Town Planner

On behalf of Homes England, we are looking for a x2 Town Planner (Inside IR35) for a 9-month contract-based hybrid in Guilford, Northstowe, Cambridge, Bristol or Kent

Homes England, the government's housing and regeneration agency, plays a central role in tackling the housing challenges the country now faces. We have the appetite, influence, expertise, and resource to drive positive market change, and our mission is to ensure more homes are built in areas of greatest need, improve affordability and create a sustainable housing market.

Following the publication of the government's Levelling Up White Paper, Homes England has also been tasked with a core role in spearheading regeneration, partnering with places to reduce economic disparity, empower local leaders and create equal opportunities across the country to ensure communities reach their full potential.

As a Town Planner, your main responsibilities will be:

* Manager a portfolio of projects for the timely delivery of high quality, large scale and/or highly detailed development through the planning system by resolving planning / delivery / placemaking, infrastructure issues and managing junior members of staff.
* Broker appropriate planning solutions between parties based upon knowledge and good practice, building consensus and mediating between conflicting positions where necessary. For example, this will include the negotiation of section 106 agreements and planning conditions,
* supported by relevant technical information including robust viability appraisals.
* Commission and oversee capital works contract, supported by technical colleagues, required to de-risk sites (e.g. demolition, infrastructure, remediation etc) as and when required prior to disposal.
* Thorough understanding of Homes England key strategic priorities, focusing on spatial business plan priorities of the Agency to ensure milestones and targets are achieved. Providing input into and identifying new potential opportunities for Homes England to be involved in - 'the single pipeline'.
* Demonstrate a detailed understanding of development markets, land transactions, with particular focus on the residential and commercial market in their local area.
* Engage with the wider resource and skills of Homes England colleagues and other relevant partner agencies and stakeholders in order to gain consensus, identify appropriate site planning and de-risking strategies and unlock delivery constraints.
* Experience of preparing tender documents & managing contracts for, but not limited to, property advice, planning advice & legal advice and instructing solicitors. Ensuring document structure of the projects undertaken is maintained.
* Drafting and presenting high quality approval papers to obtain committee and Board approval for projects at key stages of
* their life cycle.
* Liaison with Estate Management colleagues to ensure that appropriate management regimes are employed on site.
* Support partners to identify/reach key project milestones through the planning process e.g. planning application submissions/regulatory approvals/starts on site.
* Maintain trust and strengthen relationships within Homes England, with Local Authorities, housing and wider government colleagues through regular communication and feedback.
* Provide planning and enabling advice to colleagues within the Agency to support the acquisition, disposal and de-risking of a pipeline development sites.
* Homes England Employees are expected to be flexible in undertaking duties and responsibilities commensurate with the general character of the role and level of responsibility.

Essential:
* Considerable and demonstrable experience within the planning/development industry of aiding the delivery of large-scale complex development proposals, working with public and private sector partners.
* Thorough understanding of the components of high-quality development and detailed knowledge of the development process, an ability to identify and resolve site delivery constraints, a good understanding of related policy and legislation, with a focus on accelerating the delivery of
* new homes across Homes England's sites.
* High level of communication skills and ability to delivery clear messages.
* An ability to work at pace and project manage a portfolio of assigned sites to secure delivery certainty.
* Qualified to degree level or suitable professional qualification/membership of relevant professional body. Extensive experience working at a senior level in a relevant sector.
* Extensive experience of guiding multi-disciplinary teams. In depth knowledge of housing sector and government policy and current best industry practice.
* Excellent project management skills & the ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously. Experience of risk
* mitigation strategies.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, Homes England guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following 'this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different'.

ADZN1_UKTJ