Business and Skills for Infrastructure Lead

Secondment Opportunity / Fixed Term Contract, until March 2028

Full Time, 37 hours per week

£45,989 to £54,105 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Closing Date: 2nd September 2026

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.

Essex County Council (ECC) is a systems leader for sustainable growth, unlocking the full potential of housing, infrastructure and economic development across the County. With significant investment planned across Greater Essex, including garden communities and nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs), the council plays a pivotal role in aligning planning, economic opportunity, and social value for our residents and businesses.

This role provides strategic leadership for ECC’s approach to employment, skills and supply chain engagement within the planning system. The postholder will act as the Council’s lead for securing developer contributions (e.g. via S106 and CIL), embedding skills and economic development priorities within major infrastructure proposals, and ensuring Essex maximises social, economic and workforce value from planned investment.

The role includes leading a regional coordination function across infrastructure partners, colleges, and industry to address labour market needs and position Essex as a hub for inclusive, future-ready skills.

To read more about our business area, please visit Policy, Economy, Investment and Property

Accountabilities

Lead ECC’s strategic response to employment, skills, and supply chain matters for all planning application responses, including NSIPs and major development proposals across Essex.
Act as the strategic lead for securing and managing developer contributions (e.g. Section 106 obligations, Community Infrastructure Levy), ensuring commitments align with ECC’s infrastructure and economic priorities.
Provide strategic oversight of the skills and supply chain coordination function, convening partners (e.g. developers, colleges, universities, supply chains) to address regional skills shortages, promote inclusive economic growth, and maximise social value.
Identify and evaluate socio-economic impacts of development proposals to inform planning consultations, examination processes and ECC’s strategic growth response.
Building and maintaining production grade data pipelines to support model training and inference
Analyse labour market intelligence and project-level data to develop employment and skills strategies that respond to sectoral demand and unlock opportunities for Essex residents.
Ensure coordination across ECC teams (e.g. Economic Development, Planning, Infrastructure Delivery) to align resources and deliver collaborative outcomes that transcend service boundaries.
Maintain and enhance performance monitoring systems to track the impact of developer-funded initiatives and skills interventions, supporting corporate reporting and decision-making.
Contribute to policy design and S106/CIL agreements to secure meaningful employment and skills obligations, financial contributions and local workforce outcomes.
Represent ECC in national forums and Government-facing industry groups to position Essex as a leader in workforce development and planning-led economic growth.
Support strategic communications, promoting ECC’s role in enabling high-quality infrastructure and place-based outcomes.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Educated to RQF Level 6 or equivalent by experience, preferably in planning, economic development, or a related discipline.
In-depth understanding of planning legislation, development contributions (S106/CIL), and the broader planning and infrastructure delivery system.
Proven ability to lead multi-stakeholder partnerships with developers, education providers and public sector organisations to secure shared economic outcomes.
Strong experience of using labour market data and socio-economic intelligence to influence planning processes and shape development strategies.
Demonstrated success in managing multiple priorities in a complex environment, including planning consultations, data analysis, and contract or contribution compliance.
High level of financial and political awareness, with a track record of providing strategic advice to senior leaders and elected members.
Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, able to translate complex policy and data into compelling cases for action.
Proven capability to develop and manage monitoring frameworks and performance data to evidence impact and inform decision making.
Collaborative leadership style, with the ability to motivate cross-functional teams and support innovation beyond traditional service boundaries.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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