Lead Project Officer - Minerals & Waste

Protect it. Shape it. Enjoy it. Come to Dorset and be a part of it

Dorset is a beautiful and iconic area, with historic market towns, wonderful countryside and miles of stunning coast as well as a place of innovation and growth.

We are a bold and ambitious council, taking Dorset into the future – and our Planning team is taking centre stage.

It’s a great council to work for, and you will be joining a friendly, supportive team.  

Employee benefits include a local government pension, generous annual leave allowance, flexible working and wellbeing support.

What’s in it for you:

This is your chance to take the lead in preparing a new Minerals and Waste Plan for the whole of the Dorset Council area. 

Whether you have a background in minerals and waste or are an experienced planner looking for a change of direction, Dorset is an exciting place to be working in minerals and waste, with a wide and varied range of minerals, waste management technologies and environmental constraints.  

Our main office base is in Dorchester but we are all set up for hybrid working and you can work remotely or in the office, as long as you can be available for necessary meetings and site visits.

What you can expect to be doing

You would be the lead officer of a small group preparing the new Minerals and Waste Plan, following the new local plan process.  Dorset has a wide variety of minerals, and we also need to look for sites for new waste infrastructure.  It’s a chance to organise and carry out the whole process of preparing a plan, including research, consultation and public examination.

You’ll be working within a wider team of specialist minerals and waste planning officers, and liaising with a wide range of other planning, environmental, economic development and waste team colleagues.   You’ll also be working with adjoining councils in the Wessex Region in the preparation of a Spatial Development Strategy which will include higher level minerals and waste policy.

About you

We’re looking for a qualified planner with relevant experience, preferably in minerals and waste planning policy, but you may have other planning experience that can be utilised in the role. 

Within the role, you will:

• manage a significant workload and meet challenging deadlines
• demonstrate strong written and oral communication skills
• present confidently to committees, inquiries and public forums
• understand democratic processes and public consultation
• work effectively within a team and advise others where required
• support and help train junior staff
• be adaptable and able to balance competing demands
• share our values of Respect, Together, Accountability, Openness and Curiosity

If you are motivated by complex planning challenges, public interest decision-making and shaping long-term policy in a unique county, this is an opportunity to develop your career within a specialist and supportive team.

This is a full-time role at 37 hours per week, though we are happy to hear from people who would prefer to work part-time.

This post requires significant travel. You must have a vehicle (or transport we deem suitable) available for use as needed. 

You'll need to be able to drive, as minerals and waste sites are not always on public transport routes, but we do have pool cars available.

 Please contact Hilary Jordan (Service Manager for Spatial Planning) - [email protected], 01305 252303 -  or Felicity Hart (Minerals and Waste Planning Manager) - [email protected], 01305 224263 - if you would like to discuss the role further.

At Dorset Council, it's not just about the work we do, it's about how we do it. Hear directly from our employees about what makes Dorset Council special in this short video:

At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future.

We:

• provide essential services that support over 300,000 residents
• work in partnership to make a real difference
• value every role and the impact it has on our communities
• support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive

You will:

• be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset
• have access to a range of benefits and support
• receive training and development opportunities to help your career progress

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible, if you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application.

This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement.

If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us.

Find out more about how to apply.