Senior Planning Officer

Senior Planning Officer

Job number: CRS00295

Location: Civic Centre, High Street Uxbridge, Middlesex, London, UB8 1UW

Salary range: £45,021 - £49,083 optional retention allowance of approximately 5% (subject to terms and conditions)

Closing date: 29 March 2024.

About us

At Hillingdon we’re proud of our commitment of ‘Putting our residents first’, ensuring they’re at the heart of everything we do! We want to attract talented individuals like yourself who share our aspirations for the borough and who can support us to deliver exceptional services for Hillingdon.

With an ambitious strategy we pride ourselves on delivering services that improve the lives of all our residents, businesses, and partners. Embarking on a journey of continuous improvement, we’ve set an agenda to ensure the provision of; safer communities, a thriving local economy, a greener more sustainable environment, whilst increasing our digital capabilities.

Working at London’s second largest borough can be tough, particularly with government reforms, budget restrictions, and political attention – but it’s enough to keep us busy and ensures no two days are the same!

What does a Senior Planning Officer do at Hillingdon?

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a high performing Development Management team in a new role created through a recent transformation of the Planning Service.

The Senior Planning Officer role is a great opportunity for an experienced Planning Officer to further develop their planning skills and experience under the successful guidance and support of a friendly and experienced team.

The post holder will be responsible for determining a diverse portfolio of planning applications including complex minor applications through to largescale major applications (subject to candidates’ experience), ensuring that the best planning outcomes are achieved for our residents.

As part of the role, successful candidates will also be expected to provide high quality planning advice through the Council’s pre-application advice service, as well as providing more general planning advice and guidance to residents, applicant/agents, colleagues and councillors as required.

Post holders will gain experience of all aspects of the planning appeal process, ensuring that high quality submissions are made to the Planning Inspectorate, acting as the Council’s expert witness in hearings, and taking part in public inquiries where required.

About you

Candidates should have a Diploma or Degree in Town & Country Planning, or equivalent discipline (such as geography, construction, architecture, or design) at graduate or post graduate level and be a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) or working towards membership of the RTPI.

Candidates will be expected to have prior significant experience of the end-to-end process of determining planning applications within a local government setting.

As an essential part of a high performing Development Management team, your focus will be on results. You will need excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to write reports clearly and concisely for a variety of audiences.

Candidates must have the ability to organise and prioritise workload and to work on their own initiative, as well as having excellent ICT skills and the ability to learn and use service specific software.

A full driving licence is also an essential requirement for this role.

Additional Information

Equity, Diversity and Equality Statement

At the London Borough of Hillingdon, we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. We value the unique perspectives and experiences of all individuals, and we believe that our workforce should reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.

We strive to ensure that our recruitment process is free from discrimination and bias, and we are dedicated to providing reasonable adjustments to applicants with disabilities. We recognise the value of a diverse workforce and encourage applications from candidates from underrepresented groups.

Join us in building a workplace where diversity is not only embraced but also celebrated, and where every individual has the opportunity to thrive and contribute meaningfully to our organisation's success.

Retention Allowance

This role benefits from an optional retention allowance of approximately 5% (in addition to the advertised salary), subject to terms and conditions.

Other Information

For further information, or an informal discussion about the role, please contact Ed Laughton - Area Planning Service Manager - Central and South (elaughton@hillingdon.gov.uk).

Please note that due to an expected high volume of applications, we could close this role early, we therefore recommend you apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.