SUSTAINABLE PLACES PLANNING ADVISOR - 31313

Sustainable Places Planning Advisor - 31313
Number of jobs available
1
Region
London, South East
City/Town
Welwyn Garden City
Building/Site

DEFRA GRP EA ALCHEMY, AL7 1HE

Grade
Staff Grade 3
Post Type
Permanent
Role Type
Operational Delivery
Working Pattern
Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share
Salary Minimum
£28,607
Closing Date:
15/07/2025, 23:55 hours
Job description attachment 1
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Candidate pack
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Security checks level
Basic Check
Job description
Hertfordshire and North London faces many environmental challenges. The amount of growth planned in the area is one such challenge. The successful candidate will influence development to protect and enhance the environment. Our aim is to secure the best environmental outcomes through this growth. Our work is varied and diverse. We seek to protect chalk stream rivers and groundwater, remediate contamination and steer development from flood risk areas.

As a member of our Sustainable Places team your work will involve:

• Providing a positive planning service to local planning authorities, developers and consultants
• Commenting on planning applications
• Negotiating environmental outcomes
• Providing admin support to the team
• Screening and logging on planning applications to our internal system
• Contributing to internal business improvement working groups

There is no requirement for your background to be in the planning sector.
We encourage you to apply and share your skills in helping us deliver our goals. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer. We strive to make our workforce as diverse as the communities we serve. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented groups.
Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be required to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents, or provide business continuity support during an incident. This may attract an additional payment and full training and alternative working arrangements will be available to support you with your incident role.
For more info on working with us see https://environmentagencycareers.co.uk/
The team
The Sustainable Places team is part of our Environment, Planning and Engagement department. We work in partnership with stakeholders to deliver EA2030 goals.
We are a positive, friendly and hardworking team who take pride in delivering outcomes for the environment. We are dual located across our offices in London and Welwyn Garden City.
Experience/skills required

We’re looking for a talented and dynamic team member. You will demonstrate professionalism, integrity and compassion. You will be adaptable and resilient under pressure and enjoy working as part of a supportive team. The skills we are interested in are:

• Qualified to at least degree standard (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline
• Good time management skills
• Problem-solving skills
• An ability to prioritise workload
• Influencing and negotiation skills
• Excellent customer services skills
• An ability to communicate to a wide range of audiences

Most importantly, a passion to develop a career which will create a better place for people and wildlife.
Contact and additional information
Please note that travel to both Welwyn Garden City and Central London is required. Our office has a hybrid model allowing individuals to work either at home or at our office (a minimum number of days in the office per week will be agreed with your line manager).
Interviews are likely to take place in August and will be held face to face at our office in Hertfordshire.
Contact Chris Padley-Knight at Chris.Padley-Knight@environment-agency.gov.uk or wfpg_hnl@environment-agency.gov.uk for more information.
Please see the candidate pack for more information.
Competence 1
Customer and Partner Relations
Description
Consults and collaborates with Customers and Partners effectively through awareness raising, education and combined projects, ensuring buy-in to initiatives and the beneficial promotion of the Environment Agency’s duties and policies.
Question: We work with a wide range of customers, and we need to deliver excellent customer service to help influence planning decisions to improve the environment. Describe an occasion when you have used your knowledge and understanding of a particular customer to improve the service you provided for them.
Competence 2
Achieves Results
Description
Sets and delivers high work standards, demonstrates the drive to meet targets. Prioritises and organises tasks and resources to ensure timely achievement of results
Question: You will be expected to set and deliver high standards of work through prioritisation and organisation of tasks to meet targets and deadlines. Tell us about a time when you had to deliver a challenging piece of work: what was it and how did you approach it?
Competence 3
Influences and Persuades Others
Description
Presenting a case in a convincing and attractive way that will win people over, encouraging them to follow plans willingly; often succeeding where logic and reason alone would fail.
Question: Delivering our team goals requires excellent skills in influencing and persuading others. Please provide an example of how you have influenced and persuaded an individual / company to deliver to agreed deadlines, in the face of considerable challenge.
Please note that your answers to the capability questions will be used for interview selection - please draw out your skills and experience in your response. Your examples do not necessarily have to be work related, please use the best example from any area of your life. You may find researching the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) useful when answering the questions. It is highly recommended that you read this and the EA capability framework before answering.