Job Details
Job title: Area Development Manager
Salary/Grade: SMG1
Service: Planning
Reports to: Planning Development Manager
Manages/Supervises: Line management responsibility for a team of Professional Planning Officers
Job purpose
To lead a team of professional Planning Officers and provide an effective Development Management Service for an area of the District in accordance with the Council’s policies and targets.
Principal Accountabilities
- Checking and signing off reports and decisions to be considered under delegated authority or by Planning Committee, and deputising for other Managers during periods of absence.
- The provision of advice to Planning Committee on all aspects of Development Management, preparing Committee reports and recommendations and assembling agendas.
- To attend Planning Committee meetings and present reports and recommendations.
- To coordinate all aspects of the Development Management Service for an area of the District, including liaison with Parish Councils, interest groups, other Departments of the Council, the County Council and consultees, to ensure high standards of service.
- Management and monitoring of Planning Performance Agreements for an Area Team.
- The implementation of all aspects of the Council’s plans and policies through Development Management and through liaison with the Planning Policy team and other Council Services.
- To manage a team of Planning Officers including workload allocation, mentoring, development and performance management and appraisal.
- To engage and liaise with Members on Development Management issues.
- To support the Planning Development Manager in the co-ordination of Development Management input into the development of the Local Plan.
- To assess planning and related applications, discuss proposals with applicants, undertake site inspections and advise the public on proposals, as appropriate.
- To prepare evidence for appeals and represent the Council at Hearings and Public Inquiries.
- To represent the Development Management Service, as required, in the development of cross-Service corporate strategies and projects.
- To deputise for the Planning Development Manager as required and during periods of absence.
Corporate Accountabilities
- To take responsibility for maintaining own health and attendance.
- To support, contribute and comply with quality and governance procedures as directed by management.
- To apply and actively promote the principles of the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy in all areas of employment and service delivery.
- Any other associated duties detailed by Head of Service or his representative.
- To advise Line manager if, at any time, the above duties and responsibilities cannot be performed.
- Any other duties as required to support the business, including maintaining business continuity and during civil emergencies.
- To apply and actively promote the principles of the Council’s Safeguarding Procedure in all areas of employment and service delivery.
Skills, Knowledge and Experience
(Tested at application and interview stage)
Experience & Qualifications
- Planning degree or equivalent qualification and eligibility for RTPI Membership (Essential).
- Relevant experience in a range of Development Management work with a Local Planning Authority, including appeals, reporting to Committee and other formal and informal meetings (Essential).
- Experience of negotiating Section 106 agreements (Essential).
- Experience in a range of Development Management (DM) work (within the LPA or private sector), including complex applications, appeals and providing pre application advice (Essential).
- Experience of managing/leading a team of staff (Desirable).
Skills and Knowledge
- Understanding of Planning Law and National Planning Policies and Guidance relating to Development Management.
- Ability to interpret plans and understand related information.
- Ability to prepare clear written reports/statements fit for the relevant audience.
- Ability to present reports to public/member meetings.
- Experience of working successfully with elected members within political frameworks, ideally within a democratic public sector context.
- Experience of developing effective partnerships with key stakeholders and external bodies.
- Management skills/aptitude including the ability to coach and develop a team of Planning Officers.
- Current UK Driving Licence and access to a car.
Competencies
(Tested at the interview stage)
Communicating Effectively
Demonstrate the effective use of the range of communication methods available: written, spoken, electronic, and use these methods in appropriate ways suitable to the context and situation
- Communicate across all levels in your department, seeking to establish open working relationships with all levels of staff
- Listen well and seek clarification and understanding, avoiding jumping to conclusions or making assumptions
- Ensure that communications are open, transparent, appropriate and respectful, and that responses are treated in an objective and constructive manner
- Ensure that communications of all types with external contacts uphold the values and reputation of BDC
- Ensure that communication and dialogue is maintained on an on-going basis, especially at times of change
Performing efficiently and effectively
Promote good performance, developing clear, structured and efficient ways of managing workload and delivering results. Staff should challenge themselves and others to perform well, and to adhere to the Council’s performance management systems
- Clearly set out the performance targets for your departments
- Focus on results and the achievement of targets and objectives
- Use a project management approach, providing a proactive monitoring role as appropriate
- Take appropriate action on poor service or people performance
- Encourage the development of a learning culture to ensure excellence and creativity in service and people performance
- Drive to develop a commercial culture where staff are enabled and equipped to test new ideas, processes and methods and are supported even if ideas fail
- Focus more on outcomes – income generation, cost reduction, use of resources – and less on the outputs involved
- Create and maintain strong and effective partnerships, understanding mutual benefits and potential disadvantages
- Understand competitive advantage and its role in strategy
- Know how and when to negotiate in a partnership arrangement
- Anticipate changing needs and remodel contracts over time
- Make decision making speedier to seize commercial opportunities
Using and managing resources efficiently and effectively
Demonstrate the effective and efficient use of the full range of resources used in and by the Council including time, finances, staffing, equipment, information, materials, buildings, etc.
- Set consistent, transparent, fair and ethical standards for the use of resources as an example to your department
- Proactively monitor the use of budgets and other resources against objectives, targets and projects, ensuring timely interventions to prevent overspending or mismanagement
- Demonstrate and encourage creative and innovative development and use of resources for the Council to maximise efficiencies while maintaining the effectiveness of services
- Seek value for money, and maximise opportunities for external funding
Engaging with the customer
Understand the needs and requirements of their customers, to provide excellent customer service, and to involve customers in the improvement of services
- Challenge services to consider innovative ways of involving the customer in the design and delivery of services
- Be a role model of excellent internal and external customer service
- Maintain a culture of continuous improvement
Working well together
Actively foster good working relationships with colleagues and customers in order to collectively achieve the Council’s direction and ambition
- Establish a climate of working together within your departments, and across boundaries, ensuring “joined-up thinking”
- Encourage and demonstrate cross-boundary working and challenge “silo-thinking”
- Foster political awareness and establish positive working relationships with members
Managers Competencies
Managing and developing people
Effectively manage and develop staff in order to achieve the Council’s objectives, improve performance and job satisfaction, and to develop the workforce of the future
- Use a structured approach to agree clear objectives and monitor progress in a positive way
- Provide appropriate development inputs for all staff and evaluate outcomes of learning activity
- Make a personal commitment and contribution to employee development e.g. coaching/mentoring
- Take action to resolve performance issues speedily and effectively, and within policy guidelines
- Develop self-awareness of own management style and seek to develop flexibility in order to be able to work effectively with a range of work styles
- Create a culture of empowerment in which staff can excel, develop and take ownership of their work and responsibilities
Other conditions
- This post doesn't require a DBS check
- This post is not politically restricted
Job Profile Updated August 2026
Values and behaviours
Our values and behaviours are an integral part of who we are; they are the guiding principles that should inform how we work together, support each other and make decisions.
Our organisation thrives on the dedication and passion of its people and it’s important that we embody these values and behaviours and they become a part of our organisational DNA.
Our vision
We will be ambitious, support each other and work together in new ways to achieve outstanding results
Our core values
We value everyone
- We respect, recognise and support our people, residents and businesses
- We listen to each other, understand and treat everyone fairly
- We care about our people and appreciate the unique qualities in us all
We work together
- We respect, recognise and support our people, residents and businesses
- We work as one team, recognising everyone's contribution
- We build strong relationships and partnerships to deliver better outcomes
We are flexible
- We embrace change and new ways of working
- We are adaptable, open to new ideas and focus on solutions
- We aim to constantly improve, and we are not afraid to challenge the status quo
