Contents Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information Location Lichfield - WS14 9PY, Catterick - DL9 3LR, Andover - SP11 8HJ About the job Job summary Do you want to work for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and play a key role in keeping our country safe through caring for the Defence estate and those that depend on it? DIO manages the Defence estate, one of the UKs largest and most diverse property portfolios, enabling the armed forces and Defence civilians to live, work, train and deploy. From net carbon-zero accommodation to runways for the F35 fighter jets, our outputs are unique in the UK and across the globe If you are a suitably qualified property professional who would be interested in working client-side with Military colleagues on one of the largest estates in the country and/or across an extensive overseas portfolio, and you are motivated by the prospect of working on a diverse range of exciting, interesting and often-challenging projects of National interest in support of the UK Defence Mission, then the DIO Estates Team is for you The Role DIO Estates currently have a vacancy for a Senior Town Planner to work within the Estates Planning Team. The role sits in a team of Defence Subject Matter Experts (SME) for the full range of MOD Town Planning matters, providing robust written and verbal town planning advice, guidance and technical inputs to DIO Service Delivery, Estate Management Plans, Projects and programmes, Disposals & Acquisitions programmes, Land Management Services (LMS) and to military customers. The successful candidate will be responsible for the application of best practice, knowledge and understanding of planning legislation both within the UK and overseas to support operational capability; protect the defence estate and provide planning advice to support the uplift in value of land that is no longer required as part of the operational estate. This is an exciting opportunity to join our nationwide network of highly skilled Town and Country Planners and we are looking for motivated suitability qualified property professional to join an established team, working closely with military and civilian colleges delivering exciting, varied estate activities, programmes, and subject matter professional advice. The MOD Estate is wide and varied, on this unique Estate variety is certain and no 2 days will be the same The breadth of work on offer is exceptional with opportunities to get involved in a wide range of projects across the UK to enable Defence capability This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. Job description Main Responsibilities The Senior Town Planner role within Estates oversees and manages a wide range of programmes and services alongside the provision of subject matter expert advice and communications with all key stakeholders. Key activities for the role are: Provision of strategic advice and technical inputs to major projects and programmes, including site disposals, operational development, and land use planning strategies. Advising MOD on the potential planning impacts of external third-party proposals. Commissioning, managing, and assessing the quality of technical planning proposals and outputs from external consultants. The management, development, and submission of planning applications on behalf of MOD. Representation of MOD interests in external town planning processes including Local Plans and appeals; assurance and negotiations in relation to developer contributions and legal agreements. Influencing and developing town planning policy. Subject Matter Expert support and input to elements of: Freedom of Information Requests, Environmental Information Requests, Media and Comms briefs, Lines to Take and Ministerial Briefs concerning Town Planning and related matters. Liaison with MOD client organisations and the management of external stakeholder relations including regulatory authorities and Other Government Departments (OGDs). Location The role can be based at any of the stated locations. The successful candidate will be expected to regularly attend their chosen office for face-to-face meetings and collaboration. Work location will be agreed once the successful candidate has been selected. Please confirm your location on your application form. Alongside the advertised locations, other DIO locations may be offered. All sites will be considered whilst ensuring the location of the successful candidate can still meet the business and travel requirements of the role. If travelling outside your base location for duty reasons, you will have access to flights, hire cars, rail tickets and overnight accommodation. You can also claim 45 pence per mile should you choose to use your own vehicle for business travel. Travel may be required to carry out site visits where you may go on MOD Establishments, residential estates, building sites, agricultural land, training areas and firing ranges etc. Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements. Person specification Essential Experience: Relevant, suitable experience and knowledge at an appropriate level in the provision of strategic town planning advice and technical inputs to major projects and programmes, including: Site disposals, operational development, and land use planning strategies. Commissioning, managing, and assessing the quality of technical planning proposals and outputs from external consultants. The management, development, submission and/or assessment of planning applications. Representation of client interests in external town planning processes including Local Plans and appeals; assurance and negotiations in relation to developer contributions and legal agreements. Desirable Experience: Working in a Defence environment Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Licences Mandatory: UK