Senior Associate - Town Planning

Job Description

Mott MacDonald

We’re a global engineering, management, and development consultancy.
Our purpose is to improve society by considering social outcomes in everything we do, relentlessly focusing on excellence and digital innovation, transforming our clients’ businesses, our communities and employee opportunities.

A fundamental part of this is respecting each person’s differences and striving to meet their needs.

We are proud to be a one of Glassdoor’s top employers to work for in the UK, as well as being recognised as a Top Inclusive Company in the UK.

Our values: Progress, Respect, Integrity, Drive, Excellence.

About the division

Environmental and social considerations are central to Mott MacDonald’s Purpose and its offerings across all sectors and territories. Our environment and social business provides essential services and innovative solutions which anticipate our clients' needs across all sectors.

Overview of the role

We are seeking a Senior Associate to join our expanding town planning team, to be based in our Birmingham office, supporting us in the delivery of a range of major projects. This is to support and grow our capabilities in providing strategic advice and securing planning approvals across a range of sectors, including energy and water infrastructure, climate resilience, defence, highways, rail, education, health, housing, employment and mixed-use regeneration and waste focused schemes.

You will be responsible for supporting and helping to grow our national planning team. Developing relationships with colleagues across the business, you will have a particular focus on developing links across infrastructure delivery. You will be working alongside the full range of technical disciplines Mott MacDonald offers on some of the largest and complex infrastructure and development projects in the UK. These will cover multiple sectors including energy, water, transport and the built and natural environment, for clients including Ministry of Justice, Network Rail, National Highways, Environment Agency, Severn Trent Water, Affinity Water and Anglian Water.

The work will be challenging and varied, ranging from preparing and submitting planning applications to strategic town planning consultancy advice including and advising on consenting processes/strategies and informing optioneering processes for scheme development. There are also opportunities to help deliver a number of Development Consent Orders (DCOs) for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP’s) and Transport and Works Act Orders (TWAOs) following recent wins across the rail, energy and water sectors.

Key responsibilities for the role include:

• Responsible for and working as part of the planning team to deliver a range of planning projects, including working alongside and potentially project managing other disciplines as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Writing, advising and reviewing planning deliverables to a very high standard. This includes high level options appraisals, preparing and reviewing documents for planning applications, Marine Licensing, Environmental Permitting, Energy Consents, TWAOs or DCOs and planning policy preparation and advice.
• Project managing and co-ordinating the preparation of planning applications.
• Liaising with Local Planning Authorities / Statutory Consultees as necessary to ensure applications are registered and determined within a timely manner.
• Preparing inputs and potentially leading bids for new work.
• Supporting more junior members of staff in their chartership and professional development.

Candidate Specification

You will be required to have the following skills and experience:

• Degree and/or Masters in Town Planning.
• Extensive town planning experience across a range of consenting types, including the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, Development Consent Order and Transport and Works Act Order processes.
• Chartered Member of the RTPI.
• Experience of preparing and submitting planning applications, drafting reports, feasibility studies, masterplans and regeneration strategies.
• Experience of working with a range of client bodies including both private sector and public sector.
• Previous experience of, and having an active role in the delivery of varied infrastructure, regeneration and environmental projects.
• Experience in overseeing, and/or project managing multidisciplinary projects.
• Experience of supporting and mentoring more junior members of the team.
• Experience of team working to support the delivery of projects.
• Experience of financial accountability for projects and delivery of projects within budget.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

Agile working

Happy to talk Flexible Working and how we can support your responsibilities beyond the workplace.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.