Team Leader Transport Planning (Projects)

Overview

Job title: Team Leader Transport Planning (Projects)

Salary: PO4 £46,142 – £49,282

Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Location: Merrion House, Leeds (hybrid working is offered)

Leeds is a fast developing, ambitious and growing city with a large programme of investment in major transport projects to improve sustainable transport, enhance air quality and reduce carbon emissions.

In 2021, Leeds adopted its Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy, which sets out our vision for Leeds to be city ‘where you don’t need a car’ and ‘where everyone has an affordable and accessible zero carbon choice in how they travel.’

We’re looking for someone who can help the city realise its transport and wider development ambitions. Join our dynamic, multi-disciplinary team of professionals and contribute to creating a safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly transport system for Leeds. Supporting the delivery of the Connecting Leeds strategy, by managing the development of projects and policies, will be a key component of this role, alongside supporting the professional development of colleagues across the team.

This is an exciting time to join our team as we seek to deliver on the ambitions of the Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy by building on the progress of the past ten years. Since 2014 we have installed over 60km of segregated cycle routes, completed bus priority measures on key transport corridors, and delivered major transport improvements in the city centre at City Square, the Headrow and the Corn Exchange.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About You

As a Team Leader Transport Planning (Projects), you will bring to the role:

• Knowledge of the latest policy developments and innovations in transport planning
• Knowledge and understanding of project planning, evaluation and monitoring techniques
• An ability to work with a range of stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes
• An ability to manage multi-disciplinary project and staff teams
• An ability to supervise, mentor and develop colleagues

About The Role

As a Team Leader Transport Planning (Projects), you’ll thrive on helping to design and deliver sustainable transport solutions. You will help to manage the development and delivery of sustainable transport schemes and policies for the city, utilising your understanding of sustainable transport planning tools and the latest policy developments. You will work with the Principal Transport Planners and the Transport Planning Managers to manage and support the development of the wider Transport Strategy team. You will collaborate with a range of professionals in the Highways and Transportation service and across the wider Council to realise the Leeds Ambitions. You will also work in partnership with the city\\\’s partners across the region, including the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, to deliver a joined-up approach to transport solutions.

What We Offer You

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How To Apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role, please contact Rebecca Dickson, Principal Transport Planner. Call 0113 3787516 or email Rebecca.Dickson@leeds.gov.uk.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you\\\’ll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job Purpose

To lead the development and delivery of projects within the City Region Sustainable Transport Fund (CRSTS), and the Active Travel Fund, and other existing and emerging funding streams.

To lead the development of policies, studies and initiatives to support the Council’s Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy.

Responsibilities

• Support the Transport Planning Managers and/or the Principal Transport Planners in the detailed organisation and administration of technical staff.
• To represent the service at a level commensurate with the grade of the post.
• To develop a skilled and adaptable team able to respond and react to unit demands as and when required ensuring that staff are fully up to date with legislative and guidance changes and Council(s) policies.
• Promote and deliver positive solutions to achieving diversity and equality in all aspects of service delivery, community engagement areas, focusing on equality of outcome.
• Actively support continuous improvement initiatives through contributing to cross Council projects.
• To maintain effective communications with staff, service users, councillors, trade unions and stakeholders in accordance with the good practices of the Council and its partners.
• Provide a courteous, helpful and responsive service to Members, community representatives, the public, stakeholders and business communities to ensure the highest standards of service are met, complaints investigated, and the image of the Council promoted and enhanced.
• Take personal ownership of own continuous professional development, keeping abreast of new and emerging technologies, techniques, processes and procedures.
• To identify training needs and seek ways of meeting them both within and external to the team.
• To be accountable for the safety of staff, service users and contractors in accordance with the Council’s Health and Safety Policy.
• To take responsibility for developing and implementing transport policy and programme initiatives, including new highway and transport projects relating to the West Yorkshire Transport Strategy, regional policies and the Council’s transport programmes.
• To provide the Council’s client function for identified transport schemes and projects. Supporting the appointment and management of consultant resources to undertake specific work packages including transport modelling, environmental assessments and detailed scheme design.
• To take responsibility for project management and monitoring of specific transport strategy initiatives, schemes and programmes.
• To prepare project briefs for capital schemes, transportation studies and other transportation related issues.
• To support the planning, preparation and delivery of the capital programme and related inputs to the Transport Plan and other Council programmes.
• To support the management and monitoring of project budgets and risk.
• To contribute transportation policy advice and inputs to the development of spatial planning policy and the Local Development Framework.
• To prepare project briefings and reports to the boards, committees, press releases and responses to letters and enquiries as required.
• To undertake any other transport planning duties within the Section as workloads and priorities demand at a level appropriate to the grade of the post.

Essential Requirements

It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post. Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.

Skills Required

• Ability to interpret corporate visions and values and put into practice through agreed policies and strategies.
• Ability to contribute to change programmes, improve service quality and support culture that drives up standards and performance.
• An ability to methodically and accurately undertake policy and data analysis within competing time constraints.
• Ability to supervise, mentor and develop a technical team.
• Able to assimilate and apply complex and detailed information and relay this to stakeholders.
• Able to manage budgets and plan expenditure.

Knowledge Required

• Knowledge of transport planning and the latest policy developments and innovations related to the duties of the post.
• Knowledge and understanding of project planning, evaluation and monitoring techniques
• Knowledge of the principles of highways and traffic engineering.
• Knowledge and understanding of the Local Transport Plan system and funding framework.
• Knowledge and understanding of transport appraisal requirements and techniques.
• Appreciation of transport modelling techniques

Experience Required

• Extensive post qualification experience in a planning, transport or engineering role relevant to the duties of this post.
• Experience of supervising and delivering projects and initiatives relevant to the area of service delivery in the remit of the post.
• Experience of supervising and delivering transportation and/or highway engineering projects and initiatives.
• Experience of relevant project management working within local authority, public or business sector organisations.
• Experience of project management techniques, monitoring and reporting.
• Experience in the use of project appraisal and evaluation methods, preferably including major local transport schemes.
• Experience in the preparation and management of capital budgets and investment programmes.
• Experience of presenting reports and technical evidence at committees, boards or other non-technical audiences
• Experience of staff supervision, mentoring and developing a team.

Desirable Requirements

It is desirable that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post. Candidates are not required to meet all the desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between candidates.

Knowledge Required

• Knowledge of the Climate Emergency and the role of Transport Planning in responding.

Experience Required

• Understanding of local government and experience of achieving results in a politically sensitive context.