Development Management Service Manager

About the role

Reporting to the Head of Planning you will manage and lead our development management service.

This is a challenging and rewarding post, as you will be expected to lead this part of the planning service through its continued development and make a significant contribution to the future shape of this borough. This requires a strong background in planning within both urban and rural environments focusing on large scale development schemes. You will need to draw from your technical knowledge and understanding to keep driving the service forward, adapting to positive change with new modernisation plans in place.

About us

Welwyn Hatfield includes the two towns of Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City but also encompasses a significant rural area which is designated as Green Belt. There are pressures and opportunities for major development within the main towns and urban extensions to towns and villages proposed in the emerging local plan. These are just some of the exciting challenges that the planning department faces over the next few years and the postholder will have a key role to play in delivering these major projects as well as helping to make sure our planning service is working in a modern, efficient, and effective way.

You will join a forward-thinking council that puts their customers first. We know that in order to provide the best for our residents and visitors, we need to do the same for our people. We have set out to make our workplaces vibrant and happy places to be, places where our people feel safe, content and valued.

About you

This is a key management position within the department and in addition to essential management skills we are looking for someone who can lead and inspire staff in a pressured environment. We need a person with excellent interpersonal, communication and IT skills, as well as the ability to manage a substantial budget and engage in a variety of departmental and corporate initiatives.

 You will have:

• A degree in town planning or degree in a related subject plus a post graduate planning qualification recognised by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)
• Experience of professional town planning work within the development management field, including complex and contentious planning applications
• Experience of managing staff, functions, processes, and budgets

Benefits

We can offer you a unique and attractive working environment in the heart of Welwyn Garden City, flexible working arrangements, free parking and access to electric pool cars as well as the usual Local Government benefits including pension scheme and generous annual leave allowance.

As we emerge from a challenging 18 months, we are looking forward to working collectively with staff and our local community to deliver the services the community most need and to build a stronger, brighter future for the borough.

Application process

We wish to make the application process as straightforward as possible, so we just ask that you upload your CV and provide a covering letter or supporting statement.

Closing date will be 26th May 2022

This recruitment campaign is being managed by JGP Resourcing. Please contact Joe O'Dea for more information about this role at joe.odea@jgp.co.uk or 07828 520598.