Principal Enforcement Officer in Lowestoft

East Suffolk Council is an exciting place to work, delivering essential local services and making a real difference to a quarter of a million people across East Suffolk. We currently have an opportunity to join East Suffolk Council's Development Management Team as a Principal Enforcement Officer. This is an exciting opportunity to manage a skilled planning team and deliver an effective, responsive enforcement service, ensuring compliance with statutory planning powers and responsibilities, while ensuring a positive experience for customers, communities, and stakeholders.

You’ll oversee a range of enforcement cases, exercising delegated powers to make robust and lawful decisions. You’ll represent the Council through appeals, hearings and where required, court proceedings, and collaborate closely with colleagues and partners to maintain high standards. Alongside this, you will support service improvement by mentoring colleagues, strengthening stakeholder relationships, and driving innovation. You’ll monitor performance, report to Committee and help identify digital solutions that enhance efficiency and deliver for our communities.

The role leads and manages a team delivering a high-quality planning enforcement service, ensuring workloads are effectively allocated and performance targets are achieved. It involves overseeing complex enforcement cases, providing expert advice to customers and stakeholders, and ensuring decisions comply with planning law, policy and guidance. The postholder authorises enforcement actions and notices, maintains consistency in application of regulations, and collaborates with senior colleagues to set priorities and drive service delivery. The role will also support and, where required, deputise for the Planning Manager to ensure continuity of service delivery.

The position also plays a key role in representing the Council, including preparing evidence for appeals, attending hearings, inquiries and court proceedings, and presenting reports to Planning Committee. Alongside this, the role drives continuous improvement by monitoring performance, identifying efficiencies and digital solutions, and contributing to wider planning objectives. It includes supporting staff development through mentoring and training, maintaining high standards of communication and reporting.

What you will need

The role requires significant post‑qualification experience in development management and enforcement, with a strong working knowledge of planning law, policy and processes. Candidates should be experienced in handling enforcement issues and appeals, supported by a solid understanding of relevant IT systems used within planning services. A recognised degree (or equivalent) in a related discipline is essential, along with Chartered Membership of the RTPI (The Royal Town Planning Institute) or near completion of accreditation.

Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities are essential, with the capacity to assess complex development proposals and make sound, defensible decisions. The role demands excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce high‑quality reports, prepare legal statements, and present evidence at hearings or committee meetings. Confident negotiation and influencing skills are also key, alongside the ability to engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders. Leadership and people skills are central to the role, including the ability to motivate, support and develop staff.

The postholder must be able to manage workloads, meet deadlines and operate effectively under pressure, while maintaining high standards of governance, compliance and professional practice. A collaborative approach is required, combined with the confidence to work independently and take initiative when needed. The role also requires a commitment to continuous professional development and supporting the growth of others. Candidates should be adaptable, flexible and customer‑focused, with the ability to manage sensitive situations with tact and discretion.

Practical requirements include the ability to travel within the district, work flexibly where needed, and conduct site visits and inspections safely and effectively.

Why work for us?

East Suffolk Council offers a range of benefits to employees:

• Generous leave entitlement (equivalent to 25 days a year, increasing to 31 days after 5 years’ service, plus bank holidays)
• Local government pension scheme
• Flexible working arrangements
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• A wide variety of staff support networks including access to health and wellbeing initiatives and programmes
• Discounts on mobile phones, computers, holiday and travel, fashion and clothing, health and beauty and many other products and services