Senior Planning Policy Officer

Overview

We are looking for a Senior Planning Policy Officer to join our team.

If you have significant experience of working within planning policy (including on local plans), can demonstrate the ability to work closely and collaboratively with a range of stakeholders and are able to support other staff, this could be the role for you.

By joining us as a Senior Planning Policy Officer at Buckinghamshire Council, not only will you be offered a competitive benefits package, you’ll also be part of a  team committed to shaping the future of Buckinghamshire for generations to come, with great opportunities for personal career development.

 

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. 

Planning Policy sits within the newly formed Spatial Planning and Climate Resilience service, as part of our Planning, Growth and Sustainability directorate. 

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

A key opportunity to shape the future is the new Buckinghamshire Local Plan that we are currently preparing, working across our different services and with our partners. We are active in supporting many towns and parish councils as they prepare neighbourhood plans, as well as ensuring we have high quality development monitoring information in place to underpin all we do.

About the role

As an experienced planning policy professional, you will take on key work areas in preparing the Local Plan for Buckinghamshire. This will entail working with others on the development of planning policies and in preparing evidence base documents to support the development of the plan.  You will also work on a range of other planning policy work and will be part of a team that delivers an efficient, high quality, resilient and customer focused service to the residents of Buckinghamshire.  

We want to play to your strengths but also provide the opportunity for you to develop and broaden your skills and experience, and we will provide the right support to help you do that. As part of a larger team, you will benefit from working alongside colleagues with a wide range of experience across different topics.

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

 

About you

You will have excellent interpersonal, persuasion, and negotiation skills with significant personal expertise and experience in Planning Policy, particularly in relation to local plans. You will be able to work collaboratively across teams and with partners. You will have a flexible approach to work, have good organisational skills and contribute positively in a team environment.

You will have a planning degree and full membership of RTPI (or be eligible for membership).

Other information

Location: Aylesbury Gateway or Wycombe offices

This is a Fixed-term contract/secondment opportunity until March 2028.

For for information about this role in more detail, please contact Nina Merritt at [email protected]

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/