Senior Conservation and Design Officer

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About the role

Protect it. Shape it. Enjoy it. Be part of Dorset.

Are you an experienced Conservation professional with a passion for the historic environment, and a pragmatic outlook regarding Listed Buildings and the historic environment?

Come and join our friendly dedicated Conservation & Design Team as a Senior Conservation Officer and experience the beauty of Dorset every day in your job.

With over 12500 Listed Building and 188 Conservation Areas, Dorset Council is a largely rural county with a diverse landscape and long history. Over half of the county is designated as a National Landscape, and three quarters of the coastline is part of the Jurassic Coast Natural World Heritage site.

As the home of Thomas Hardy, Corfe Castle, the iconic Gold Hill, and the Cerne Abbas Giant, Dorset is a fascinating place to work.

We have a friendly workplace where you'll be free to learn and thrive. Employee benefits include a local government pension, flexible working and continual learning and development. With beautiful beaches and countryside on your doorstep too, a career in Dorset comes with everything you need.

What will you be doing?

Working with a supportive and enthusiastic team of Conservation Officers you will:

• be responsible for assessing and negotiating applications for Grade I, Grade II* and Grade II listed buildings and Conservation Areas at pre-application and application stage across the Dorset Council area
• be playing an active role in development management both in the assessment and determination of Listed Building Consent applications, and also in providing consultation responses to planning applications affecting heritage assets
• be expected to deputise for the team leader when required, and provide expert advice on more complex planning applications and assist with training up less experienced officers
• contribute to the development of guidance notes and Supplementary Planning Documents, and take part in planning committees, appeal hearings and inquiries
• you may also have the opportunity to review and update Conservation Area Appraisals, address the Buildings at Risk Register, and progress enforcement cases.

We take a pragmatic approach to managing our historic environment. We're looking for someone who shares this outlook-someone who's not only passionate about conservation but also driven to find innovative solutions to complex challenges. If you're resourceful, practical, and keen to make a tangible difference, we'd love to hear from you.

About you

The successful applicant will have an appropriate qualification in Town and Country Planning, Building Conservation, or a related discipline. Membership (or eligibility for membership) of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) is necessary.

You will:

• have good communication skills (written and spoken) and the ability to respond confidently in a variety of situations
• be able to write reports and policy documents and give presentations to committees, appeals and other groups. You will be skilled and experienced at assessing development proposals and their impacts on heritage assets and at providing technical and design advice to Listed Building occupiers and those in Conservation Areas
• have experience working with large estates and challenging stakeholders is desirable
• have a pragmatic outlook regarding Listed Buildings ensuring that they remain in productive uses for future generations
• be confident and diplomatic in dealing with customers and stakeholders
• need to demonstrate a proven ability to make competent decisions on matters relating to listed buildings and Conservation Areas and have a good understanding of relevant policy

Further Information

Please note that we use generic job descriptions and the context statement sets out the key work of the role.

You will be required to work across the Dorset Council area and carry out site visits and appraisals, so a full driving licence is required. You will therefore need to live within reasonable travel distance of one of the Council's offices (Dorchester, Wimborne, Wareham).

This is a full time role at 37 hours per week.

We work flexible hours and support agile working, including working from home where this fits with work demands. Applications from those wishing to work part-time as well as full-time are welcome. You will be expected to undertake continuing professional development.

Contact details: For an informal discussion about the role please contact Kathryn Melhuish, Conservation & Design Team Leader, on 01202 228775. Closing date for applications 12th January 2025. Interviews are expected to take place on 23rd January 2025 in Dorchester.

About Us

Dorset is a beautiful and iconic area, with historic market towns and miles of stunning coast. But it's also a place of growth and innovation, with a population of 375,000 and an economy worth over £7 billion. To serve this unique area, a new unitary council was established in 2019. Bold and ambitious, with a One Team approach, we're taking Dorset into the future - and our Planning team is taking centre stage. The Conservation team is a specialist team sitting within the wider planning team.

Dorset Council: A great place to work

We're passionate about making Dorset a great place to live, work and visit. Working for us should be no exception.

At Dorset Council we:

• provide more than 450 services to over 300,000 residents
• have ambitious aspirations
• are excited about our future
• care about Dorset and all the people who live here
• know that all roles make a difference and that our employees are key to our success

You will:

• have access to a range of employee benefits
• be part of an organisation that supports each other to grow and succeed
• have access to range of training opportunities which will help with your personal development and career progression

We are challenging ourselves to become a more diverse and inclusive organisation.

We recognise that recruitment and inclusion of individuals with diverse skills, perspectives and backgrounds will bring real strength to the council and our communities. We have a commitment to equality and welcome applications from everyone.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We offer an interview to everyone who declares a disability and meets the essential criteria for the role.

We are keen to make our interviews accessible. Let us know on your job application if you have a disability and need any reasonable adjustments.

We also look for applicants who share our commitment to our behaviours . We will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process.

If appointed, the personal information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected, you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found at https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn .

This role is UK based and we will need to establish your Right to Work as part of the appointment process.

We use generic job descriptions and person specifications. This means the job title on any attachments may differ from the job title in the advert. We may provide specific information in a context statement if relevant.

Find out more about how to apply .