Job Title: Principal Policy Planner

Indicative Salary:  £50,000-£55,000 + benefits and 30 days annual leave entitlement

Responsible to:    Principal Policy Manager/ Head of Infrastructure, Transport, Policy Planning and Insights

Hours: 35 hours per week

Location: MAKE IT , Barking/Hybrid working

Overall, Purpose of Job:

Barking and Dagenham is at the heart of London’s eastward growth, attracting developers and investors to one of the most affordable and accessible opportunities in the whole of the Southeast.

Be First are the Council’s regeneration delivery arm, statutory planning and development service agency.  We are mandated to accelerate inclusive regeneration and economic growth within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Our mission is to drive investment and business development into the Borough’s real estate, enhancing life chances, community health and well-being through new homes, job creation, and cultural, educational, and recreational opportunities.

Using planning policy to promote delivery is a key aim of our recently adopted award winning Local Plan outlining a vision for 400 hectares of development land, 40,000 high quality new homes and 20,000 new jobs within the next 20 years with supporting infrastructure and green space. 

This role will involve delivery of the full range of planning policy work on behalf of Barking and Dagenham Council, with a heavy forward-looking focus, helping to strategically shape the future of the Borough. 

You will be a senior member of the Borough’s statutory planning policy team responsible for  reviewing local policies to support our regeneration programme, working on our Local Development Schemes including SPD’s, Spatial Plans, Infrastructure Plans, Sustainability projects (Bio-Diversity Net Gain) and preparation for a future Local Plan review

The role also has a key focus on planning insights including preparation of Be First thought pieces and supporting data around key planning, housing, economic and industry issues relevant to Barking and Dagenham’s regeneration portfolio and enhancing our wider industry profile.     

Key Tasks and Accountabilities:

You must have strong interest in planning and able to demonstrate a passion for implementing planning policy.  You will need to have a real drive and views on the current planning world and how to influence thinking.

This is a real chance to drive sustainable change across an exciting part of London.  Key qualities we need include:

-        To contribute towards the implementation of a working culture that is result-orientated, customer-focused and an ethos of ‘right first time’ service delivery.

-        To undertake all duties with minimal supervision.

-        To be responsible for continuous personal development by requesting and attending training when necessary.

-        To demonstrate a strong commitment to the promotion of equal opportunities.

-        To provide high quality planning services to external and internal customers and stakeholders, meeting evolving delivery priorities, issues and challenges to agreed standards defined in the service offer.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential experience

-        Educated to degree level.

-        Should have a planning qualification and be eligible for RTPI membership

-        Should have experience of plan making and preparing SPDs. 

-        Requirement to line manage junior staff members.

-        Knowledge of planning legislation and related guidance.

-        Experience of providing high quality advice to Councillors and other stakeholders

-        IT literate with experience of using Word, PowerPoint and other software packages to record and manage data. 

-         A strong interest in Digital Planning applications to policy.

-        A proven record or experience of communicating in person, by telephone and in writing in a calm, courteous and confident professional manner.

-        Demonstrable understanding of the equality and diversity agenda, and experience of embedding a fair and ethical approach within a team and wider organisation

Essential skills

-        Able to work under pressure, organise and prioritise own work and that of others, ensuring agreed programmes and project requirements are met and customer demands accommodated

-        Strong influencing and persuasion skills

-        Strong analytical skills

•        Strong reporting writing and communications skills, abilities to flex communication style and approach to meet the needs of a diverse range of stakeholder groups.

Please submit a CV and Covering letter of Max 2 sides A4 to BFHR by 22nd August.  Interviews will be early September or sooner depending on responses

For an informal discussion please contact Barry Coughlan,  Head of Statutory Planning [email protected]