Job Title: Development Officer Starting Salary: £30,559 £2807 market enhancement, with the opportunity to progress to £33,666 £1,869 market enhancement per annum Hours: 37.0 Location: Base in Stevenage - Hybrid working Contract Type: Permanent Directorate: Growth & Environment About the team The County Council as Highway Authority is a statutory consultee for all planning applications with transport impact, as well as authorising authority for any resulting highway works (under Section 278 and Section 38 agreements) required as part of a development. The responsibilities of the Development Management Team are vital in contributing to a positive vision for Hertfordshire. As well as providing for safe and efficient travel, transport has a major input into wider policies such as economic growth, meeting housing needs, improving public health and reducing environmental damage you will be assisting in ensuring that developments of all sizes are sustainable and that the impacts to safety of our roads and congestion are reduced to the lowest level practicable. About the role We are looking for a Development Officer to provide highway responses to planning applications and a desire to influence sustainable development and ensuring the impacts of growth are managed. This is an exciting opportunity with involvement in interpreting transport policy and technical standards in order to deliver the formal advice of the County Council, as the statutory highway and transport authority. The role requires an ability to work in a collaborative manner with colleagues, private sector partners and Local Planning Authorities. Along with: Considering, evaluating, and reporting upon the transport implications of Minor and small Major planning applications informally at pre-application stage and formally as part of the statutory response period when submitted Ensuring that all assessments and responses of planning applications comprehensively consider sustainable travel issues, and that where appropriate, mitigation measures are secured and implemented Working towards providing support to the process of negotiating with developers and their consultants on contributions to transportation infrastructure arising from development proposals and ensure these are properly secured through the completion of appropriate legal agreements Contribute local development management intelligence to the production of spatial transport strategies Working towards representing the County Council at meetings with private sector partners, district council Planning Departments and at appeals (written reps/ informal) Supporting and contributing to the continued improvement of the team's performance About you Essential criteria: Clear, decisive, and persuasive communication skills, both written and verbal, demonstrating the ability to adjust to the target audience Ability to work effectively and competently with people at all levels in the organisation Effective time management and strong organisational skills Ability to work to deadlines, independently and see tasks through to completion An understanding of transport related and regeneration issues, knowledge of the development planning process Traffic and transportation design familiarity/experience Good appreciation of the political context within which the service operates Desirable criteria: A degree in Civil Engineering, Transport Planning, Geography, Environmental, or equivalent experience Full or provisional driving licence This job role is within the Technical Services, level TEC8 job profile. Please locate this via: Job profiles: Technical services To hear more about this opportunity please contact adam.whinnetthertfordshire.gov.uk or alan.storyhertfordshire.gov.uk for an informal discussion about the role. Please note that if we receive a high volume of applications, we may close the vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to ensure it is considered. Interview Date: TBC Benefits of working for us How to apply As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences. Disability Confident We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. English Fluency The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.