JOB SUMMARY

The Planning Team is part of the Estates Legal, Land & Planning Division and sits within the Education Estates Directorate. It plays a key role in supporting the delivery of new schools and the rebuilding of schools and colleges across England.
The team operates on a regional basis and the successful candidate will be responsible for advising on all planning aspects of new and expanding/replacement school and college delivery in a geographical region (location to be confirmed in conjunction with successful candidate). The role primarily involves providing initial and on-going advice on strategic and site-specific planning issues; ensuring that planning advice is available through the life of a project; that suitable planning strategies are in place to ensure the timely delivery of planning permissions; and that planning risk is appropriately assessed.
We require an experienced and self-motivated planning professional to join our team, they will work closely with a multi-disciplinary team of legal, commercial, technical and project delivery experts to ensure the planning permission is in place when required and that the wider programme objectives are met.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Day to day the role will require the successful candidate to:

• Advise on all planning related matters in the region;
• Identify and pro-actively resolve planning problems as they arise to minimise impact on programme delivery and provide challenge and an escalation route to the Head of Planning and senior management;
• Engage with contractors and technical advisory firms to monitor progress and performance on the delivery of implementable planning permissions;
• Provide planning advice within Ministerial and other formal submissions in relation to DfE’s decision making processes, including funding matters, planning risk assessments and AO papers etc.
• Work with property (DfE/LocatED), legal, commercial, and technical colleagues to ensure that wider programme and departmental objectives are met;
• Identify / implement planning process improvements that could deliver better day-to-day working practices;
• Track the planning status of all projects in the region and ensure accurate reporting and timely completion of commissions to support programme analysis;
• Develop and maintain constructive working relationships with officials at MHCLG, local planning authorities in the region, and other key stakeholders to promote a policy framework that supports school and college delivery.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

Day to day the role will require the successful candidate to:

• Advise on all planning related matters in the region;
• Identify and pro-actively resolve planning problems as they arise to minimise impact on programme delivery and provide challenge and an escalation route to the Head of Planning and senior management;
• Engage with contractors and technical advisory firms to monitor progress and performance on the delivery of implementable planning permissions;
• Provide planning advice within Ministerial and other formal submissions in relation to DfE’s decision making processes, including funding matters, planning risk assessments and AO papers etc.
• Work with property (DfE/LocatED), legal, commercial, and technical colleagues to ensure that wider programme and departmental objectives are met;
• Identify / implement planning process improvements that could deliver better day-to-day working practices;
• Track the planning status of all projects in the region and ensure accurate reporting and timely completion of commissions to support programme analysis;
• Develop and maintain constructive working relationships with officials at MHCLG, local planning authorities in the region, and other key stakeholders to promote a policy framework that supports school and college delivery