Planning specialist


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Details

Reference number

307930

Salary

£52,000 – £61,933
London: £55,365-£61,933 National: £52,000-£58,652
A
Civil Service Pension
with an average employer contribution of 27%

Job grade

Grade 7

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

DBT – SI: Investment – Investment Directorate

Type of role

Operational Delivery
Planning
Planning Inspector
Policy
Project Delivery

Working pattern

Full-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, Salford

Job summary

The Investment Environment team is looking for a confident, experienced chartered town planner with a passion and proven expertise in land use planning, practice and development. The planning specialist role would sit inside a team which consists of experts who provide guidance in relation to Migration, Tax, Skills and Land Planning.  This role will require you to work with and alongside the Head of Planning and work closely with colleagues across the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and external stakeholders (including Department for Levelling- Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), Local Planning Authorities and statutory consulting bodies such as the Environment Agency (EA).

Job description

  • Investor support – To speak to investors about their upcoming investment and provide information about the UK’s planning system and suggestions aimed at speeding up and improving the application process. Provide guidance relating to the preparation of planning applications and understand investor nuances. The expectations are that guidance will be delivered to agreed timescales and with adherence to national policy and legislation including knowledge of escalation process when the planning process is delayed or unsuccessful. 
  • Stakeholder engagement – To develop relationships with counterparts in the Department for Levelling- Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), the Environment Agency (EA), and other stakeholders to understand policies and procedures, represent Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and investors views, and to influence through the provision of evidence. 
  • Capability building – To contribute to the production and review of training collateral to promote and explain the UK’s planning offer to the Department for Business and Trade’s (DBT’s) international network and external stakeholders.  To collaborate with internal colleagues to ensure they understand the basics of the UK planning system. 
  • Policy influencing – To keep up to date with national and local policies and investor needs to ensure that the planning process can deliver the appropriate outcomes. Influence Department for Levelling- Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to consider policy making from an international investor perspective. To provide timely responses to Ministerial commissions and wider team deadlines on planning policy matters. 

Appointments will be made to candidates in merit order based on location preferences.

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

  • You will have a Planning or related degree- or equivalent qualification accredited to Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). 
  • You will be highly proficient in case management and deliver high quality decisions on complex cases.  
  • You will need to be responsive, motivated and be proactively able to lead on cases whilst sharing your knowledge with your colleagues. You may occasionally be required to present in public. 

Desirable Criteria  

  • You will have some understanding of inward investment and economic development projects. 
  • You will have an existing pool of contacts across key organisations such as local authorities and statutory consultee bodies. 

Personal Attributes & Skills 

Your experience and expertise, as well as your values and behaviours are important. We are looking for candidates who are enthusiastic, hardworking, and have a positive can-do attitude. 

Qualifications

You will have a Planning or related degree – or equivalent qualification accredited to Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Alongside your salary of £52,000, Department for Business and Trade contributes
£14,040 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
  • Learning and development tailored to your role
  • An environment with flexible working options
  • A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
  • A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception.

Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.

Sift will take place week commencing 06/10/2023. 

Interviews will take place week commencing 18/10/2023.  

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please align your CV with previous skills and experience. Maximum of 2 A4 pages. 

At interview stage you will be assessed on 4 behaviours:

  • Changing and Improving
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Working Together
  • Delivering at Pace

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out. 

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland/Access NI on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email accessni@ani.x.gsi.gov.uk 

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.

The Department for Business and Trade embraces and values diversity in all forms. We welcome and pride ourselves on the positive impact diversity has on the work we do, and we promote equality of opportunity throughout the organisation. 

Please note – harmonised terms and conditions are attached.  Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

  • Contact Government Recruitment Service via DBTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
  • Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.

Vetting Requirements

All security clearances require you to provide evidence of your UK footprint where you have been physically present in the UK. 

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. 

Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected. 

If you require SC clearance you will need to provide evidence of the below requirements. 

Checks will be made against:

  • Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
  • UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
  • Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
  • Security Services records

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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) (opens in a new window)
  • 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 (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available.
You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

  • Name : Tav Thiara
  • Email : Tav.Thiara@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Recruitment team

  • Email : dbtrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email at Resourcing@trade.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Civil Service Commission Complaints

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