Flood & Coastal Management Planning Officer

Some key information

• This role offers hybrid working, allowing you to work either from home or from one of our offices.
• 30 days' annual leave, plus bank holidays.
• Development opportunities
• Permanent Role – 37 hours a week.

What will I be doing?

Here at Somerset Council our Flood and Coastal Management Planning Officers play a crucial role within the Council, acting as the Lead Local Flood Authority.

Your day-to-day work will involve:

• Receive, manage, review and respond to Planning Application Referrals from the Local Planning Authority, applying best practice under guidance from the National Planning Policy Framework. This includes appeals, pre-application advice and committees.
• Participates In service activities ensuring the Council fulfils its statutory duties and responsibilities to meet the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 and the Flood Risk Regulations 2009, to reduce impact of flooding on residents, businesses and visitors of Somerset.
• Provide advice, guidance and support to Line Managers and Senior Professionals in handling Flood and Coastal management issues.
• Working closely with other teams and groups within and outside of the service and Council to ensure compliance with Strategic Business Plan.
• Proactive Communication with key partners including the Environmental Agency, Water Companies, and internal groups.
• Positive communication with the Public of a wide range of matters, with a requirement to meet property and landowners and attend site meetings.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We offer ongoing supporting, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But it will really help if you:

• Have a degree in relevant field such as Environmental Science, Civil Engineering, Geoscience/Geography, or Water Management.
• Have a thorough understanding of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 and the Flood Risk Regulations 2009, an in-depth understanding of Flood and Coastal Management functions and their importance in reducing flood risk, as well as knowledgeable about local flood risk strategies and their implementation.
• Have excellent communication, analytical and problem-solving skills to engage with stakeholders and build positive relationships.
• Have experience in planning and preparation related to flood risk.

We're proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there's anything you want to talk about before you apply.

What's in it for me?

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

Anything else I should know?

The Salary for the Planning Officer role is Grade 10, £36,124 to £40,467 per annum.

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Neil Ogilvie, Service Manager – Flood and Coastal Management on or

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button - we can't wait to hear from you.

Job Reference: SCC05988