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About the Role

This is a key place-shaping role within the dynamic, diverse, and multi-disciplinary Place and Design Team at Waltham Forest Council. The role is at the forefront of delivering vibrant, green, safe, and accessible neighborhoods. You will help shape sustainable growth that meets genuine local needs, ensure the right infrastructure is delivered in the right places, and lead on the delivery of the Council’s innovative Exemplar Design principles and values. This role is crucial for unlocking the delivery of new homes, workspace, and infrastructure, and for implementing the new NPPF and London Plan within Waltham Forest.

Responsibilities

Assist (PO4) or lead (PO5) in the preparation, review, implementation, and monitoring of specific planning policy themes.
Provide agile supervision of junior staff where appropriate.
Support the development of a proactive compliance approach across the Place and Design Team.
Ensure the Local Plan is implemented to the highest standard to meet local needs and create a fairer, more equal borough.
Maintain high-quality communication internally and externally with officers, elected members, and the general public.
Provide specialist expertise and guidance at a senior level to officers, members, developers, the public, and other stakeholders on strategic planning policy and practice.
Support the commissioning of relevant evidence base consultancy projects and review/analyze outputs.
Project supervision of officers as necessary to support matrix management approach to project work across the service.
Occasional supervision of staff or consultants temporarily assigned to the team or on specific projects.
Manage project budgets (PO5) as required to ensure external commissions are within budget and delivered to the program.

Requirements

Degree in town planning or related subject and eligibility or membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
Significant experience, knowledge, and understanding of the National Planning Policy Framework and the process of preparing a Local Plan, supplementary planning documents, and Local Plan policy review/monitoring.
Significant experience developing and writing planning policy within a local authority, voluntary, or private-sector context.
Experience dealing confidently, sensitively, and diplomatically with developers, stakeholders, elected members, and the general public at all levels, particularly in a customer-focused environment.
Experience working in a Planning Department with planning policy work or related experience from another part of the development industry.
Experience undertaking public consultation and engagement events on planning policy and other planning projects.
Good understanding of how services are provided in a local government context, with political awareness and understanding of issues facing local government.
Experience with specialist software for producing planning policy documents, related specialist database software and systems, and guidance.
Advanced user of Microsoft Office.
Experience preparing significant reports, planning information work, and statistical and research work.
Ability to communicate effectively using a wide variety of media and methodologies, including written, oral, and visual means.
Experience providing information and advice to key decision-makers such as elected members and service directors.
Highly numerate with excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
Well-developed interpersonal, persuasion, and negotiating skills.
Ability to see the bigger picture and attend to detail.
Self-motivated, enthusiastic, and able to work with minimal supervision.
Accustomed to managing conflicting deadlines and a demanding workload.
Demonstrable commitment to equal opportunities and equality in employment and service delivery.
Substantial relevant experience of leading on the development and writing of planning policy within a local authority, voluntary, or private-sector context (PO5).
Substantial experience providing specific policy advice and related planning advice to officers, members, planning applicants, and the public (PO5).
Good experience of/ability to provide evidence for local plan examinations and other appeals, hearings, or public inquiries (PO5).
Sensitivity, persuasiveness, negotiation, and assertiveness skills to communicate with diverse audiences in emotive circumstances, including excellent political awareness in problem-solving and decision-making (PO5).

Skills

Strategic planning
Infrastructure planning
Urban design
Placemaking
Developer contributions
Housing policy
Communication
Problem-solving
Learning new skills
Microsoft Office
Report preparation
Statistical analysis
Research
Interpersonal skills
Persuasion
Negotiation
Analytical skills

Location

London Borough of Waltham Forest

Work Type

Full-time
Permanent
Hybrid

Experience Level

Education Level

Degree in town planning or related subject
Eligibility or membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute

Salary/Compensations

£49,056 - £55,323

Benefits

Good Work Standard employer accreditation
Flexible working arrangements considered

About the Company

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.
We are a highly ambitious borough, driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, developing new and innovative ways to build our communities.
Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven, and commercially minded, focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.
London Borough of Waltham Forest is accredited as one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers, demonstrating commitment to a healthy, fair, and inclusive workplace.
The Place and Design Team works to ensure growth is inclusive, creating a fairer borough and delivering needed homes and jobs.
The team is committed to engaging diverse communities throughout the development cycle to ensure future development brings needed benefits.
The team ensures all new development is of exemplar quality and supported by the right infrastructure, built in the right places.
We work closely with stakeholders to ensure development contributes to wider ambitions, enhancing biodiversity, mitigating flood risk, and tackling the Climate Emergency.
The team operates within an inclusive structure that rejects silos, embraces sharing and learning, and works flexibly and collaboratively.
A matrix working approach assembles the right teams for the right projects, building resilience and skills.
We work collaboratively with other teams across the council.
The team has built a reputation as innovative, positive, and proactive, delivering excellent results with work produced in-house.
Recent achievements include adopting the Local Plan, passing the Site Allocations Plan examination, contributing to award-winning buildings and public spaces, developing the Waltham Forest Design Awards, producing high-quality guidance, and rejuvenating the Local Heritage List.
We are a Home Office–licensed sponsor, but not for this specific role (no Skilled Worker visa sponsorship).

Equal Opportunity

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and integral to service delivery and employment.
The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population.
We use statutory duties on race, gender, and disability equality, and best practice regarding age, faith, and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity.
The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: Promoting equality of opportunity, Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance, and disadvantage, Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels, and Providing fair, appropriate, accessible, and excellent Services to all.
Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.
To reduce the risk of bias in recruitment, the council operates an anonymous shortlisting process.
The council operates a scheme where internal candidates are considered first for jobs graded up to SO2.
This includes candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme.