Principal Enforcement Planning Officer

• You will be leading a Somerset wide Planning Enforcement team which operate over the four geographic areas of Somerset and providing oversight on appeal performance
• Due to the need to undertake site visits you will need to be in the office 1-2 days a week with the option for home working the rest of the time
• This role provides 33 days annual leave
• As a developing service you would be in a position to inform and develop process improvements
• Scale of Somerset means there are CPD opportunities the shadow investigations through the processes and peer support
• Permanent Role

As a Principal Enforcement Planning Officer you would manage the Enforcement team being responsible for overseeing Enforcement Action across the Somerset area. You would support the Senior and Enforcement Planning officers in assessing breaches of planning control and determining appropriate action working pro-actively, negotiating to ensure the appropriate outcomes and acting where necessary in accordance with Somersets Enforcement Policy.   

You would also need to demonstrate good professional and interpersonal skills engaging with the public and elected members.

Somerset offers the total enforcement experience from small scale breaches, negotiation, serving notices, prosecution, injunctions and High Court. Given the size of the area and the team there is a full range of experience within the team and we encourage peer support and/or shadowing enforcement cases through processes that have not yet experienced. You will be directly managed by the Planning Service Manager. 

The Enforcement and Appeals team could bring you variety, the satisfaction of seeing delivery and engaging with the local community, stakeholders, members and working to achieve the best outcome for all.

Within Somerset we have a huge breadth of work, and plenty of interesting projects. These currently include:
• Local Development Orders
• Development Consent Orders
• Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects
• Major residential and Commercial developments
• Our Emerging Local Plan

We also have a successful history of gaining Levelling up and Homes England funding - which means there will be a range of new things to work on in the coming years as we deliver key community facilities, infrastructure and public realm improvements.

All this means that you’ll have the chance to develop your experience and skills with us the range of which will be difficult to match elsewhere.

We continue to shape our service as a new authority and we’re not sitting still. If you relish opportunities to inform, influence and streamline you could be a key part of the evolution of a large planning and enforcement service.

We are looking for qualified and/or experienced Enforcement Officers, with experience of determining and negotiating on complex enforcement caseloads within a Local Authority environment. You would need to be or be eligible to become a Chartered Planner, if you are not already Chartered, this will be encouraged for your development once in the role.

For this role, it would be ideal if you had some management experience but if you’re a Senior Enforcement Officer and feel ready to step up, we’ll support and help development you into a Principal role. This role will include the need to support the development of the Senior Planning Officers (Enforcement) and the Planning Officers (Enforcement) within the team. Consideration would also be given to those coming from a law enforcement background.

We’re proud to be here to support the communities of Somerset. We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team as we aim to be as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve. 

Please contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

The ability to shape a mould the future enforcement service for Somerset within a team that offers a supportive and rewarding environment. The team are passionate about the work they do and work collaboratively to ensure the best outcome for all, to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

•    We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
•    Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
•    Staff discounts in gyms.
•    Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
•    Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
•    A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
•    My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

The Salary for the Principal Enforcement Planning Officer role is Grade 8, £50,000 per annum which includes a remuneration package of £2,246 per annum for up to 3 years.

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Dawn deVries via email at dawn.devries@somerset.gov.uk

Interviews will be held between March 26th - 28th 2025

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button - we can’t wait to hear from you.