Full Driving Licence Qualifications Mandatory: RTPI accredited Degree OR qualification Memberships Mandatory: Full membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Technical skills We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: Technical: Government Property Profession Career Framework: 1: Property Professional Expertise - Practitioner / Expert Level Technical: Government Property Profession Career Framework: 3: Stakeholder Engagement Practitioner / Expert level Benefits Alongside your salary of £44,590, Ministry of Defence contributes £12,917 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. Learning and development tailored to your role An environment with flexible working options A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% Successful candidates will become members of the Government Property Profession, with benefits including opportunities for Government and industry led CPD events; access to a diverse community of property professionals across government for sharing knowledge and ideas; and a comprehensive career framework and learning and development curriculum to support your career journey. To learn more about our full range of benefits, view our Candidate Information Guide attached. The post does not offer relocation expenses. External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period. Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed. Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts. Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/. The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments. MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights. Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills. When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected. Should we receive a high volume of applicants for this post we will long-list applicants based on an agreed long-list scoring benchmark. Should those at the interview threshold benchmark not be successful at Interview we will proceed to consider applicants who met the long-list benchmark. Please ensure that at the application and interview stages of the campaign you review the Success Profiles Framework to assist you in the demonstration of your skills and experience. Your suitability for the role will be assessed using the Success Profile elements that have been chosen for this campaign. Each element will be scored accordingly, and the successful candidate will be appointed on merit. At application you will be assessed against the following: Experience: CV including Job History, Full Qualification Details and Previous Skills & Experience: Please ensure that you explain all skills and experience that are relevant to the advertised role as detailed within the Essential experience within the personal specification section of the advert. Personal Statement: Please use examples to demonstrate relevant, suitable experience and knowledge at an appropriate level in the provision of strategic town planning advice and technical inputs to major projects and programmes, including: Site disposals, operational development, and land use planning strategies. Commissioning, managing, and assessing the quality of technical planning proposals and outputs from external consultants. The management, development, submission and/or assessment of planning applications. Representation of client interests in external town planning processes including Local Plans and appeals; assurance and negotiations in relation to developer contributions and legal agreements. At interview you will be assessed against the above PLUS the following: Technical Skills: Government Property Profession Career Framework: 1: Property Professional Expertise Practitioner Level 3: Stakeholder Engagement - Practitioner Level We want to offer opportunities to all who are successful at interview for our roles, but this isn't always possible, so we do hold candidates on an active reserve list for 12 months. It is also possible that we may offer similar lower graded role/s to reserve candidates or, if no reserves are appointed, candidates that meet the lower grade criteria in merit order. Application sifting is scheduled to take place on week commencing 6th January 2025. Interviews are currently taking place via Face to Face or remotely through a digital platform, this will be confirmed with the successful candidates who are invited to an interview and will be conducted week commencing 13th January 2025. A minimum of 2 full working days notice will be provided for interviews. We endeavour to stick to these dates, but these are subject to change around business needs. To assist with your application please find attached below: DIO Candidate Information Guide GPP Career Framework For help and support with your application check out our Civil Service Careers Homepage (Link details to insert: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk) and the How to apply section The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3mod.gov.uk. As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window). See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Nationality requirements This job is broadly open to the following groups: UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). Apply and further information This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name : Joanne Mayne Email : joanne.mayne105mod.gov.uk Telephone : 07929 763276 Recruitment team Email : DBSCivPers-ResourcingTeam3mod.gov.uk Further information Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: infocsc.gov.uk. Attachments DIO Candidate Information Guide Opens in new window (pdf, 1963kB) EXTERNAL PACK Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB) Candidate Information updated Opens in new window (docx, 31kB) Share this page Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn GMail