Principal Planning Advisor

Homes for Scotland (HFS) wishes to recruit a full time Principal Planning Advisor. 

This is a unique opportunity to work at the forefront of planning for housing in Scotland, furthering our primary purpose of delivering more homes for Scotland through making an unequivocal case for an increase in housing supply.  

Through this you will build a strong personal reputation, develop an impressive network of professional contacts and take part in impactful discussions with senior policy and decision makers. 

We are looking for a collaborative, confident, personable and intelligent person who can self-manage a busy workload of local and regional planning policy work and contribute to our work at the national level. In particular you will lead our planning work in the Strathclyde, Grampian and Highland and Moray geographical areas of Scotland. 

This will be a permanent position ordinarily based in our Edinburgh office. The HFS team is currently working from home due to Covid-19 restrictions. 

About Homes for Scotland 

Homes for Scotland represents the home building industry in Scotland. Our membership of 200 organisations includes private builders and RSLs, as well as associate members drawn from the supporting sectors and professional services, including leading planning consultants and law firms. Our primary purpose is to deliver more homes for Scotland. 

Our values are: 

Collaboration 

• We work collaboratively:
• we are personable and friendly.

Integrity 

• We have integrity:
• we are honest and consistent.

Passion 

• We are passionate about our work:
• we are authoritative and confident.

Excellence 

• We strive for excellence:
• we are professional and committed.

HFS looks to change, challenge and collaborate on behalf of members to ensure the housing needs and aspirations of all those living in Scotland are met. 

• We work with government at all levels.
• We engage constructively with other stakeholder groups.
• We lead debate on the issues that affect housing delivery.
• We question policy and guidance where necessary.
• We seek and offer solutions to stimulate change.

Job Description 

The post holder will operate within the context of the Homes for Scotland Strategy (link in job advert text on Homes for Scotland website), values, operating procedures and directions from the HFS Senior Management Team and Board to carry out the following key duties and responsibilities:

1. Core Planning Activities 

• To assist the Director of Planning in discharging her duty to the Board to provide a comprehensive planning service covering national, regional and local policy issues.  To represent the company’s position on planning and related matters by:  Submitting representations on planning policy matters with the assistance from our members through our regional Home Builders’ Committees;  Representing HFS and industry positions to external bodies and agencies, in writing and through discussion; and  Acting as an expert witness at LDP examination hearings.  To prepare analysis and advice on planning and related matters including regional spatial strategies, local development plans, supplementary planning guidance and housing land audits.  To support our Home Builders’ Committees as our principal means of gathering industry insights on and priorities for local planning and related matters. 

2. Company responsibilities 

• To assist in maintaining intelligence and data gathering on relevant industry matters  To represent the company to external bodies and agencies  To assist in promoting the benefits of membership to potential members  To give talks and presentations to external audiences as required  To deal with media inquiries, including giving interviews, as required 

3. Professional and personal competencies 

• To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of planning policy, guidance and good practice   To maintain IT skills  To maintain a professional programme of Continuing Professional Development in line with the requirements of the RTPI  To identify personal and professional development aims and actions through regular performance reviews 

Person Specification 

Essential 

• Ability to work in line with our organisational values (see above)  Degree/Diploma in Town and Country Planning  At least five years post–qualification planning experience in relevant fields (for example home building and/or the planning environment in which it operates)  Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (or eligible)  IT skills, including MS Word, Excel, Teams and PowerPoint  Confidence working with numbers, including data analysis and basic research methods Driving Licence holder and own / access to a car for business travel  Energy and enthusiasm  Excellent written and oral communication skills  Strong organisational skills  Personable and skilled relationship builder and collaborative worker  Experience in writing minutes and reports 

Desirable  

• Experience in more than one area of planning practice  Experience in both public and private sectors  Experience working in a role directly related to housing land supply  Experience working in a role directly related to developer contributions 

Salary and benefits 

• This full time position includes a competitive salary dependent upon experience, with employer’s pension contributions, private life cover and health insurance also offered. We operate a flexible working policy.  

To Apply 

Please submit a covering letter and CV to [email protected] 

Your covering letter should clearly demonstrate how you meet the person specification. 

Please provide 2 referees and indicate your current salary and notice period (where relevant). 

Applications should be submitted by 11:59 pm on Wednesday 21 April 

Interviews are provisionally scheduled for Tuesday 27 April (PM) and Wednesday 28 April (AM)   

For Further Information 

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Director of Planning Tammy Swift-Adams on 07471907103