Specialist Advisor - Conservation (Senior Conservation Officer)

Contract: Fixed Term 12 month (maternity cover)

Planning First is a newly established service bringing together staff at Eastbourne Borough and Lewes District Councils concerned with developments related to the local built environments. The inter-disciplinary team includes case workers, planners, policy experts and a small team interested in conservation, regeneration and design issues.

We want to further develop this team, and are currently looking for an experienced Specialist Advisor (Conservation) able to

• deliver authoritative information, advice and guidance to householders, agents, architects and developers; and to other team members, council colleagues and councillors
• provide written conservation advice assessing the appropriateness of specific proposals for development in conservation areas and listed buildings submitted through applications for planning permission/ listed building consent
• generate information sheets and booklets and equivalent online content for broad-based public consumption addressing topics of interest from a heritage point of view
• support the work of the independent design review panels
• attend and support conservation areas advisory group meetings
• to represent Planning First in meetings with householders, developers, architects and other groups
• to provide training on conservation themes

The role is interesting and varied, and the successful post-holder will need

• relevant experience delivering a comparable role in a local authority or commercial setting
• an appropriate qualification and/ or credentials, for example ICHB
• excellent written and communication skills, to include the proven ability to convey complex information to non-specialist audiences
• an ability to undertake conservation area assessments, audits and reviews; to support policy development and to make positive connections between conservation activity and broader regeneration and urban design agendas
• to be able to manage workloads and to work with a range of IT packages
• to able to represent the authorities, and act as an ambassador, in dealings with a wide range of external groups.

The closing date for the receipt of applications is noon on 27 April 2021