Address
Form of workWhy Work for us: Employee benefits (southampton.gov.uk)
We have an exciting opportunity for two experienced policy planners to join our Strategic Planning team in the Transport & Planning Service. Southampton is the largest city and key economic hub of Central South England with one of the busiest ports in the UK which is also part of the Solent Freeport. The city has a diverse and growing population and is home to a range of major employers and institutions including two major universities, Southampton General Hospital, and Southampton FC. We are proud of our environment and numerous green spaces including the Common and our Green Flag award winning parks. Our successful bid to the Levelling Up Fund is enabling us to regenerate our Outdoor Sports Centre to provide new and improved facilities for a variety of sports ranging from football to tennis to athletics, and even alpine snow sports. Currently ranked in the top 5 of the Good Growth Index we have ambitious plans to make Southampton a city of opportunity in line with our Corporate Vision.
Successful applicants will be joining us at an important time as we work on the preparation of Southampton City Vision, the new Local Plan, playing a significant part in ensuring Southampton continues to be a place where people choose to live, work, and invest. You will need to bring a dynamic approach and creative thought, grounded in technical knowledge, to help deliver the city’s development needs whilst addressing challenges such as housing delivery, social inequalities, and meeting net zero targets.
The role also requires contributing to other strategic planning workstreams including the preparation of policy guidance and SPDs plus the provision of expert knowledge to our masterplanning and regeneration projects. As we look towards improved digitisation of planning processes, particularly throughout preparation of our new Local Plan, there will be a need for increased mapping so any GIS skills you could bring to the role, though not a requirement, would be particularly welcomed.
The City Council also operates a strategic planning partnership with neighbouring Eastleigh Borough Council and so, as needs arise, you may also have opportunity to work on the emerging Eastleigh Local Plan. The City Council is also an active member of the Partnership for South Hampshire (PfSH) and there will be opportunity to support our inputs to determining the strategic approach to development in the wider region.
As we look to deliver an even more adaptive and resilient Planning Service, it should be noted that candidates for this role may, should need arise, be asked to assist the Development Management team by acting as a case officer for certain planning applications. This should be seen as an opportunity to grow your skillset and see how the planning policies you devise are put into action.
The Principal Planning Officer role will suit you if you have significant experience working in planning policy and are looking to take a leading role in the preparation of the Southampton City Vision and other strategic planning projects whilst supporting and mentoring more junior members of the team.
Relevant qualifications and excellent report writing, communication and IT skills will be required, and you should clearly demonstrate how your experience makes you suited to working at the level of a Principal Planning Officer, in line with the key accountabilities and duties and person specification set out in the full job description. If, however, you are at an earlier stage of your career but would still be interested in working for us then we are also looking for a Planning Officer to join the Strategic Planning team. Please see here for more information.
Contact details for informal discussion:
For further information and details regarding the position please contact Amber Trueman (Strategic Planning Manager) on 023 8091 7597 or email amber.trueman@southampton.gov.uk
Additional information:
- Please note the salary quoted is based on full time hours (37 hours).
- The working hours are 37 hours per week.
The supporting statement section of the application form must be completed unless there are specific criteria questions for you to evidence against. Applications are shortlisted against the essential and desirable criteria found within the job description for the post. Please refer to the job description when completing your application form and evidence how you meet the required criteria/questions. A CV on its own will not be considered.
Unfortunately we are not able to accept applications that are made through a third party agency. We cannot guarantee that any correspondence sent from third party agencies will be responded to. To ensure your application is received please apply online at www.careers.southampton.gov.uk
Recruitment contact details: 023 8083 4033 recruitment@southampton.gov.uk
To apply for the position please select the 'Apply for this job' button at the bottom of the page.
We are proud to be #DisabilityConfident and support fair recruitment practices. Find out how you can get involved at gov.uk/disability-confident
As a Corporate Parent we are actively aiming to support all our Looked After Children (LAC) and Care Leavers. Any Applicants who are care leavers or in a LAC position and who meet the essential criteria for the post applied for will be guaranteed an interview.
