Job Description and Selection Criteria

Job Title: Service Manager – Planning & Transport Policy

Service: Strategy

Team: Planning & Transport Policy

Grade: HAY D

Hours: 37

Job Type: Permanent

Responsible to: Deputy Director (Strategy)

Responsible for: Staff within the Planning & Transport team

Budget responsibilities: £4.1m revenue budget

MAIN PURPOSE(S) OF THE JOB:

To be responsible for strategic policies in respect of the County Council’s infrastructure planning functions, including planning policy, transport planning, property asset management and the natural and historic environment.
To be responsible for identifying the strategic infrastructure and service requirements necessary to support sustainable economic development and ensuring these shape investment priorities for Oxfordshire.
To be responsible for working with national agencies and other partners on strategic planning issues.
The post holder is responsible for ensuring that all relevant County Council policies and procedures are adhered to and concerns are raised in accordance with these policies

MAIN DUTIES:

Prepare and gain approval for the annual budget necessary to achieve the agreed programme of work.
Determine the County Council’s strategic infrastructure requirements and to work with the district and city councils to ensure that these are set out within an agreed infrastructure framework for Oxfordshire
Work with the district and city councils through the Spatial Planning and Infrastructure Partnership to monitor, and keep under review, implementation of the infrastructure framework for Oxfordshire.
Establish and develop the Local Transport Board as a means of working with the Local Enterprise Partnership and the Spatial Planning and Infrastructure Partnership to identify strategic investment priorities for transport.
Secure and maintain the commitment of national agencies and other partners to use the infrastructure framework for Oxfordshire to shape and inform their investment priorities.
Ensure that implementation of strategic policy frameworks – such as the Local Transport Plan, Asset Transfer Policy, Energy Strategy – is monitored and that the frameworks are regularly reviewed and updated as required.
Establish and operate an investment fund that provides forward funding for enabling infrastructure.
Ensure the effective monitoring and management of the Strategic Planning team budget and performance.
Recruit within establishment, motivate, train and develop within the County Council’s agreed policies and practices to ensure the infrastructure delivery service is capable of meeting its objectives.
Support the Deputy Director in managing the Strategy function by being part of the Leadership Team.

For Managers - you must ensure you all fully aware of your responsibilities for Health & Safety, and the relevant activities expected of you as a Manager including the need to ensure

All new employees, that you manage, are fully briefed at induction
Your team are regularly reminded of key issues and responsibilities
Your staff are set appropriate targets at appraisals
Your staff undertake appropriate health and safety training, including refresher training as necessary
You carry out risk assessments, and implement them, for processes, operations and activities under your control
Health & Safety is a regular topic at Team Meetings

For all staff - You have specific responsibilities under Health & Safety legislation to ensure that you:

Take reasonable care for your own health and safety, and that of others affected by what you do, or do not do
Cooperate on all issues involving health and safety
Use work items provided for you correctly, in accordance with training and instructions
Do not interfere with or misuse anything provided for your health, safety or welfare
Report any health and safety concerns to your line manager as soon as practicable

OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL - SELECTION CRITERIA

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

Educational achievements, qualifications, training and knowledge:

Education to degree level or equivalent

Knowledge and training in project and programme management, budget management and other managerial disciplines.

Good knowledge of methods of performance management and sources of benchmarking information.

Experience

Experience of infrastructure planning and delivery, including leading and delivering service change at a high level

Extensive knowledge of funding streams and mechanisms for infrastructure delivery in the public sector and regulated industries

Able to demonstrate the ability to successfully deliver complex and challenging programmes of infrastructure planning related work

Experience of managing budgets of a scale consistent with this role

Leadership competencies:

Working with the political dimension

Creating effective connections and enable working across the boundaries of politics and management

Supporting Deputy Directors with the development of strategy to meet political objectives

Maintaining effective relationships with key stakeholders such as elected members and Government departments

Articulating complex issues to others using different styles of communication

Leading, embedding and sustaining change and supporting the development of the organisation

Maintaining consistency with the organisation’s values whilst developing the culture

Working with uncertainty, ambiguity and the inevitability of change

Leading, developing and empowering staff and managers

Facilitating continuous growth of the team/service

Maintaining self and leading others

Maintaining self awareness, developing personal resilience and self- expression

Willing to operate across the organisation demonstrating flexibility in approach, maintaining a positive attitude

Persuading and convincing others through challenge, negotiation and asserting oneself appropriately.

Identifying own and team development areas; putting actions in place to address these

Developing and enabling effective partnerships and external relationships

Being a champion of the local authority, local government and local democracy

Building effective partnerships with communities and appropriate public and private agencies

Building strong internal partnerships

Maintaining focus on strategic and long-term issues

Scanning the horizon to generate an awareness of potential scenarios

Supporting the development and promotion of, a vision/strategic view for the organisation and local area

Delivering the service’s strategic objectives

Communicating a sense of collective purpose and priority

Leading and integrating performance management with a focus on achieving results

Creating a culture focused on high performance, innovation, engagement and customer service.

Planning and prioritising work, managing multiple tasks in order to produce quality outputs, sustaining continuous improvement across all service areas, turning around areas of under performance.

Demonstrating the achievement of outcomes that reflect customer needs within resources available

Demonstrating an ability to manage risk

Personal qualities:

A high level of commitment and ability to lead and motivate others to achieve successful outcomes

Good interpersonal skills, ability to exercise and convey personal authority, and prepare clear, well written reports appropriate for the purpose.

Determination to solve problems working with others and to make decisions based on clear analysis and understanding

The ability to demonstrate innovative and creative thinking when solving problems

Ability and willingness to accept responsibility and accountability

Special Requirements:

Current valid driving licence

Willingness to attend meetings out of normal office hours

Equal Opportunities:

A commitment to and understanding of the principles of Equal Opportunities for all in employment and the delivery of services

DESIRABLE CRITERIA

Educational Achievements, Qualifications, Training and Knowledge:

Knowledge of local authority structures and financing

Experience:

Experience of local government services

Job related aptitude and skills competencies:

Presentational skills including but not reliant on ICT