R2R103477 - 130806 - Planning Officer

Your New Organisation

Southend on Sea City Council is a Unitary local authority, providing vital services to meet the needs of the local community. We employ around 1,800 staff who are working alongside our partners and local communities to deliver the city vision and make lives better for the people of Southend.

Working for Southend on Sea City Council offers a challenging and rewarding career in local government within a collaborative and innovate environment, with the benefit of flexible working practices to support a positive work life balance. As a Unitary Authority we are responsible for all local government functions ranging from social services, transport, public health and parks through to planning, trading standards, community safety and education, so we offer a wide range of career opportunities. The diversity of our economy and communities and investment in a number of exciting regeneration projects makes our Council a great place to work, learn and make a difference.

Southend on Sea is a city of some 180,000 residents, with 7 miles of waterfront, an international airport, a university, and fantastic transport links to London and surrounding areas. The team achieves nationally leading application performance and has a history of dealing with high profile projects. There are many other exciting major schemes in the pipeline.

Your new role

We are seeking an ambitious graduate to work in our busy, high performing Development Management Service on a full time and permanent contract. This role is being offered on a hybrid basis (on average 2 days per week in office) which is a combination of working from home, visiting sites and attending the office. The Council currently offers a free parking permit and a Southend City wide permit for discharging your operational duties.

As a planning officer, you will provide professional assistance to Planning colleagues and deal with all types of development proposals from preliminary negotiation and registration through to implementation and enforcement. You will deal with a proportion of correspondence, planning applications, informal enquiries and negotiations and be involved in appeals, including preparation of statements, plus the opportunity to attend Informal Hearings and Public Inquiries. You will contribute to the operation and development of the service’s computerised systems. The council will fund membership of relevant professional institutes.

What you\\\’ll need to succeed

To be successful in this role, you need to be able to demonstrate excellent organisational and communication skills, with good keyboard skills. You will demonstrate a passion to exceed service expectations by being friendly, professional, collaborative, and responsive. You will also be able to build strong relationships both internally and externally.

It is vital that you have clear verbal, electronic, and written skills as you will be liaising with a variety of stakeholders across different levels and also be able to multitask and manage conflicting priorities. It is essential that you have excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to make judgements unaided and to work pro-actively.

A full and clean driving licence is essential for this role and your application will not be progressed without it.

You will be expected to have a degree in Geography or related subject eg, History or Environmental based.

Would suit a graduate that has a keen interest in starting a career in Planning where training, development and support would be provided.

What you\\\’ll get in return

When joining the council, you can enjoy a range of benefits including: 25 days annual leave, flexible working and excellent training and development opportunities. They are committed to ensuring that you are supported in this varied and challenging role with the appropriate level of training. A full list of benefits provided by Southend Council can be viewed on the \”Why Work For Us?\” tab.

What you need to do now

If you are interested in this role, please click \’apply online\’ to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV.

If you would like a copy the Job Description, please click here

Please note: Applications for this vacancy may close prior to the date advertised above so you are advised to apply as soon as you are able to.

The Council is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications, regardless of race, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, age or religion or belief.