INTERNAL ONLY VACANCY. This post is open to existing Leeds City Council employees only. Applications will not be considered from external candidates.
Job title: Senior Technical Officer
Hours: Full time, 37 hours per week
Contracts: Permanent
Salary: C3 £31,067 - £32,654
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, developers and construction workers.
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 complex building control applications is essential
About the role
Senior Technical Officer x 1 – Building Control Administration Team
A Senior Technical Officer is required to take the lead in registering and validating Building Control applications, including domestic & commercial building control applications, initial notices, building notices and demolitions, acting as a point of reference for less experienced colleagues.
As part of the role you will have financial responsibilities calculating building control fees, raising invoices and z orders, and consolidating access reports to maximise fee income.
You will be responsible for carrying out 1-2-1’s for Technical Officer Apprentices and provide constructive feedback following coaching or cross training to feed into staff appraisals.
Candidates must have excellent communication skills as you will be expected to answer complex 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.
Read our guidance notes for 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 roles please contact Lynne Gledhill Building Control Administration Team Manager by email lynne.gledhill@leeds.gov.uk
Candidates should be available for interviews in July / August.
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 £38,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.
Job Description
Job purpose
Be responsible for carrying out complex administrative processes related to planning and building control applications. 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
- Assist the Technical Support Manager in managing a team to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of technical functions related to processing planning and building control applications.
- Stay updated on current planning legislation for planning and building control applications, interpret statutory requirements and GDPR, and identify and recommend in-house IT and process changes to meet planning legislation.
- Validate and review complex and major 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.
- Organise and administer key planning events, such as plans panel meetings and planning appeal inquiries, using network platforms, at the Civic Hall, or within the local community.
- Schedule and agree the yearly plans panel meeting calendar for elected members, the chief planning officer and internal stakeholders in accordance with agreed protocols and publicity dates
- Assist team members with difficult situations or complex planning and building control application types, and fee calculations, resolving issues independently.
- Raise invoices and prepare financial access reports in line with financial regulations to feed into team statistics and performance figures
- Assist Senior Officers in the operation of financial procedures
- Take ownership of customer, member, and agent inquiries, proactively resolving most inquiries and maintaining a polite and professional approach in difficult or abusive situations.
- Liaise with corporate contact centre and identify training needs and skills gaps to improve staff effectiveness when dealing with general planning queries
- Liaise with the head of service and DIS to rectify and reissue inaccurate planning decision notices
- Provide support, motivate, coach, and develop the team, serving as a point of reference for new and existing staff involved in administering all planning and building control application types.
- Carry out 1-2-1’s for Apprentice Technical Officers providing constructive feedback to feed into staff appraisals and carry out appraisals as required
- Deputise for the Technical Support Manager in their absence commensurate with grade.
- Advise customers, agents, and staff on planning and building control applications, fee calculations and development issues.
- Play a key role in workload allocation, focusing on customer service and delivering quality outputs to meet agreed service level agreements.
- Collaborate with elected members, service users, and community representatives to support open, responsive, and accountable government.
- Cultivate and maintain strong working relationships with internal and external customers.
- Ensure consistent adherence to procedures and systems, keeping them up to date, and effectively communicating any changes.
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 make an effective contribution to internal and external meetings
- Able to manage conflicting and competing priorities
- Able to interpret planning legislation and plans panel member protocols and provide advice accordingly
- Able to take forward initiatives and policies from development through to implementation
- Able to work flexibly across different work locations and areas as appropriate.
- Able to support, coach, and mentor team members acting as a point of reference for more complex planning applications.
- Able to measure plans both electronically and in paper format.
- Able to respond to and support others responding to planning and building control-related topics.
- Good understanding of IT and its role in delivering E-government and service improvements.
- Good understanding of the Town and Country Planning system and knowledge of planning legislation
- Good understanding of the Data Protection Act and its application in a planning and development environment
- Knowledge of planning and building control processes and their implementation
- Experience of CAPS Uniform system and /or other geographical-based computer systems including electronic document imaging
- Experience of dealing with internal and external customers and taking the lead in resolving difficult situations
- Experience of working to strict deadlines
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Experience of event organisation including virtual meetings held via network platforms
