We have an exciting new opportunity for an experienced Planning professional to the lead and manage the Planning Service at Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council.

This is a high visibility role for an astute leader with a strong focus on excellent service delivery.  Your technical knowledge gained in a similar senior Planning role means you can offer assured decisions and advice whilst influencing change within your service and across the organisation with both Officers and Members alike.  

Leading a Planning Service consisting of approximately 40 staff, the Head of Planning is responsible for the direct line management of the Development Control Manager, Planning Policy Manager, Planning Business Manager and the Building Control Team Leader. This is a critical service manager post within a forward-looking local authority with a sound track record for making development happen within a context of an outstanding natural environment.

We were one of the very first local authorities to adopt its Local Development Framework, which has helped deliver some major projects, including the new community at Kings Hill and other strategic development schemes that have seen us at the head of the field in the provision of quality new housing growth. We have been successful in bringing forward some challenging brownfield sites and now our focus is on sustaining growth to meet identified needs for the next twenty years in our emerging Local Plan.

There are demanding times to come – balancing growth and constraints in our new Local Plan; sustaining local economic growth; providing housing that is truly affordable; fostering our important rural economy; working with local communities where disadvantage exists in an otherwise affluent place; help making the best of our excellent education facilities in the Borough; working in an environment where pressures on infrastructure are growing and planning around the concerns of flooding - just to list a few of our current challenges.

We have a good track record of working with partners in all sectors and at all levels to achieve practical progress.

On top of this there are inevitably organisation challenges. Being the best we can in uncertain times for local government and using our resources in the most efficient way. We have a reputation for providing excellent services and that will remain our focus. Development Management is a good, high profile example of where we are known for taking a positive, but carefully balanced view to what we do, how we lead and how we respond to propositions for change. 

This is a key job the overall purpose of which is to make a strong contribution to shaping the future of the Borough and the excellent Planning Service that delivers it - working within a multi-disciplinary directorate where joint working is a key to our success.

As well as a number of excellent benefits the Council also offers an array of flexible working arrangements including home working.

The interview/assessment process will consist of the following:

Initial interview online via Microsoft Teams followed by a timed written test. (w/c 22 November 2021)

Following the initial interview successful candidates will be invited to a face to face interview which will include a presentation. (w/c 29 November 2021)

To arrange a time for an informal discussion about this role please contact Sally Wang, PA to the Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health on 01732 876257. (Direct candidates only, strictly no agencies).