Senior Planning Specialist

Company background

Great crested newts have declined dramatically in the UK over the last 50 years, and although still widespread across lowland England they are no longer common. Despite protection under UK and European wildlife law, numbers are still declining, and habitat loss is their biggest threat.

In 2018, the NatureSpace District Licensing Scheme was launched – set up in partnership with the UK’s leading freshwater and amphibian non-governmental organisations as well as seven local planning authorities across the South Midlands. Since then, the scheme has expanded nationally and now covers 70 local planning authorities across Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Surrey and West Sussex.

We also work with national infrastructure providers, such as Network Rail and National Highways, to help them secure and deliver 'Organisational Licences' for protected species with the same conservation deliverables. The schemes are administered by NatureSpace, are regulated, and approved by Natural England and are supported by the country’s leading amphibian and freshwater NGOs.

Requirements

Essential skills, knowledge, and experience

• Qualified to at least degree standard in a relevant discipline (such as Town and Country Planning/Environmental Planning). Demonstratable equivalent working knowledge and experience would be considered for a suitable candidate.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills and the ability to respond to changing and challenging priorities within set timescales.
• Line management experience
• Good level of understanding of the role that local planning authorities play in making decisions about new developments in England.
• Excellent knowledge of the English planning system, at local, regional and national scale – including the planning application & determination process, appeals process, and planning policy. A good understanding of planning law is required to enable support to the wider team on all planning matters.
• Good IT skills and competence in using Microsoft 365 package, including Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook and PowerPoint.
• An effective communicator with good inter-personal skills, able to liaise proactively and confidently with a range of people, both in written and verbal formats.
• A positive, enthusiastic and self-motivated individual that can work independently.
• Ability to cope with remote working with limited opportunities for in-person meetings and events throughout the year (e.g. company days).

Desirable skills, knowledge, and experience

• Experience of supporting team members within the planning or environment sector
• An understanding of environmental assessment, biodiversity conservation, BNG, protected species and licensing
• Enthusiasm for wildlife conservation in the UK. Conservation is at the heart of what we do.

Benefits

Company benefits and culture

• 4-day working week (Monday-Thursday)
• Remote and flexible working
• Travel to meetings in England may be required a few times throughout the year, but we encourage the use of public transport, a car is not essential
• 20 days annual leave
• Plus bank holidays, weekday birthdays and additional holiday over the Christmas period
• Annual bonus scheme, up to 20% of your pay
• Company pension contributions
• Company private health and life insurance
• Individual employee development budget for relevant CPD

NatureSpace Partnership is a small (c.70 staff) but busy and rapidly growing company. Being a small organisation, everyone has a big say in what we do and how we do it. We are a forward-thinking company, working to high standards to deliver well-planned and meaningful outcomes. Our agility and size mean that your voice will be heard, and you will have the opportunity to directly see the results of your work.

Work/life balance is important to us. We actively support a flexible working arrangement so that our work fits in with our lives and we’re open to exploring how this role could best work for you.

The successful candidate will join a friendly, close-working team of home-workers as part of a dispersed national team. The role is mainly desk-based and can be based anywhere in the UK (there’s no central office), although occasional travel to meetings in central England will be required. You will be trusted to manage your own workload and work independently, so strong motivation, sound judgement and good self-management will be important.

To deliver better outcomes for nature, people and places, we need a team that brings different perspectives, experiences and ways of thinking to our work. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds with the relevant skills and experience for the role. We’re committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone can contribute and develop, and we particularly encourage applications from people who are currently under-represented in the environment sector.

As summarised above, we offer a strong benefits package designed to support work/life balance and job satisfaction. Our 4-day working week means full-time team members work Monday to Thursday, with 20 days annual leave (which equates to 5-weeks off per year in light of the 4-day working week), plus bank holidays, weekday birthdays and additional holiday over the Christmas period. Where additional hours are agreed with your line manager, these can be recognised through time off in lieu (TOIL) or overtime pay. Employees also benefit from an annual performance bonus of up to 20% of your pay, company pension contributions, and company private health and life insurance.