Principal Urban Design Officer

Salary range: £53,607 - £56,646 p.a. inc. London weighting  
Contract: Permanent  
Hours of work: 36 hours per week  
Location: Civic Centre and other locations from time to time 
Start date: From 1st April 2025 onwards

 

Brent is a tremendously vibrant London borough where the iconic arch of Wembley Stadium dominates the skyline. Spanning both inner and outer London, it is a borough of huge contrasts in terms of its economic, environmental, ethnic and social make up. Brent’s diversity is evident to all who visit our borough and our long history of ethnic and cultural diversity has created a place that is truly unique and valued by those who live and work here.

 

The council is pursuing a far-reaching transformation agenda that better meets the needs of our community so it is an exciting time to join us.
 

 

Good design is fundamental to a high-quality city. We are recruiting an experienced architect or urban designer to support the borough’s ambitions for growth and deliver on the policies of the Brent Local Plan. As key member of the Placemaking team, you will work across a number of other teams and departments to provide urban design advice into strategically important planning applications, masterplans, site allocations and planning briefs. 

 

Brent is committed to design excellence, and we believe in a place-based approach to development that responds to the areas of growth, areas of renewal and areas for protection across the borough. All development proposals must lead the way in good urban and sustainable design, support health, wellbeing and inclusivity, and positively address the design policies within the London Plan, the Brent Local Plan and the Brent Supplementary Planning Documents.

 

You will also be responsible for overseeing the management of the Brent Quality Review and Community Review Panels, the Brent Design Awards and a range of other design-related workstreams and projects, as well as seeking new ventures through grant funding or revenue generating opportunities.

 

 

You will be an experienced built environment professional with a proven track record in delivering high quality design outcomes either through project-based experience gained in practice or a similar role in a local planning authority. You will first and foremost be a proactive design advocate, with the confidence and ability to champion good design at a range of levels within the organisation and amongst a range of different stakeholders. You will have excellent verbal, written and visual communication skills, and be demonstrably collaborative in your approach.

 

If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact John Stiles, Placemaking Manager at John.Stiles@brent.gov.uk

 

Closing date: 02 February 2025 (23:00)

 

If you are interested in applying for this job, please start by clicking the "Apply Now" button below. You must provide a supporting statement as part of your application that clearly shows how you meet the criteria on the Person Specification. We will accept a CV in support of your application, however, you should still provide a supporting statement.

Brent Council values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects this and therefore encourage applications from all sections of the community. We positively encourage all applicants to self-identify their characteristics in the diversity survey section in the application.

We are committed to safer recruitment and safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants should be aware that posts working with children, young people and vulnerable adults are subject to an Enhanced DBS check as well as other employment clearances.
 

The information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas and your data protection rights, can be found here.
 

Brent has a positive approach to flexible working.
 

As a disability confident employer Brent welcomes applications from people with all disabilities, including “non-visible” disabilities and mental health conditions. We will interview any disabled applicant who meets the essential criteria. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made to any part of the recruitment process due to your disability, please contact us on  recruitment@brent.gov.uk