Principal Planning Policy Officer

Job title:

Principal Planning Policy Officer

Company

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames

Job description

Principal Planning Policy OfficerEmployerKingston CouncilLocation(s)KingstonContract TypePermanentWorking HoursFull TimeGradeJHours Per Week36Salary Range£50,031 – £55,155Salary BasisPer annumLeave Entitlement30 daysApplication Deadline05/08/2024, 23:55Anticipated Interview Date(s)TBCAbout the BoroughThis special place in South West London between the capital and the country has been a Royal borough longer than anywhere else – it is where the first kings of England were crowned.Today it is a vibrant and diverse borough, with a long history and strong cultural and community heritage. Kingston’s riverside location, fantastic retail offer, historic market place and church, parks and gardens all make Kingston town centre the vibrant space it is, and each of our district town centres (Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth and Chessington) have something unique to offer.Situated in Zone 6, Kingston is among the best-connected town centres in London – with direct train links from Kingston and Surbiton stations to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and Tramlink.Kingston’s people are innovative and entrepreneurial, and have a strong sense of community pride. The borough has been home to great industry and creativity for many years, reflected in assets such as the Rose Theatre, the International Youth Arts Festival and Kingston University, which boasts more new graduate business start-ups than any other.We have seen tremendous generosity and compassion within our communities, particularly in response to COVID-19, which is a demonstration of Kingston’s key strength. The council offers a strong level of support to vulnerable groups and those who need additional support, which has also increased significantly as a result of the pandemic. Like most places, the average age of our population is rising as more people are living longer, so we are working closely with residents to help them maintain their independence and further improve the cost effectiveness of our service to meet the ongoing rise in demand.Kingston is home to people from diverse and interesting cultures and backgrounds, which helps to create the rich sense of community shared across the borough. In particular, Kingston has a large Sri Lankan Tamil community and is home to more people from Korea than any other part of the UK.About the RoleWe are looking for two candidates to sit within the Planning Policy, one at Principal level (this role) and the other as Senior level (see advert on the RBK jobs page). The Principal Planning Policy Officer will help guide the development of the Local Plan for the borough, and prepare us for our Examination in Public in 2025.A Principal Planning Policy Officer will:

• Lead on key areas of the Local Plan, working closely with the Head of Spatial Planning
• Write policies for the emerging Local Plan
• Write supporting evidence base documents and topic papers
• provide policy advice on planning applications to specific timescales; and
• Write briefing papers and reports on emerging policy positions
• Have experience at Examinations in Public for the Local Plan. This is not essential, but is desirable for this role.
• Have budgetary responsibilities for specific projects and commissions
• Manage the teams workload and project plan workstreams
• Will have line management responsibilities, and deputise for the Head of Spatial Planning where appropriate

About UsAt Kingston, we are passionate about our Royal Borough and want to be known as a Council that is exemplary for public engagement and customer service. This is an exciting time for the Spatial Planning team as we are on the verge of reaching the Regulation 19 stage of our Local Plan. A main function of the team is to produce the statutory Local Plan for the borough and it is gaining a great deal of momentum as we prepare ourselves for committee and consultation.We are writing our Local Plan during both challenging times and a changing landscape. We need to produce a forward thinking Local Plan with policies that will enable us to grow and accommode the future needs of the borough, and to do this, we need a positive and ambitious candidate to help achieve this.About YouCandidates should have a good standard of Secondary Education and an interest in town planning. At Principal level, candidates should have either chartered membership or be eligible for chartered or associate membership of the RTPI.Ideally You should be able to demonstrate competence in relation the Google Suite of documents, including in relation to data management. You should be self-motivated and be prepared to work as part of a team.You will be expected to work under your own initiative, meet tight deadlines and be computer literate, with an aptitude to learn and promote new system technologies.Our Offer To YouAs an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.In addition we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff supported by our IT infrastructure, Google Chromebooks and Google Apps, which have acted as a key enabler for collaborative and streamlined working. We operate hybrid working, a flexible working model which allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week. It enables staff to achieve a work life balance whilst still meeting the needs of the organisation.Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston
• Flexible and agile working arrangements
• Comprehensive learning and development programme
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Zip car scheme
• Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
• Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
• Subsidised gym membership

Application ProcessPlease apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.We are committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) so all personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc is completely anonymised during the shortlisting process. Our hiring managers review applications based on the knowledge, skills and experience demonstrated in your application, and how well these match the job profile. Our HR Shared Service with Sutton Council was recently recognised nationally for having the ‘Best Inclusion and Diversity Programme’ at the PPMA Excellence in People Management Awards 2023, something that we’re incredibly proud of.Hiring managers are encouraged to ensure that their interview panel is diverse, and representative of a range of protected characteristics, to help remove unconscious bias and ensure candidates are treated fairly during the selection process. Some characteristics may not be obvious, but our panels are diverse wherever possible. We have a number of measures in place to inform and support our approach, including mandatory EDI and unconscious bias training for all staff, safer recruitment training for diverse panel members, engaging with our staff networks and encouraging allyship. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.Additional InformationWe are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough. Our aim is to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and staff feel a sense of belonging. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce.As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to thinking differently about disability and taking action to improve how we recruit, retain and develop disabled people. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role.We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.We are an accredited London Living Wage Employer and this means that everyone working at the Royal Borough of Kingston, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors and suppliers receive the London Living Wage. The real Living Wage is higher than the government’s minimum, or National Living Wage, and is an independently calculated hourly rate of pay that is based on the actual cost of living.The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the

Expected salary

£50031 – 55155 per year

Location

Kingston upon Thames

Job date

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 05:28:47 GMT

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