Principal Planning Manager

£44,000 (more may be available for exceptional candidates)​

Job Summary

We are seeking to recruit a Principal Planning Manager to lead our busy planning team across the north of England, to manage the delivery of Sport England’s statutory planning function on playing fields and to influence and help shape areas and communities through strategic planning and placemaking to be more active.

Role Purpose

To lead the delivery of a high quality statutory and strategic planning function in the North Team in England (including all or part of North West, North East, Yorkshire, East Midlands and East regions). This includes working closely with national and other planning colleagues in the South team.  On occasion cross team working is required to ensure that the planning function can deliver its objectives.

Working closely with colleagues in the planning team, the Facilities and Planning Directorate and other colleagues across the organisation to improve the planning of Active Environments – ensuring the physical environment provides the conditions for people to be more active (including community sports facilities) in support of Sport England’s strategic objectives.

To manage and deploy planning colleagues within the North team and lead on the delivery of planning outcomes of that team. Day to day workload is likely to be focussed in the North West however due to team members being dispersed and the extensive geographic coverage of the team, the ability to travel and manage teams remotely (some of which are home based) is essential.

Skills & Experience

• Degree in Planning (RTPI recognised course), a related discipline or completed post graduate degree or diploma in planning (RTPI recognised course)
• Corporate Membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI)

• Extensive experience of successfully delivering development control and policy development in a local authority or responding on planning application consultations with another statutory consultee, or submitting planning applications and policy representations on behalf of third parties
• Proven track record of successfully developing policy and strategy in local government or consultancy, using an evidenced needs based approach, including local plans or the equivalent representations made on local plans using such approaches.
• Extensive experience of managing relationships both internal and external and engagement with stakeholders;
• Highly developed leadership, advocacy and influencing skills demonstrating ability to make and influence decisions at senior level and ability to negotiate;
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills including the ability to take an innovative approach to identifying and removing blockages to achievement;
• Proven track record in analysing complex data and using it to inform strategic development/delivery;
• Excellent time management skills and ability to manage multiple priorities and deploy resources accordingly;
• Previous experience of managing staff (preferably remotely based staff).
• Proven capability to work in and lead/build a team to make a positive contribution to the teams overall cohesion and performance;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills both internally and externally with ability to write and present clearly to influence decisions at a senior level;
• Intermediate MS Office skills and use of Office 365;

Desirable

• Experience of working in a local authority environment
• Knowledge of Sport England planning policies and wider national Strategy/objectives;
• Experience of master planning, urban design and placemaking;
• Experience of using GIS and associated database analysis;
• High Level data analysis skills (including data manipulation and ability to analyse multiple data sets)

Closing Date: 19/07/2018