Spatial Planning Manager

Spatial Planning Manager - Midlands
Your new role
National Highways have an excellent opportunity for Spatial Planning Manager to join our team in Operations, within the Midlands region. This role can be based at any of our Midlands offices but there is an expectation you will attend The Cube in central Birmingham at least once per week.
The Spatial Planning Manager will lead a team of Spatial Planners and Assistant Spatial Planners, ensuring all inquiries and planning applications are appropriately managed, in line with statutory and regulatory duties, operational standards and service delivery manuals. The Spatial Planning Manager will also contribute to the development strategy and integrated planning process for the Region.
What you'll lead on

• Manage National Highways' involvement in the Spatial Planning System within the Region, ensuring that the development aspirations of local authorities, and other stakeholders, take appropriate consideration of the strategic road network when developing their plans.
• Develop and maintain efficient processing and analysis of inquiries and applications from prospective developers in line with agreed policies and guidelines and within defined service level agreements.
• Manage the region's specialist Spatial Planning consultancy contract; perform, either directly or through nominated representatives, the necessary duties specified as per the terms of the contract in scope.
• To act as the Region's nominated representative for discharging the relevant statutory and regulatory duties
• To foster a culture which promotes high performance, recognises, and develops talent, and upholds best practice people management.
• To recommend opportunities to improve Spatial Planning capability, processes, and approaches, and manage the implementation of changes within own area of responsibility.

To be successful

• Experienced Transport or Town Planner (ideally Chartered)
• Awareness and knowledge of the Spatial Planning system in England and the duties and obligations of the parties involved.
• Proven track record in a leadership role and significant experience in managing a team
• Knowledge of sustainability principles and the application of sustainable development
• Proven practical understanding of the complex requirements of infrastructure development programmes and the prioritisation of needs in order to develop, manage and maintain a safe and efficient world-class asset.

A bit about us
Making sure our customers have safe and reliable journeys is at the heart of everything we do in Operations. We keep the roads open for business and play a key role in making sure the network we manage is fit for purpose today and for the future.
Job Purpose
To lead a team of Spatial Planners and Assistant Spatial Planners, ensuring all inquiries and planning applications are appropriately managed, in line with statutory and regulatory duties, operational standards and service delivery manuals; to contribute to the development strategy and integrated planning process for the Region.
Key Accountabilities
1. To develop and maintain efficient processing and analysis of inquiries and applications from prospective developers in line with agreed policies and guidelines and within defined service level agreements.
2. To champion effective developer liaison that enables the impact and implications of inquiries and applications to be both fully explored and understood, and allow for thorough assessment of the proposed benefits.
3. To ensure the political, economic and social benefits of a proposed development are both environmentally and commercially viable, and would deliver outcomes that improve the customer experience.
4. To manage stakeholder liaison ensuring the impact of any proposals on the regional planning process is identified and understood, and the benefits of planned outcomes contribute to the delivery of regional targets, enabling a measured and informed response to developer applications.
5. To manage the region's specialist Spatial Planning consultancy contract; perform, either directly or through nominated representatives, the necessary duties specified as per the terms of the contract in scope.
6. To act as the Region's nominated representative for discharging the relevant statutory and regulatory duties, operational standards, service delivery manuals, requirements and guidance.
7. To manage and develop a team of professionals, ensuring a shared understanding of business needs and maintaining the knowledge and competence required to deliver business objectives
8. To foster a culture which promotes high performance, recognises and develops talent, and upholds best practice people management - e.g. ensuring timely setting of objectives, performance management reviews, and development of appropriate succession and development plans.
9. To recommend opportunities to improve Spatial Planning capability, processes and approaches, and manage the implementation of changes within own area of Job Title Spatial Planning Manager Reports to Job Title Head of Planning and Development Division and Directorate Planning and Development - Operations Job Reference 21769A
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responsibility; champion and share best practice, and promote compliance to recognised standards.
10. To assess the health, safety and welfare risks to colleagues, stakeholders and the supply chain throughout the Spatial Planning process and contribute to improvements which minimise the risk to their wellbeing.
11. Approval for regional development planning applications.
12. Recommendations for changes / amendments to local authorities' plans and proposed 3 rd party developments on or around the SRN.
13. Influences regional supplier selection and contract specifications.
People management responsibilities
* Direct responsibility for a team of 5-6 Spatial Planners.
Budget management responsibilities
* Administers and controls the spend against the Region's specialist Spatial Planning budget.
Key contacts/relationships/stakeholders managed
* Regional Operations stakeholders - internal (Planning and Development Manager, Route Managers)
* External Operations stakeholders - Developers, Local Authorities, LEPs
Person Specification
Business Knowledge and Experience
* Solid understanding of the organisation's goals, strategy and policies
* Proven practical understanding of the complex requirements of infrastructure development programmes and the prioritisation of needs in order to develop, manage and maintain a safe and efficient world-class asset.
* Experience in developing and managing annual financial plans, including the development of budgets
* Team management
* Good commercial and financial acumen
* Capable of promoting the organisation's reputation through positive contribution to complex agendas whilst managing stakeholder and customer expectations
* Effective partnering skills to develop an infrastructure that enables sustainable economic growth and mitigates risks associated with social and environmental issues.
* A proactive approach to building trusted relationships across all parts and levels of an organisation and with stakeholders
* A strategic thinker who is comfortable challenging colleagues constructively to help achieve shared
* A clear communicator with proven negotiating and influencing skills able to direct and motivate a diverse range of colleagues, stakeholders and customers
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* Can facilitate multi discipline meetings and successfully implement governance structures
* Can demonstrate drive, resilience, focus and energy with high level of emotional intelligence
* Displays strong customer focus
Functional / Technical Skills
* Chartered Town Planner (RTPI degree or higher)
* IOSH
* Awareness and knowledge of duties to be discharged through relevant statutory and regulatory duties, operational standards, service delivery manuals, requirements and guidance
* Knowledge of sustainability principles and the application of sustainable development
Values and Behaviours
Embrace the organisation's values and model associated behaviours:
* Safety: Keep ourselves and others safe, above all else
* Passion: Deliver with energy and pace, care about what we do, continuously improve and innovate, provide great service in everything we do
* Integrity: Open, honest and professional, respect and value the contribution others make, do what we say, always do the right thing
* Teamwork: Work together effectively to achieve our goals, work efficiently and flexibly, listen to others and communicate clearly
* Ownership: Take accountability, learn from failure and celebrate success, agree stretching goals and delivering them, maintain focus on our imperatives
Health & Safety
Be accountable for delivery and governance of the 5 Year Health and Safety Plan across the business; provide interpretation and support as appropriate. Embed safety as the first imperative across all areas of your responsibility. Recognise the behaviours that enable the culture change required to achieve the Plan and deliver the objectives of the organisation. Engage and collaborate as appropriate with the wider business, supply chain and other stakeholders to promote health and safety, recognising behaviours that bring the Plan to life and help us realise the vision. Support the evolution of a culture that follows fair rules effectively, welcomes the opportunities to learn from incidents and near misses, taking appropriate remedial action and holding people to account when necessary to ensure that the organisation's objectives are achieved.