Planning Projects Manager
| Posting date: | 23 May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £39,135 to £42,133 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 15 June 2025 |
| Location: | York |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Temporary |
| Job reference: | 407296/8 |
Summary
This role sits within the Policy Advice Team (PAT), part of Forest Services. PAT is a multi-disciplinary team that helps the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and other government departments to develop forestry and woodland policy that works. It does so by drawing on our wide range of tree, woodland and forestry experience, expertise, evidence and networks.
Reporting to the Senior Planning Advisor in the Planning, Infrastructure & Built Environment team, the Planning Projects Manager will co-ordinate and deliver a range of activities to gather data and information to support our engagement with the planning system, including projects relating to the impacts of development on woodlands. This role will include project management and reporting responsibilities, managing and interpreting data and information, and stakeholder engagement. You will work with colleagues across a number of departments including Defra, Natural England and MHCLG, and other government and non-government stakeholders. The data and information derived from this research will be used to inform both planning policy and FC operations where appropriate. The role is part of FCs response to the governments agenda to improve digitalisation of the planning system and is tied to broader planning reforms.
Key Work Areas:
Project managing the delivery of a functional GIS platform for the assessment of impacts of developments on trees and woodlands in planning. This will build on a prototype platform that was developed 2023-2025.
- Leading on contract and project management;
- Overseeing contractors and ensuring appropriate User Requirements are identified and met;
- Liaising with key stakeholders and ensuring effective stakeholder and comms management;
- Ensuring effective testing periods for internal and external users alike;
- Proactive consideration of emerging digital systems with which this will need to align;
- Reporting to Defra and MHCLG on milestones and expenditure as part of the project’s management.
Leadership in the effective management and improvement of the FS Land Use Planning Hub and National Planning Casework Tracker. These are the internal FS systems used to manage land use planning casework.
- The lead contact for making any required changes and / or additions to the FS Land Use Planning Hub and National Planning Casework Tracker;
- A lead contact for developing improved FS planning resources alongside Area Team and National colleagues including topic papers, standing paragraphs, and process maps;
- Proactively explore improvements to internal systems;
- Developing an associated communication plan for this work and delivering this effectively;
- Proactively identify and explore potential improvements to the internal systems.
Assist in the development of planning policy for trees and woodlands alongside the Senior Planning Advisor
- Reviewing and consolidating the existing evidence base in relation to trees, woodlands and development, and using this to identify future research project proposals.
- Helping to draw together various related evidence and research strands to make recommendations for and to develop appropriate policy and guidance relating to trees and woodlands in the planning system.
- Supporting the Senior Planning Advisor to provide evidence that supports FC’s responses to planning consultations.
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