Senior Strategic Planner (Regeneration and Growth Strategies)

Good Growth is responsible for delivering and implementing the Mayor’s environment, transport and economic strategies and for the effective implementation of the London Plan. The Directorate is also responsible for regeneration (where the programme is not housing led), enterprise, growth, capital projects and design work.

The City and Place Unit is formed from GLA Regeneration & Growth Strategies and TfL Growth & Master planning teams. It sits within the wider network of GLA Planning & Regeneration and TfL Spatial Planning and provides a key opportunity to discuss and resolve cross‑organisational and departmental issues more effectively.

This role is in the Spatial Planning team where you will work to identify and bring forward the most appropriate process for planning for growth, supporting the London Plan.

What Your Day Will Look Like

• You will draw together and analyse information to identify strategic areas and corridors in London with potential for immediate and future growth potential.
• You will use your GIS mapping and urban design skills to prepare frameworks, plans and strategies working with TfL and London boroughs.
• The aim will be to bring together the aspirations of the Mayor, TfL and the boroughs for a growth area in a coherent future vision and deliverable spatial plan.
• You will use your analytical skills and presentational abilities to review data and show it in a visually engaging way, for example in updating the Opportunity Area webpages.
• You will also work closely with the City and Place Unit area teams and the London Plan team to analyse spatial development patterns and identify current areas that are not realising their potential and prospective new growth areas for homes and jobs.

You should have some knowledge and understanding of national and London-wide planning and development issues, legal processes and policy trends. You will be expected to present reports to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor directly, so you will need excellent written and verbal communication skills. You will also need good negotiation skills and ability to work successfully with a range of internal and external stakeholders.

Skills, Knowledge And Experience

• Qualification in planning and relevant professional experience as a senior planner within a similar organisation or business environment.
• Knowledge and understanding of national, regional and London strategic planning and development issues, legal processes, policy trends, and broad knowledge and understanding of local planning and regeneration issues and processes and a knowledge of urban design, place making, and masterplanning.
• A relevant design qualification and expertise in software packages including GIS/Adobe CS/Sketch Up.
• Evidence of an ability to investigate, analyse and present urban design solutions for spatial planning and regeneration issues.
• Excellent communication skills; and evidence of ability to prepare clear and concise reports, presentations and briefings, including an ability to illustrate ideas through mapping and graphics presentations.

Behavioural competencies

• Communicating and Influencing: Presenting information and arguments clearly and convincingly so that others see us as credible and articulate, and engage with us.
• Problem Solving: Analysing and interpreting situations from a variety of viewpoints and finding creative, workable and timely solutions.
• Building and Managing Relationships: Developing rapport and working effectively with a diverse range of people, sharing knowledge and skills to deliver shared goals.
• Planning and Organising: Thinking ahead, managing time, priorities and risk and developing structured and efficient approaches to deliver work on time and to a high standard.
• Responding to Pressure and Change: Being flexible and adapting positively, to sustain performance when the situation changes, workload increases, tensions rise or priorities shift.

Location

This role is based at London Fire Brigade’s Head Office (Union Street SE1 0LL).

Equality, diversity and inclusion

London's diversity is its biggest asset, and we strive to ensure our workforce reflects London's diversity at all levels. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic candidates and disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. We are committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements. We would welcome applications from candidates who are seeking part‑time work as this role is open to job share.

Please note we are a Disability Confident Employer so for candidates who wish to be considered under the scheme and meet the essential criteria, they will automatically be invited to interview. Please note, should you require any adjustments through the process, we will accommodate as much as possible.

Benefits

GLA staff are hybrid working up to 3 days a week in our offices and remotely depending on their role. As part of this, you will need to split your time between home working and coming into the office. In addition to a good salary package, you will be paid every four weeks, providing frequent salary payments. We also offer an attractive range of benefits including 30 days’ annual leave, interest free season ticket loan, interest free bicycle loan and a career average pension scheme.

Secondment Opportunity

If you are a GLA employee applying for an internal fixed‑term position, as an internal secondment opportunity, you must ensure you satisfy the following secondment policy criteria listed below before applying:

• On a permanent contract or a fixed‑term contract where the time left on the contract at the point at which you apply for secondment is longer than the secondment period;
• Successfully completed your probation period and are performing to the required standard for your current role;
• At least 18 months service with the GLA.

If you do meet the criteria listed above, you will need to complete the Approval for secondment application form and gain line manager approval, before emailing the fully completed form to the Resourcing Assistant who is managing the vacancy. This form must be received by the closing date of the vacancy. Failure to provide this form will mean your application cannot be progressed. If you are unable to satisfy all of the criteria, unfortunately, you are not eligible to apply for this vacancy as an internal secondment.

For further information, please see Secondment Policy and Procedure.

IMPORTANT: If you are a current GLA employee on a fixed‑term contract, which is due to end BEFORE the end date of this vacancy, you DO NOT NEED to complete the Approval for secondment application form as it is not a secondment. If you are successful in securing this secondment opportunity, you will need to be released from your existing role, so please ensure that you make your line manager aware of your application.