Planning Policy Lead

Are you thinking about taking the next step in your planning policy career? If you are, then we want to hear from you! You could be the perfect person to take on a new leadership role in planning policy at Waltham Forest Council.

This is a really exciting opportunity for a confident and experienced planning policy officer to deliver our progressive and ambitious plans for the future of the borough. You will co-lead the adoption of our emerging Local Plan and oversee its delivery over the coming years. Housing, jobs, creativity, active travel, culture, social infrastructure, green and blue infrastructure, urban greening, biodiversity net gain …  you name it – we’re working up exciting plans for it! We’re bursting with energy and opportunity – and we celebrate the strength in diversity. We want to hear from people of all different types of backgrounds.

Do you think this looks interesting, but you’re not sure? Do you have questions about the role, or what it’s like to work at Waltham Forest? If you do, please contact Sarah Parsons Sarah.parsons@walthamforest.gov.uk or Alpa Depani,  Alpa.depani@walthamforest.gov.uk.

We’ll also be available on Microsoft Teams from 12 noon until 1pm on Wednesday 6^th July for a drop-in group session to talk about the role. Please do join us at this link:

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NDRhZTVlYjYtZTVmOC00ODkxLWE1NjItNWVjODgwZTBjMTVk%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22d8a82170-b655-46b0-87a1-042e6581813f%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2242b44cf8-bc7c-4f74-8ea2-b53544d49248%22%7d

We’d be really happy to talk!

The Role – Planning Policy Lead

In this role, you will co-lead the planning policy service embedded in our innovative Place and Design Team. You will provide inspiring and visionary leadership to direct and steer our statutory planning policy function, including our emerging new Local Plan, other statutory plans, and an ambitious programme of thematic SPDs, design codes, masterplans, area frameworks and planning briefs. You will also lead the provision of planning policy advice to Development Management colleagues and development partners.

You will ensure that the delivery of vibrant, successful places is at the heart of planning policy and provide specialist expertise and guidance to officers across council services, members, developers, the public and other stakeholders.

You will manage a small team of planning policy officers and a community engagement officer. You will adopt a flexible and pragmatic approach to the allocation of resources across the service to match demand, ensure the delivery of specific projects, and provide opportunities for team members’ career development and growth.

We are embracing a hybrid approach to working in the office and working from home. We do ask team members to come into the office for at least one day a week, but for the rest of the week it’s up to you where you work from. We’d also be happy to talk about any other flexible working arrangements you’d like to discuss.

The attached Role Profile (PO7-8 grade) gives more details about the role – but if you have any questions at all, please do reach out to us.

We’re really looking forward to hearing from you.