Planning Officer

BBT

Job Description

Purpose of role:

To enable, develop and provide a wide range of opportunities for sport and physical activity for the people of this London Borough. This includes direct provision and operation of services through contractors and council’s own staff.
In particular managing the operation of sport and Leisure facilities directly run by the Council and facilities operated on the council’s behalf through contracts/ agreements.

 To ensure the delivery of the council’s objectives, as defined in agreed Service Plans, in accordance with all Council standards and procedures.
 To deliver a service that has a significant impact to the client community ensuring close co-ordination with related services, in support of a customer-centric organisation.
 To analyse, interpret and present a range of information and data relating to Planning Applications, including recommendations, to assist in the Planning Decision process.

Key Accountabilities

Challenge, Change and Improvement
1. Leading continuous improvement and change for the section through performance management by defining and managing service performance objectives, standards, measurement, reporting and timely, corrective action for both in-house and contracted services. [Depends on Service area]

Systems and Procedures
2. Assisting with the design and implementation of procedures, in consultation with colleagues, in order to meet identified needs and improve service efficiency and effectiveness.
3. Preparing written reports in plain English, in line with Council policies, in order to simplify and provide consistent methods of Planning Application determination.
4. Contributing to the planning, organising and monitoring of work by diary management and co-ordination.
5. Drafting, preparing and circulating documents (meeting notes, agendas and reports, notices, memos).
6. Responding to communications (enquiries, requests, complaints, letters, applications) within defined timescales to provide customer satisfaction.

Project and Work Management
7. Planning, managing and implementing projects, as directed, including developing project plans showing key milestones, deadlines and responsibilities.
8. Dealing directly with customers both face to face and via telephone and e-mail.
9. Contributing to the review and implementation of service improvement plans.
10. Monitoring and reporting on customer service standards against agreed targets, including identifying failures, suggesting improvements and taking action to remedy such failures.
11. Investigating issues raised in complaints and enquiries and producing written responses to the agreed format.
12. Complying with the Council’s Policies and Procedures, including Health & Safety and Diversity and Equality policy.

Working In Teams
13. Co-ordinating the services activities with all other council departments, government agencies, voluntary bodies and other partnerships in order to meet cross-boundary objectives
14. Managing seamless partnerships with contractors and other partners.

Managing self
109. Managing personal work load, changing priorities and personal objectives

Communication
11. Leading two way and proactive communication to, from and within services, including applicants for planning permission, members, team briefings, meetings, staff development days etc, using a variety of media and approaches.

Customer Engagement & Influencing
12. Consulting with service users, private and voluntary organisations, as required, in order to ensure the effectiveness of the Services, and leading to continuous service improvement.
13. Liaising with outside bodies and organisations to develop proposals for delivery of sustainable communities.
14. Ensuring that all contacts (input, feedback, complaints) are responded to and dealt with within defined standards and that satisfactory conclusions are reached.

Other
15. Ensuring all management processes comply with the Council’s procedures including but not limited to Health & Safety and Diversity and Equality policy.
16. Ensuring consistent approach to Development Control decisions.
17. Contributing to Central Government consultations on proposed changes in legislation, regulation and guidance.

Key performance indicators:

 Successful achievement of Service/Team Plans
 Overall / discrete Service Line customer satisfaction indices
 Comparative benchmark performance (eg v. CPA ‘excellent’ Councils)
 Performance Plus measures (tba)

Key relationships (internal and external):

 Corporate Leadership Team
 Service Heads
 Performance Management Team
 Members……Occasionally
 Ombudsman
 Strategic Partners … Occasionally
 Suppliers
 Voluntary / Community Groups

Authority level (people, policy, financial):
People
Attends Planning committee, Regulatory committee and Corporate Board as required
Policy
Significant input to Service Plan for Service, and ensures DC requirements reflected in UDP/LDF, SPG’s & SPD’s

Person Specification

Essential knowledge/skills:
 Knowledge and understanding of the application of a Performance Management System including frameworks eg. a Balanced Scorecard and processes including measurement, reporting and interventions.-
 Ability to implement systems and procedures, including the ability to use a variety of ICT packages.
 Knowledge of working in partnership with other internal services and external bodies such as voluntary groups, external service providers, private sector partners and government agencies to deliver integrated and improved services.
 Application of the democratic process and the ability to create effective working relationships with Councillors, to drive and prioritise service delivery and improvements.
 Knowledge and application of Town and Country planning and associated legislation, and national, regional and local policy including requirements for public consultation.
 Knowledge and application of Health and Safety at Work Act and associated regulations relevant to the service area.
 Proven communication skills, with the ability to present to a diverse range of internal and external audiences using a variety of media and approaches
 Knowledge and application of the role of Town Planning in the community.
 Demonstrable effective use of a variety of ICT to retrieve information, monitor and evaluate business and individual performance and any application specific to the area e.g. GIS
 Good negotiation skills
 Demonstrable skills in coaching, mentoring and supervision of more junior staff.
Essential experience:
 A minimum of 6 months post qualification experience of working in a relevant role in an organisation of comparable complexity
 Evidence of analytical skills, including the use of numerical, financial and non-financial performance measures, in an organisation of comparable complexity.

Progression through the carer grade structure will depend on experience of working in Development Control in an urban planning department, as follows:
 1 year (grade 7)
 2 years (grade 8)
 3 years (grade 9)

Essential qualification(s):

 A degree/post graduate qualification in Town and Country Planning and/or a related academic qualification.
 Eligible for chartered membership of RTPI and/or other relevant national professional qualification.

Communicates clearly, politely and effectively, using different types of media to communicate message effectively. Provides information when questioned in an open and honest way. Has excellent presentation skills, confidently debates issues in an engaging and persuading manner and discusses important and sensitive issues face to face.

Customer engagement & influence
Actively seeks to identify, understand and give priority to meeting customer needs. Routinely thinks and acts in accordance with the needs of customers (external or internal) and the wider community. Demonstrates listening, communication and negotiating skills that will involve others and obtain their 'buy-in' to decisions.
Managing self
Displays commitment to and takes responsibility for the direction of personal and organisational development. Proactively seeks to continuously improve own performance and does not accept sub-standard outputs and actions.

Project/work management
Planning, prioritising, persevering and making improvements in order to achieve personal and departmental objectives within timescales. This is about being proactive and taking an organised, structured and engaged approach.

Working in teams
Co-operating with others, working together and being a part of a range of teams as appropriate. Delivering against team, departmental and corporate objectives.

Mastering technology & information
Clearly understands the purpose of information as well as its meaning. Works comfortably with information and communication technologies such as generic desktop packages and LBE specific systems. Knows how and where to store and find information and how to use it.

Challenge, change & improvement
Takes personal responsibility to support change and respond to change requirements by continually striving to improve processes or activities consistent with the organisation's values and customer proposition. Looks for new ways to improve service and will, if necessary, challenge the status quo to produce improvement.

Setting direction
Understands own role and the action required from themselves and others to achieve council and personal objectives. Takes required action to ensure these happen.