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Senior Planning Policy Officer Ref: 02-26

Person Specification

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

  • Experience of working in planning in a public or private sector environment;
  • Proven experience of delivering Local Plan and related documents;
  • A thorough knowledge of current planning legislation regulations and guidance relevant to planning policy;
  • The ability to consider a wide range of complex issues and balance those issues to make a clear and reasoned judgement;
  • Good verbal and written communication skills with experience of preparing reports and presentations;
  • The ability to prioritise and proactively manage workloads working to key deadlines
  • Hold a current driving licence and access to your own vehicle

Desirable

  • Experience of working effectively in a team and working to common goals
  • Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint, Access etc.)
  • Experience of dealing with customers by phone, e-mail and face to face

Qualifications

Essential

  • A degree qualification or diploma in Town and Country Planning or an equivalent qualification or equivalent experience in the field
  • 2-5 years experience working in Planning Policy

Desirable

  • Membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute or equivalent

Essential Behaviours

Collaborative:

  • I look for ways to work in partnership and listen supportively to the ideas of others, building on their ideas, while sharing my views and knowledge
  • I recognise the skills, talent and experience of others and reach out to them for their contribution and input

Ambitious:

  • I always ask myself 'How could we do this better?', taking ownership of change and helping others to understand, adapt, implement, and embed it
  • I have an open mindset, take risks and explore new ways of doing things
  • I am a proud ambassador, taking pride and responsibility for the work we do and encouraging others to do the same

Results Driven:

  • I make sure I am clear on what I need to achieve, keeping a focus on results and solutions
  • I am driven, showing courage and resilience even when things don't go to plan

Empowering:

  • I ask for help and support when needed, and take responsibility if things don't go well, learning from it for my own and for the organisation's development

Supportive:

  • I treat others as I would want to be treated myself, ensuring that I am welcoming, friendly and approachable
  • I give time to colleagues who need help or support

Health & Safety (exposure to risk)

  • The postholder is part of a small team and therefore the post holder needs to demonstrate ability to deal with frequent interruptions and demands on a daily basis

Last modified on 27 March 2026