Planning Technician – Validation

Overview

Are you enthusiastic about the role planning plays in place-making and shaping the future of Buckinghamshire? Would you like to take your next steps in your career, developing your strong communication and administration skills? If so, then these might be the roles for you! 

Working within the Technical, Commercial and Innovation Service (TCIS), we have a vacancy for a permanent Planning Technician within our Planning Validation Team.  

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. 

There are four teams within TCIS providing technical, administrative and business support for a wide range of planning services.  As one of the largest Unitary Planning Authorities in the country, the work is extremely varied and offers great opportunities for continuous learning and development.

We strive to deliver an efficient, high-quality, resilient and customer-focused service to the residents of Buckinghamshire.  We are part of the wider Planning and Environment Service, and work closely with colleagues in the development management teams as well as with other stakeholders. We pride ourselves on being a close-knit and integrated team who support each other. 

About the role

The details of this post are set out in the Job Description. 

You will be a part of a wider team delivering specialised planning technical support functions, including processing of new planning applications and comments from the public on applications, administering initial planning advice requests, administering planning appeals, providing general planning advice, document management, providing advice on information governance statutory processes and triaging shared mailboxes. 

We are currently recruiting to the Planning Validation team, but there will be opportunities to work across all teams depending on business needs. 

You will be joining us at an exciting time as we develop the teams and our processes following a recent Service Review.  We are also making significant changes to our IT systems over the next year. 

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

We are looking for people with excellent organisation skills, great attention to detail, an ability to be proactive in working to deliver the many deadlines the teams’ work involves and who enjoy a challenging but very rewarding workload.  You should also be a confident communicator with an ability to work effectively with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. Ideally, you will have an understanding of the planning system, but this is not essential. 

Other information

These are full time permanent positions, working a 37 hour week Monday to Friday.  The Council operates a hybrid working system and so you will be expected to work from one of our office bases (Gateway, Aylesbury or Queen Victoria Road, Wycombe) at least twice a week. 

Number of positions available: 1

Interview-type/process: in person (Aylesbury or High Wycombe) 

If you would like to have an informal conversation with the recruiting manager, please contact: Georgina Hastings [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/