and resources on your laptop and be able to use the network wherever you are based. Working from home will be common, as well as meeting your team in the office where necessary.

About you

Naturally, you’ll have excellent interpersonal, persuasion and negotiation skills with experience of co-ordinating partnership working. You’ll come to us with the relevant experience of developing procedures, policies and long-term strategies. Most importantly, you’ll enjoy building new relationships, with the welfare of our residents at the heart of what you do. 

Other information

Number of positions available: 1

Interview-type / process: in person

Who to contact for additional information: [email protected]

For an informal chat about this role in more detail, please contact Gemma Davies on 01494 421632

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Planning, Growth and Sustainability directorate works with partners to help shape the future of Buckinghamshire.  We deliver services on planning, economic growth, regeneration, strategic infrastructure, transport and property.

 Our key priorities include developing the economic narrative for Bucks, creating more jobs and delivering the right infrastructure to help businesses and residents thrive. We also aim to provide a proactive planning service that is responsive, whilst making the best use of the Council’s land and property portfolio. This will in turn support community services and create housing, jobs, regeneration and income to support public services.

 It’s a great time to join one of our teams. As part of the Planning, Growth and Sustainability function you will not only get to help shape the economic future of Buckinghamshire; you’ll also be involved in delivering high-profile development projects and work on some of the biggest infrastructure projects in the UK. You will support us to deliver the results that our local residents and businesses deserve.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/