Principal Planning Policy Officer

Overview

If you have substantial relevant experience as a technical expert in Planning Policy and are looking to develop your career, this could be the role for you.

By joining us as a Principal Planning Policy Officer at Buckinghamshire Council, you’ll not only 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.

About us

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 priority for the directorate is developing the Local Plan for Buckinghamshire, setting out where future development should be located for housing, employment and infrastructure, whilst making sure our most valued environments remain protected.  

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. 

About the role

As an experienced planning policy professional, you will take on complex and key work areas in preparing the Buckinghamshire Local Plan as well as a range of other planning policy work. You will also play a lead- role in implementing aspects of our service review which is creating a streamlined and effective planning policy service for the future.

We want to play to your strengths but also provide the opportunity for you to develop and broaden your skills and experience.

We also want you to help others to grow and develop by line managing more junior officers, providing them with the 1:1 line management support they need to enable them to progress as they gain more experience and responsibility. 

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 a high level of personal expertise and experience in Planning Policy, particularly in relation to local plans. You will have an ability to support and develop staff, through performance management training and coaching, and be able to work collaboratively across teams and with partners.

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

Please refer to the job summary attached for full details.

Other information

There will be times when you’ll need to be in the office - whether that’s for meeting with the team or collaborating with peers - but we actively encourage our colleagues to adopt a flexible working approach and take control of their work-life balance.

To find out more information about the role, please contact: Nina Merritt, Planning Policy Team Leader at [email protected]

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

• Unspent convictions and/or unspent conditional cautions only

For further information on how long it takes for convictions and conditional cautions to be spent, please refer to Nacro’s guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

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.

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

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/