National Town Planning & Community Relations Manager

Carrington West are assisting their Private Sector Telecommunications client in their search for a National Town Planning and Community Relations Manager to join their company on a permanent basis. The role can be based around one of their Primary Offices: Altrincham (Manchester), Daventry, Romsley (Birmingham) and Winchester (although that is soon to be Reading).
 
The purpose of this role is to lead a professionally qualified team of Town Planners in developing and deploying strategies to protect the organization's assets and ensure the smooth delivery of projects for business growth. You will be responsible for providing leadership and management for the Community Relations team in charge of developing and delivering effective community relations strategies. The role will involve supporting all other business activities, such as strategic planning and the treatment of redundant assets, new business/technology initiatives and trials, public affairs, bids and training.
 
Key Responsibilities
§Lead and manage professional internal and external teams to ensure maximum engagement, best practice and effective customer focussed delivery of town planning and community relations services aligned with performance measures and other business targets.
§To lead and manage the Town Planning Team and ensure it remains a centre of professional excellence and a training resource within E&I.  Maintain and continue to improve industry leading town planning and community relations capabilities.
§To develop, maintain and constantly improve guidelines for town planning and community relations functions, including the protection of company assets and services.
§To support all town planning and community relations requirements for all CIP project work including 5G rollout, Brunel, Small Cells and any support required associated with protecting company assets.  
§Responsible for the Town Planning resourcing strategy and management of town planning suppliers.   Principals based on retaining and developing inhouse expertise to deal with complex issues and ensuring that the outsource partners have appropriately qualified teams to support on all project related town planning issues.
§In co-operation and liaison with Regulatory Affairs, to maintain an effective public affairs program to monitor and influence emerging changes to planning law and policy across the different administrations in the UK
§To support bids and new business initiatives and trials through advice, drafting and handling or managing associated planning applications.
§Drive governance and process improvements, communication and stakeholder engagement, contributing to steering boards and managing key internal and external interdependencies, and interfacing with senior management as necessary on strategic issues and disputes
 
Role Competencies
§Professional Ability - to apply specialist and expert knowledge with integrity and in a commercial and pragmatic manner. To act with foresight and anticipate issues before they arise so that mitigation plans can be introduced to address issues prior to them escalating.
§Responsibility - able to work on own initiative or as part of a team in delivering to agreed objectives based on the above and for delegating actions to planners, surveyors or consultants and managing effectively.
§Decision Making/Risk Management - the ability to take sound commercial decisions, especially where a degree of risk to the business is involved.
§Communication skills - excellent written and oral communication and influencing skills
§Commitment - thrives on hard work with the ability to demonstrate a positive and self-motivated attitude towards the organisation and the achievement of objectives
§Work Completion - The ability to plan work in advance and manage priorities and workloads. The drive and determination to complete work efficiently and on time.
§Customer Care - a good understanding of the importance of both internal and external customers and the impact they have on meeting and exceeding customer expectations.
§Financial Awareness - the ability to understand and interpret financial information and understand how well the company and the area in which they work is performing.
 
Key Business Relationships
§Direct report to the Head of Assets
§The leadership group within Estates and Infrastructure
§Internally - key stakeholders within the operational business areas and Telecoms
§Externally - key customers, such as the DCMS, the MNOs and the Mobile Operators Association as well as officials within the devolved administrations and individual planning authorities as may be required.
 
Desirable Qualifications
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