Development Management Delivery Consultant

Contract Length: 6 months
Day Rate: £550 per day
Contract Type: Interim / Consultancy
Location: Essex

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Development Management Delivery Consultant to provide hands-on support to a Local Planning Authority, helping to address operational challenges, unblock complex planning issues and drive improvements across its Development Management service.

This is a delivery-focused assignment requiring someone who can quickly establish ownership of complex and stalled planning applications, bring clarity and momentum to outstanding issues, and work collaboratively with planning officers, elected Councillors, senior officials and external stakeholders.

The successful consultant will play a key role in improving service performance, strengthening communication and relationships, and embedding practical, sustainable improvements to the way the service operates.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive complex and stalled applications: Take management ownership of agreed complex or stalled planning cases, establishing clear actions, responsibilities and timescales with case officers and relevant stakeholders to secure timely conclusions.
• Resolve wider service issues: Take ownership of other agreed priorities, including planning appeals, service improvements and Councillor communications, ensuring issues are progressed and resolved effectively.
• Improve stakeholder relationships: Work closely with elected Councillors and senior officers to improve communication, data availability and engagement, supporting positive relationships and effective planning outcomes.
• Strengthen service delivery: Support continuous improvements to case management processes, quality assurance arrangements and communication across the Development Management service.
• Support governance and decision-making: Work within the Council's governance framework and delegated authority arrangements, including implementation of the new National Scheme of Delegation.
• Manage corporate and member enquiries: Assist with the management and resolution of complaints, Member enquiries, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and other data requests.
• Build team capability: Provide practical advice, guidance and knowledge-sharing to planning officers, helping to embed improvements and ensure they can be sustained beyond the consultancy assignment.

If this role sounds of interest to you - reach me on [email protected] or call me on 0161 470 5506