Title: Senior Planning Officer

Rate: £50 per hour

Location: Endeavour House, Ipswich Suffolk

Type: Temporary - 12 weeks

Opus People Solutions are working with Suffolk County Council to recruit a temporary Senior Planning Officer. The strategic planning function interacts between Suffolk's other local planning authorities and the county council's other services in the production of local and neighbourhood plans and the delivery of infrastructure. This includes securing developer contributions through section 106 agreements or through the community infrastructure levy.

The team also leads the Council's contribution to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects and Suffolk is a notable hot spot of activity, particularly related to energy projects.

Main Responsibilities:

• Provide timely, clear and effective professional advice to the public, councillors and colleagues on a range of planning matters, which may include Minerals and Waste policy, development management matters and the processes involved in consenting and delivering NSIPs.
• Assist with the County Council's required inputs at various stages of the delivery of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects including technical and professional input, including instructing legal representatives.
• Work with and support other planning staff involved in programming NSIPs and providing technical input.
• Attend inquiries and examinations in public to represent the county council on its position.
• Providing professional planning advice and support for corporate development projects and other initiatives.
• Monitoring and keeping under review the Minerals and Waste Local Plan.

• Formulating responses to Local and Neighbourhood Plans and major planning applications, including NSIPs

• Assisting with the alignment of delivery of infrastructure through Local Plans, the Community Infrastructure Levy and section 106

• Provide the strategic planning input to the preparation of Local Plans (and other associated documents) by the District/Borough/Parish Councils in a manner which reflects the corporate priorities of the Council.

Qualifications and professional memberships

Essential

• Degree in a development-related discipline (e.g. planning, transport, housing).

• Qualifications necessary for membership of a relevant professional organisation.

Desirable

• Member of Chartered Institute such as RTPI or RICS.

• Post-graduate qualification in a related discipline (e.g. economic development).

Values and personal qualities

Essential

• Confident and persuasive communicator in person and in writing.

• Able to produce clear, concise reports on a range of subjects within relevant timescales.

• Able to programme inputs to deliver tasks or objectives for more than a year.

• Ability to articulate clearly to others the requirements and justification for improving processes and the need for action.

• Ability to concentrate for lengthy and, occasionally, prolonged periods (all day) for reports or attending public examinations.