Deputy Head of Planning Services (Planning Enforcement)

Full Time, Permanent

Are you looking for an exciting and rewarding opportunity in a flourishing and collegiate team?

We are looking for an energetic, forward-thinking and enthusiastic planning enforcement leader to provide clear direction and confidence to our Planning Enforcement function,

As part of this we are seeking motivated and experienced candidates for this exciting new post. You will be reporting directly to the Chief Planner and be part of our senior team leading across the various planning services.

You will be strengthening and developing our enforcement function into a highly efficient, confident and well-performing service that ensures planning breaches are swiftly resolved in line with our Local Enforcement Plan. To this end you will  lead a team of experienced professionals including growing new talent through managing the team leaders in the team with the opportunity to coach or mentor others. You will likely also deal with a small number of complex cases and oversee and steer casework delivery across the enforcement function to keep our great city going from strength to strength. We welcome innovation, critical thinking and an appetite for dynamic and fast paced working.

If you share our passion for place-making and you'd like to join a brilliant team in a great city with lots of fascinating work and enforcement challenges, and one where planners are valued and supported, we'd like to hear from you. We welcome innovation, critical thinking and an appetite for dynamic and fast paced working.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage resources to make optimal use of  limited capacity and manages budgets to achieve outcomes and meet performance targets.

• Champion great customer service delivery, continuous improvement and innovation to ensure ways of working are effective in delivering the desired results and as efficient as possible.
• Guide and manage senior enforcement officers, nurture inclusion and diversity; encourage and support all members of the team in their professional development.
• Provide technical guidance and support to members, stakeholders, the public and colleagues.
• Collaborate with peers within the wider planning service and across the organisation as relevant ensuring seamless service provision.
• Lead the timely production of relevant monitoring information and improvement of planning data systems.

About You:

• Proven experience in a planning department with a track record of enforcement delivery.
• Strong understanding of planning enforcement and allied legislation including enthusiasm to embrace the local enforcement plan and taking a robust and proactive enforcement approach.
• Committed to creating a positive team environment and supporting team members to be the best they can be. 
• Ability to work autonomously, manage and prioritise busy workload demands
• Enthusiastic about innovation and continuous service improvement.
• Skilled communicator, with extensive advocacy and negotiation experience to achieve successful outcomes on complex projects. 

This is a great opportunity to progress your career in a busy city environment. You’ll be part of a passionate team dedicated to taking one of the UK’s most dynamic core cities from strength to strength.

Why Bristol?

Bristol is consistently rated as one of the best places to live and work in the UK. Join us and you’ll enjoy all the benefits of living and working in one of Europe’s most vibrant and best-located cities known for its cultural diversity, with great architecture and stunning views, a host of cultural attractions and a great range of places to eat and drink. With the greatest number of listed buildings outside London this also makes it particularly interesting from a planning perspective.

The city offers one of the country’s widest selections of music, multimedia and performance venues, nightclubs, art galleries, museums and historic buildings. In and around the hustle and bustle of the city, we boast over 400 gardens and parks, ideal for walking, cycling and relaxation. Bristol is also one of Europe’s most bike-friendly destinations.

We have great transport links with unrivalled rail and motorway connections and an international airport. Bristol is within easy reach of some of Britain’s most stunning landscapes, such as the Cotswolds, Cheddar Gorge, Stonehenge and Somerset, Devon and South Wales countryside and coast.

Find out more at Visit Bristol

At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation. For the majority of our roles hybrid working arrangements are available, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice - mixing both home and office working.

Join us and you’ll receive an excellent rewards package including flexible working and flexitime, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you’ll be working in a supportive environment where you’ll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.

How do I apply?

If you share our values and are ready to be part of our exciting journey please select the apply button below.

To be shortlisted for interview you’ll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification. On occasion we will receive high numbers of applications, we may then shortlist against the desirable criteria along with the essential criteria, so if you can, please demonstrate how you meet this in your covering letter.

We're a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We'll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.

For further information, please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification or alternatively, please contact Simone Wilding, Chief Planner,  simone.wilding@bristol.gov.uk

Bristol City Council strives to have a workforce that reflects the communities it serves, we are therefore committed to ensuring diversity in our hiring process. We welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community. Appointments will be made on merit. 

The personal information section (including your name) you’ll complete as part of the application form will not be visible to hiring managers, but is used confidentially to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.