Development Manager Group Leader

We are preparing for a bright future which is why we need to strengthen our Development Management team with 2 Group Leaders working in partnership to manage the Group.  However, we recognise there are challenges ahead not least in balancing the expectations of growth with our vibrant local communities, the infrastructure requirements and our quality landscapes.

We currently deal with more than 4000 applications of various kinds every year, one of the largest caseloads in the Yorkshire area.  We have in excess of 4500 listed buildings and 59 conservation areas.  Added to that is a portfolio of stone and aggregates quarries and our position adjacent to the Peak District National Park.

Your main challenge and opportunity to shine will be to balance the competing demands of the Council’s strategic aspirations, community concerns and environmental constraints whilst delivering high quality development through the planning process.

Alongside your Policy Group Leader counterpart, you will take a lead role in providing a dynamic Planning Service which is striving to make changes all the time but is committed to the economic growth of the district.  Each Development Management Group Leader will be responsible for leading separate Planning Committees, Planning and Technical teams and most importantly working together as the management leadership team for the DM Group and deputising for each other when required.

Reporting to the Head of Planning and Development you will take an important role in ensuring new development proposals are delivered in a co-ordinated way, you will ensure the service we provide is positive and progressive and always mindful of ever-changing national policy, support the development of our local planning policies and guidance and performance frameworks.

Your task will be to manage the Development Management Service in Kirklees in partnership with your Group Leader colleague.  You will be responsible for directing the overall management of a number of teams which contribute to the development management function.  These include: two area-based teams; a majors and minerals team, Highways Development Management Team, Conservation, Design, Ecology and Trees Team and the planning compliance team. Team work is key to success.

At Kirklees we want to be innovative and creative in the way we work to deliver our services to our communities, so we are always looking for better and smarter ways to work.  This is why the Development Management part of the Planning Service needs forward thinking and driven individuals to take us forward.

For an informal discussion please contact Head of Planning and Development, mathias.franklin@kirklees.gov.uk