Location: Buckinghamshire County Wide
Overview
We are looking for a Senior Planning Policy Officer to join our team.
If you have significant experience of working within planning policy (including on local plans), can demonstrate the ability to work closely and collaboratively with a range of stakeholders and are able to support other staff, this could be the role for you.
By joining us as a Senior Planning Policy Officer at Buckinghamshire Council, not only will you be offered a competitive benefits package, you’ll also be part of a team committed to shaping the future of Buckinghamshire for generations to come, with great opportunities for personal career development.
This is a Fixed-term contract/Secondment opportunity until March 2028.
About us
Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.
Planning Policy sits within the newly formed Spatial Planning and Climate Resilience service, as part of our Planning, Growth and Sustainability directorate.
Our Planning, Growth and Sustainability directorate work with partners to help shape the future of Buckinghamshire. We deliver services on planning, economic growth, regeneration, strategic infrastructure, transport and property.
A key opportunity to shape the future is the new Buckinghamshire Local Plan that we are currently preparing, working across our different services and with our partners. We are active in supporting many towns and parish councils as they prepare neighbourhood plans, as well as ensuring we have high quality development monitoring information in place to underpin all we do.
About the role
As an experienced planning policy professional, you will take on key work areas in preparing the Local Plan for Buckinghamshire. This will entail working with others on the development of planning policies and in preparing evidence-based documents to support the development of the plan. You will also work on a range of other planning policy work and will be part of a team that delivers an efficient, high-quality, resilient and customer-focused service to the residents of Buckinghamshire.
We want to play to your strengths but also provide the opportunity for you to develop and broaden your skills and experience, and we will provide the right support to help you do that. As part of a larger team, you will benefit from working alongside colleagues with a wide range of experience across different topics.
As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can be from either home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week.
Any-Desk:
As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.
About you
You will have excellent interpersonal, persuasion, and negotiation skills with significant personal expertise and experience in Planning Policy, particularly in relation to local plans. You will be able to work collaboratively across teams and with partners. You will have a flexible approach to work, have good organisational skills and contribute positively in a team environment.
You will have a planning degree and full membership of RTPI (or be eligible for membership).