Town Planning Manager

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Job Introduction

Reporting to the Consents & Engagement Area Lead in one of the projects three Delivery Units, working as part of a multi-disciplinary service team, the Town Planning Manager (TPM) has responsibility for the delivery of all necessary statutory town planning consents in accordance with the High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Act, other planning legislation (such as the Town & Country Planning Act) and our contract requirements. The TPM will act as a subject matter expert and liaison between the project team, HS2 Ltd's subject matter experts and the relevant stakeholders with regards to obtaining town planning consents and proactively developing productive relationships which deliver benefits for all parties.

The TPM will also be part of a small functional town planning team who will provide a flexible service across the three delivery areas as required, and will work collaboratively with planning colleagues to ensure a consistent approach is delivered on behalf of SCSjv and HS2 Ltd to ensure the needs of both the integrated project delivery teams and the client are met.

Flexible working: We welcome you to ask about the flexibility you need. This might be part-time, remote working, or compressed hours for example. Anyone who applies for a role can ask about flexibility at interview. In return, we will explore what is possible for the role.

Role Responsibility

The Town Planning Manager is responsible for:

• Being the subject matter expert and primary point of contact for all town planning consent matters within an assigned delivery area, facilitating coordination with statutory undertakers throughout the design, consenting and construction of the works
• Managing and monitoring the status of Town Planning Consent requirements such that the Works or any part of the works for which town planning consent is required are not commenced until consent is granted and relevant conditions are complied with
• Assisting the project team to ensure the design and the completed works are compatible with and are constructed in accordance with Town Planning Consents
• Providing specialist town planning advice to the construction delivery team, attending and proactively participating in collaborative planning meetings to ensure compliance with the Act when providing the Works
• Updating the project Consents Register in relation to Town Planning Consents on an ongoing basis
• Notifying the leadership teams as soon as reasonably practicable of any breach of consents or a potential breach or dispute with a Third Party, or any risks to securing consent approval within the required timescales
• Supporting the development and implementation of town planning processes and procedures for the overall project and ensure their implementation across all project delivery areas
• Proactively engaging in wider HS2 activities, representing SCS at contractor forums when required, helping to identify collaborative opportunities and sharing best practice and lessons learned
• Contributing to the accurate and timely recording of all consents documentation in application documentation including: meeting minutes, pre-application materials, application documents and decision notices.
• Contributing to the keeping of statistical evidence of performance to contractual standards, and manage a consistent and regular reporting process
• Providing updates to the project's Consents Management Plan on a regular basis and delivering in accordance with the Plan.

The Ideal Candidate

• Membership of Royal Town Planning Institute.
• Experience of identifying, securing, discharging and complying with Town Planning Consents necessary to support construction projects
• Basic understanding of the construction industry and related consents requirements
• Excellent interpersonal skills:
  • Strong listening skills.
  • Credible and persuasive communicator - able to adapt methods and styles of communication for different audiences. Approachable and responsive.
  • Driven - proactively identifies and communicates Town Planning Consent requirements.
  • Network orientated, able to build relationships and co-operation with other individuals and teams. Ability to work in multi-disciplinary environment.
• Knowledge of the pressures and constraints of working in and around differing strategic and political agencies
• Ability to identify the' larger picture' from a planning authority perspective

Desirable qualifications, skills, behaviours and attributes

• Extensive experience of the construction industry and consents relating to the Hybrid Bill / Act of Parliament consenting regimes.
• Experience of working in a matrix organisation and managing conflicting priorities

About the Company

The role will work on the HS2 project. HS2 is the UK's new high speed rail network. It will be a catalyst for economic growth across Britain, freeing up space on the existing railways and connecting 8 out of the UK's 10 biggest cities with fast, reliable and frequent high speed services

The Skanska | Costain | STRABAG (SCS JV) is delivering the HS2 London Tunnels Contract. Scope of works includes twin-bored tunnels (TBM), SCL tunnels, shaft sinking, bridge demolition and reconstruction, services diversions, earthworks and the construction of site compounds.

You'll be a welcomed member of the wider team, with opportunities to take on additional responsibility, join one of our networks for women, military or LGBT+ staff, and participate in cultural and social events with the local community (e.g. as a STEM ambassador).

Your personal and professional development is important to us. We welcome a discussion about how we can support you with further study, or professional membership or attainment for example.

HS2 - working with Skanska, Costain and STRABAG, closely monitors job applications, to ensure an inclusive recruitment process. To ensure we are able to maintain this, and to recruit a diverse workforce, we require candidates to complete the diversity form as part of their application so we are able to monitor and improve our approach to diversity. Please note, all responses are anonymous and we will not share any of your data with other parties. All data will be held securely, (as stated within the Data Protection Act 1998) and will be reported to HS2.

It is an SCSJV requirement that all employees, Design House, and Supply Chains must implement and comply with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System, ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System with guidance for use", OHSAS 18001:2017 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems and ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Information Security Management System, Policies, Plans, Procedures and Processes, and statutory requirements as they affect the Joint Venture 's operations and ensure that the requirements, as applicable within their discipline, are effectively implemented on the project. Develop a culture of safety on the project through the absolute commitment to the Zero Accidents target and ethos, and develops a wider awareness of quality, environmental issues and demonstrates commitment to achieve continual improvement and Zero tolerance.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

SCS Railways is a Disability Confident Leader. We want to encourage disabled people to apply for our roles and have an opportunity to display your skills, talent, and abilities. We will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview.

Please see the disability confident commitments:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-confident-guidance...

To be considered for an interview under this scheme you have:

• A physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term effect (over 12 months) adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities
• Demonstrated in your application and pre-interview stage that you meet the minimum job criteria and person specification for the role

SCS Railways