The Role

Do you want to work in one of London’s most exciting environments?
Do you have passion and enthusiasm for the built environment and heritage?
Would you like to put your leadership and management skills to the test?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

About the role

We have an exciting and rare opportunity within the Spatial and Transport Planning service for a Principal Conservation and Urban Design officer, whose primary focus is leading and managing a busy Conservation and Urban Design team across two boroughs.

The successful candidate will be an experienced conservation and design professional with the motivation, initiative and leadership skills to effectively manage a team.

You will

• lead and manage a team of professional conservation and urban design officers;
• be responsible for managing the Conservation and Urban Design Team’s work programmes in relation to conservation, heritage and urban design related projects, including the smooth running of the two boroughs’ Design Review Panels;
• take responsibility for ensuring the team delivers agreed programmes and projects and ensure effective performance monitoring against agreed objectives, targets and indicators;
• ensure the team provides high quality and timely advice on conservation and urban design related matters, including on the full range of planning applications;
• work proactively with the Spatial Planning and Design Team Manager to identify improvements or efficiencies in the way services are being delivered;
• build positive working relationships with relevant Councillors, senior managers and representatives of community groups, such as the Wandsworth Conservation Area Advisory Committee.

About you

Pressure for development is high in both boroughs, and Richmond in particular is a tightly constrained borough. The successful candidate will need to ensure that the team balances the need to preserve and enhance the historic environment, whilst embracing and supporting the delivery of the next generation of design excellent and architecture, delivering sustainable growth in both boroughs. 

As well as demonstrable technical and professional abilities, you will have passion and energy for leading a team, including strong communication skills, a commitment to delivering excellent customer service and achieving the best outcome for residents through the delivery of high quality schemes. 

You will need to be highly organised, with the ability to plan and effectively manage projects of varying scale, to time and to budget. You will need to have demonstrable experience of managing or coaching and mentoring professional staff, and ensuring the quality and output of a team. You will be solution focussed and adept at exploring issues, assessing options and implementing improvements, with an emphasis on high performance.

You will need to keep abreast of legislative and national/regional policy changes, particularly in light of the forthcoming planning reform(s) and the proposed changes as set out in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, which looks amongst other things at reviving Design Codes.

You should have an enthusiasm for technology and innovation and an awareness of recent tech developments in this sector, to allow a transformation to a high-quality and modern digital planning service.

Who we are

Wandsworth is a thriving Inner London Borough on the southern banks of the River Thames that is steeped in a diverse history. The borough features landmarks such as the iconic Battersea Power Station, Ram Brewery and Clapham Junction Station, and is acknowledged for its famous green spaces such as Wandsworth and Clapham Commons, Putney Heath and the Grade II* listed Battersea Park.

Richmond is arguably London’s most attractive borough with the River Thames running for over 10 miles through the borough, linking Hampton Court Palace, Richmond and Twickenham town centres and Kew Gardens with London. Richmond boasts Royal Parks and open spaces, historic houses, vibrant town centres bursting with life, as well as being the home of English rugby.

We are part of the Planning and Transport Strategy Division and the Spatial and Transport Planning Service under the wider Environment and Community Services Directorate.

We are positive and ambitious – When you join us, you’ll apply the same approach.

If you would like to discuss this opportunity in more detail, please contact Andrea Kitzberger-Smith, Spatial Planning and Design Team Manager on 020 8891 7364 or email a.kitzberger-smith@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

What do we offer

At Richmond and Wandsworth Councils, we care more about how you work and what you achieve, rather than where you work on any given day. The difference you can make to our local communities is what really matters most to us, service delivery must always come first. We have carefully considered agile ways of working to provide the best experience for residents, stakeholders and our staff. Our agile working strategy actively supports and encourages a dynamic work environment and daily working experience. Agile working helps put the needs of our staff at the centre of everything we do, so if specific flexible working arrangements helps you with this, feel free to let us know.

Your wellbeing and the flexible way in which you can work is and will remain a key priority for Richmond and Wandsworth Councils. We want you to thrive and feel empowered in your work!

We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working including, working from home, compressed or part-time hours, term time only, job shares and other arrangements. Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore. We also offer a generous holiday allowance of 39 paid days (pro rata) including bank holidays and a wide range of learning and development opportunities.

In addition, we offer a comprehensive range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government pension scheme, childcare vouchers, new technology scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts with many leisure activities, restaurants, shops and other establishments.

Next steps and how to apply

Please register, submit your CV and a supporting statement addressing how you meet the requirements of this role. If you are having difficulty in applying online, please contact the Recruitment Team at recruitment@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk to see if we can offer alternative arrangements for you to apply.

Indicative Recruitment Timeline

Closing Date: Tuesday 15 November 2022

Shortlisting Date: Monday 21 November

Interview Dates: Wednesday 30 November / Thursday 1 December 2022

Useful Information:

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services.

The application process for this campaign will be anonymised.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Important Information:

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils