INTERNAL ONLY VACANCY. This post is open to existing Leeds City Council employees only. Applications will not be considered from external candidates.

Job title: Technical Officer

Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Salary: B3 £26,403 - £28,142

Location: Merrion Centre, Leeds with hybrid working options available.

Introduction

As part of the technical support team you’ll thrive on providing an effective, efficient and customer focused service to a range to stakeholders including Planning and Building Control Officers, Elected Members, applicants and their agents, members of public, The Planning Inspectorate and solicitors.    

About you

We are looking for people who:

• Have excellent organisational and communication skills
• Are able to use their own initiative to resolve complex situations
• Have great customer service skills
• Good attention to detail following agreed processes and procedures
• Experience and knowledge of processing building control applications is preferred

About the role

Technical Officer (Building Control Administration Team)  

A Technical Officer is required to register and validate building control applications, using the CAPS/Uniform system liaising with Building Control Officers, applicants and builders by phone and email.    

The Technical Officer role is integral to the team and you should be confident in working within agreed timescales and performance criteria and be able to assess submitted information against fee schedules. 

Candidates must have excellent communication skills as you will be expected to answer queries relating to building control processes and fee calculations by telephone and email.  You should have a flexible approach to your working day, as you will be expected to cover a variety of processes and telephone lines as part of your duties.  

How to apply

Apply for this job online by completing the online application form and uploading your CV

Read our guidance notesfor further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Lynne Gledhill Team ManagerOfficer by email lynne.gledhill@leeds.gov.uk

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people. 

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job purpose: Responsible for carrying out a wide range of administrative processes related to planning and building control applications, within agreed timescales and performance criteria. The primary objective is to provide an efficient and customer focused service to various stakeholders, including elected members, applicants, the public, internal customers, the Planning Inspectorate, and solicitors.   

Responsibilities

• Register, validate and review planning and building control applications, ensuring compliance with standard details, information, drawings, plans, forms, and other submitted materials using geographical information systems. Proficiently measure plans electronically and in paper format.
• Request missing information by applying the national and local validation criteria and building regulations to make a variety of application types valid
• Calculate the correct fee for planning and building control applications based on the development size and type.
• Take fee payments over the telephone complying with financial regulations and apply these to the correct planning and building control applications
• Raise Z orders, BACS payments and process refunds for sign off by senior officers
• Organise and book in site visit inspections for building control officers and an understanding of the key site visit stages in order to answer general building control queries
• To stay updated with current planning and building control legislation, permitted development rights and GDPR.   
• Produce site notices and advertisements in accordance with planning legislation
• Interrogate computer systems, including analysing and interpreting graphical information such as planning constraints in order to respond to a wide range of customer and third party enquiries via the telephone, in writing and face to face.
• Assist with the administration of planning appeals in respect of standard forms and other submitted information and plans, through to appeal decision whilst liaising with planners, agents, solicitors and the planning inspectorate.
• Prepare, collate and produce evidence for use at planning appeal hearings and public inquiries.
• Prepare planning officers reports and plans for presentation at plans panel.
• Process revised plans and issue decision notices for planning applications following sign off by senior officers in line with service level agreements.
• Scanning, inserting and indexing of plans and documents and ensuring that records are consistent between systems.
• Retrieve and distribute historical planning and building control information using ICT systems.
• Ensure that information and administrative systems (including electronic, document files and graphical systems) are up to date and properly maintained.
• Cultivate and maintain strong working relationships with internal and external customers.
• Ensure consistent adherence to procedures and systems
• The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Essential requirements It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post. Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.

• Able to resolve problems and achieve successful solutions
• Able to deal with telephone calls
• Able to access and interpret information and reference sources
• Able to measure plans both electronically and in paper format
• Able to prepare evidence both electronically and in paper format
• Able to support and mentor junior staff as required
• Awareness of and an ability to respect the sensitive and confidential nature of the work
• Understanding of the Data Protection Act and its application in a planning and development environment
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Experience of dealing with customers and handling difficult situations
• Experience of working to strict deadlines
• Experience of using IT systems and data inputting
• Experience of CAPS Uniform system and /or other geographical-based computer systems including electronic document imaging

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics

• Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct
• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies.
• Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.
• Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
• Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities, including developing and agreeing with a Personal Action Plan and achieving its aims and targets.
• Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity policies of Leeds City Council.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person
• Prepared to be flexible and proactive and adapt to changing circumstances at short notice and ability to respect the sensitive and confidential nature of the work.
• The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.
• Customer focused with good understanding of service delivery issues
• Conscientious and committed approach towards completing tasks accurately and to deadlines to achieve service objectives.

Desirable requirements It is desirable that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post.  Candidates are not required to meet all the desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between acceptable candidates.

• Understanding of the Town and Country Planning system and knowledge of planning legislation
• Knowledge of planning and building control processes and their implementation

#INT #LI-DNI

Apply for this job