Associate Director or Director Liverpool in Bedford

DLP is a leading, employee-owned planning practice, established in 1991. We take pride in our ability to provide tailored multidisciplinary advice to our clients across the development sector. We operate from several locations across the UK and wish to recruit a motivated Director for our centrally located Liverpool office.

What can you expect from DLP? Joining DLP brings with it the opportunity to gain valuable experience working alongside like-minded skilled and passionate professionals. You will have the ability to work for a wide variety of clients and projects across both the private and public sectors, both locally and nationally, and alongside colleagues in the wider DLP Group’s core business services which include:

• Planning
• Research & Analysis
• Transport & Infrastructure
• Sustainability Engineering

Our Liverpool Office serves a wide area covering the North West and Scotland. It includes members of the Cass Design team (providing architectural services, landscape services and masterplanning expertise). This mix of specialisms allows for collaborative working.

We are a close and supportive team of Directors and support each other with regular check-ins, informal advice and knowledge sharing, 1:1s with the Managing Director and a formal review process. The range of benefits that we offer to our employees includes BUPA private healthcare, life insurance, company pension with a salary sacrifice option, cycle to work scheme, an enhanced maternity scheme, a generous annual leave entitlement, with additional gifted time off during the Christmas period and payment of professional subscriptions.

As an Employee Ownership Trust, our staff, their wellbeing and their personal and professional development is of paramount importance to us. We are committed to promoting diversity, inclusion and wellbeing throughout DLP.

To support you as an individual and in growing and managing the Liverpool planning team as an organisation we seek to:

• Actively contribute towards enhancing social value, including through our impacts on the environment, communities, local economies and innovation.
• Promote mental, physical and social wellbeing in the workplace.
• Actively promote, celebrate and enhance diversity across the organisation.
• Cultivate and promote an inclusive culture that maximises the talent, skills and diversity within our workforce.

Who are we looking for? We are looking for a driven and enthusiastic qualified Town Planner ideally with at least 10 years + professional experience preferably in private sector consultancy or a mixture with public sector and client-side roles. Candidates should have a postgraduate qualification in Planning and be a chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

With the support of other members of the senior management team, the Director will lead the Liverpool Planning Office with the expectation that they will further develop its profile and build upon its well-established client portfolio. The postholder will have a leading role in further building the planning team and will assist with growth of the wider company through the cross-selling of services across its multidisciplinary offer.

With the support of the team and wider Board of Directors you will have a broad scope to pursue effective opportunities for Business Development and achieve growth and retention of the company’s client base. The Company operates as a ‘single team’ to serve projects nationwide through a combination of remote working and limited requirements for travel between its offices. You will assemble and lead successful DLP project teams from across the company’s offices, providing you and colleagues the opportunity to collaborate and work outside of base locations.

We support our staff with a very active training and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme which is intended to educate, inform and invite feedback and as a director you would be expected to contribute to this learning program for the benefit of all staff. You will be expected to produce and contribute to industry leading insight and analysis for both internal and external purposes and to nurture, guide and lead your own team.

What do we expect from you? As a director you will confidently lead on projects and engage in both development management and development plan / policy work. This will include, but is not limited to, managing major planning applications, planning appeals, Local Plan representations, site promotion, Local Plan Examination and Public Inquiry work.

You should have experience of managing professional teams and be able to provide leadership and vision. With excellent stakeholder management skills, you will be at the forefront of client development and will be required to attend networking events to promote the company. You should be client-facing and have a strong and proven record in business development. You should have a network of contacts and definitive targets for sectors in which to generate the next stage of growth for the Office. Our aim is to further strengthen the reputation of DLP Planning Ltd in the region and wider north as part of that process.

As Office Director, you will assume responsibility for the financial and performance planning of the Office and will be expected to participate and contribute to wider company management. Key responsibilities and accountabilities are set out as follows:

• Grow the Planning team.
• Provide leadership and mentoring for the office and team as it grows.
• Development of the client base including oversight of existing client instructions and development of new client opportunities.
• Manage the workload and professional development of staff by ensuring that all the required standards are met.
• Develop and secure specific opportunities in identifiable growth sectors.
• Contribute to Companywide business and development strategy; and,
• Accountability to the Board of Directors and the Managing Director.

We offer hybrid working and therefore need a commitment from our staff to work collaboratively in a face-to-face environment on ‘core’ office days. Should you choose to work from home on ‘non-core’ days, you will work independently but you will still have the support of colleagues who will be available via telephone and videocall. A full driving licence is essential.

How can you apply? If you are interested in the Liverpool Planning Director position at DLP then please send us your current CV to careers@dlpconsultants.co.uk and our HR team will be in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.