Lead Project Officer / Senior Planning Officer / Planning Officer

Interview Date: week commencing 09 May 2022                                                                

Closing Date: 24 April 2022

Looking for a new and exciting challenge? Protect it. Shape it. Enjoy it. Be part of Dorset!

 Dorset is a beautiful and iconic area, with historic market towns, thousands of listed buildings, national landscape designations and miles of stunning coast. But it’s also a place of growth and innovation, with a population of 375,000 and an economy worth over £7 billion. To serve this unique area, a new unitary council was established in 2019. Bold and ambitious, with a One Team approach, we’re taking Dorset into the future – and our Planning team is taking centre stage.

Our Planning team is set to deal with 5,000 planning applications a year – everything from significant urban extensions to small scale, householder projects. To make sure every application has a positive impact on our area, we need Lead Project Officers, Senior Planning Officers and Planning Officers to join us in our ‘majors’ and ‘Fast-track’ teams with opportunities in two of our area-based teams.

As a Lead Project Officer, you will have the opportunity to shape planning performance agreements to further develop our multi-disciplinary approach to major development proposals, lead on applications for urban extensions, retail, employment, renewable energy, agricultural, equestrian, coastal issues and tourism development and to be involved with EIAs and habitat issues in this very special and ecologically diverse area.

We are seeking highly motivated and dynamic individuals who can drive high quality place making. With considerable post-qualification experience in planning, you will be confident dealing with complex applications, including negotiating any necessary planning obligations, presenting applications to committee, and representing the council at hearings and public inquiries. You will have the opportunity to deal with a varied caseload of major applications across one of our three planning committee areas. There is also the opportunity to undertake case reviews and signing off applications under the council’s scheme of delegation and to mentor planning officers in the “fast track” teams.

As a Senior Planning Officer, you will have the opportunity to either deal with a range of major applications or be part of the ‘fast-track team’ dealing with a varied caseload of minor applications and undertaking case reviews and signing off applications under the council’s scheme of delegation.

As a Planning Officer, you would be part of one of the area ‘fast track’ teams dealing with a varied caseload of applications including minor applications and other small scale development including changes of use, advertisement consent, prior approvals, certificates of lawfulness and applications for listed building consent.

For all posts you will hold a degree-level qualification in town planning (or related subject), and it is normally expected a postgraduate qualification in planning. You will have post-qualification experience in a planning role, in either the public or private sector. Chartered membership of the RTPI is desirable, or eligibility to apply.

All roles call for affinity with our values: Responsibility, Respect, Recognition and Collaboration. With teams that live by these principles, we have a friendly and supportive workplace where you’ll be free to learn, develop and thrive. Employee benefits are generous and include a local government pension, flexible working, the opportunity for significant home working and continual learning and development opportunities. If you are looking for a new and exciting challenge and hope to improve the quality of your leisure time, with beautiful beaches and countryside on your doorstep just waiting to be explored, a Planning career in Dorset comes with everything you need.

The posts have a significant travel requirement, and you are contractually required to have a vehicle (or transport deemed to be suitable by the council) available for use as required.

If you would like to discuss the job vacancies in further detail, please contact the relevant manager as detailed below:

Southern/Western team (Dorchester office) - Ann Collins - ann.collins@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk   

Eastern team (Wimborne/Wareham offices) – Kim Cowell - kim.cowell@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk 

Please note Dorset Council does not accept CV’s in place of an application form as we require the same range of information from all our candidates.

To view the relevant details and apply online please visit www.dorsetforyou.com/jobs or ring the application hotline on (01305) 228535

View and Apply here.

We value diversity and welcome applications from all parts of the community.