Sustainable Places Officer- 8951

2
West Midlands
Fradley
Sentinel House
Staff Grade 3
Fixed Term
Full Time
Environment & Sustainability, Planning
£22,433 pro rata
We are the Environment Agency's Planning specialists. We use the planning system to help protect and enhance the environment, whilst supporting economic growth.

The Planning advisor's role entails three main areas of work activity:

i) We are a statutory consultee for planning applications.
ii) We give advice on pre-applications to developer and Councils.
iii) We contribute to local strategic plans, with evidence, infrastructure plans, and site allocations.

You will be the Environment Agency’s main point of contact with a designated group of local planning authorities, developers, other bodies and the local community.

You will proactively engage with internal planning consultees, manage and coordinate our formal responses within negotiated timescales and ensure we provide appropriate quality environmental outcomes.

Environmental matters include the full range of our remit including flood risk, groundwater pollution, and waste.

You will also be responsible for project managing relevant rechargeable work for planning responses- issuing quotes, liaising with customers and issuing reports.
We have a key role in balancing the role of the environment to promote economic growth. We work with a variety of experts internally and externally, from our water quality and water resources team to our biodiversity and fisheries team.

We are a friendly and experienced team, based in our Lichfield office (Fradley), committed to supporting our colleagues int he development of their careers and their wellbeing.
The successful candidate will have excellent communication skills with a strong sense of team. You will have a passion for people and the environment and an interest in the planning system, economics and growth and development.

A strong team ethic and the ability to work independently is essential, as is a confident manner.

You may have a degree in an environmental subject or Town and Country planning, but this is not essential as you will be supported to develop and grow your career.

Good problem solving capability, and the ability to balance complex issues in preparing written reports within agreed timescales is also a necessity.

You will be able to prioritise effectively is a must and to smile when things seem difficult!

You will be engaging and have the confidence to talk with internal and external partners.
Cloising Date: 30th September 2018 at 23:55 hours
For more information please get in touch with Jim Davies, Sustainable Places Team Leader jim.davies@environment-agency 07770 846581.
The Environment Agency expects all staff to be involved in our Incident response. This may mean occasional out of hours work, which is voluntary, and is an excellent opportunity for personal development and to help protect people and the environment when it matters.

We are proud to be a Stonewall Top 100 Employer, and a study by the jobs’ website Glassdoor shows that we are among the best employers for offering staff a good work-life balance.

Interviews are expected to be held around the 9th October.

30/09/2018, 23:55 hours

Basic Check
12 months
Communicates Effectively
Listens and questions to understand and engage. Conveys information and ideas clearly, accurately and persuasively through speech and writing. Tell us about a time you have explained a complex technical issue or idea to a non-expert audience. What happened? What skills did you use? What did you learn?
Managing the Agency’s Interaction in the Land Use Planning Process
Provides timely and effective specialist technical advice on land use planning consultations to protect & enhance the environment.

Describe your understanding of how the planning system operates and can have an impact on the environment. Have you ever been involved in any planning process, such as a consultation?
Influences and Persuades Others
Presenting a case in a convincing and attractive way that will win people over, encouraging them to follow plans willingly; often succeeding where logic and reason alone would fail.

Give an example of a time when you have had to persuade an individual or group to follow a process or agree to an idea, they had not previously agreed with? How did you do this?
If you are applying from the Civil Service please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of being appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.

We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.

We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment. We have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

The Environment Agency, as a Non-Departmental Public Body, is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs. For this reason, we are unable to engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls . Should you wish to become a support supplier on one of these frameworks or contracts please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/become-a-crown-commercial-service-supplier/becoming-a-supplier-through-the-crown-commercial-service-what-you-need-to-know for more information.

This Vacancy is closed to applications.