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Development Manager

Job Details

PAID YEAR-LONG PLACEMENTS WITHIN THE PUBLIC SECTOR 

Public Practice is looking to recruit and select talented, motivated and experienced property and development manager professionals who want to gain experience working in the public sector. After completing a competitive two-stage application process successful candidates (known as Associates) are carefully matched to relevant local government roles who also have to apply to host placements. Selected Associates will secure fixed-term employment, or secondments from their current employer, with a salary of £30,000 – £70,000 depending on the Authority and role and will start in their role in April 2021. 

 

WHO WE ARE

Public Practice is a social enterprise with a mission to help built environment practitioners transition into a career in the public sector. We believe that the built environment is where the symptoms and solutions to society’s most complex challenges are played out, from the crisis in the availability of affordable housing to struggling high streets, or the climate emergency. We think the public sector plays a fundamental role in creating places that are spatially, socially and economically inclusive and sustainable. Being a public planner – by which we mean any built environment expert working in the public sector – can be hugely influential in shaping the world around us for the benefit of everyone. You can read examples of our press coverage on our website at https://www.publicpractice.org.uk/press 

 

WHY APPLY TO THE PROGRAMME

Public Practice placements generally offer flexibility in terms of working patterns, compressed hours, part-time roles and remote working. Associates can expect to join a team who share a respect for diversity in their environment and humility as public servants. Associates also benefit from a comprehensive induction course, personal development and mentoring from leading practitioners and spend 90% of their time at the host Authority. The remaining 10% is dedicated to taking part in an R&D programme run by Public Practice where Associates work collectively with the rest of their cohort to develop and share best practice.

 

YOUR ROLE AS A DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Authorities are looking to make the most of their land and assets to generate sustainable income and create social value over the long-term. Rather than dispose of public land, far-sighted Authorities are holding on to or even expanding their portfolios. Over two-thirds of Authorities are now directly engaged in housing delivery, with many building social housing at scale for the first time in decades. This demands socially-minded and commercially astute property expertise in house. Key capabilities include project management experience, procurement knowledge, contract management, commercial awareness and an understanding that their projects will have an impact for generations to come. 

 

In a role within an Authority you may:

  • Work with internal and external partners to identify development opportunities.
  • Procure, brief and manage multidisciplinary project teams, contractors and services.
  • Manage and report on project budget, programme and risks.
  • Produce options appraisals for sites, and analysis of feasibility and viability.
  • Advise on land assembly, acquisition strategies and compulsory purchase orders.
  • Advise on design development, from concept design through to final proposals and managing the production of specifications and design standards.
  • Deliver high quality, affordable and sustainable council house building programmes, from policy to planning and delivery.

You can read all the bios of our current Associates and what they are working on in their placement: https://www.publicpractice.org.uk/associates/cohorts.

 

WHO YOU ARE

We believe creating diverse and inclusive places relies on creating a diverse and inclusive profession. We want our cohorts to be diverse in terms of skills, experience, and backgrounds and actively encourage applications from sections of the community that are under-represented in the built environment sector, in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith, neurodiversity or disability. There are no fixed requirements in terms of qualifications, background or age, but we do expect Associates to have a minimum of three years’ professional experience within the built environment sector so that you are able to hit the ground running from the start. There is no upper limit.  Whatever your background or level of experience, we are looking for the following competencies in all Associates: Initiative; Empathy; Humility; Perspective; Resilience; Sensitivity; Fascination. 

All Associates will need to have the legal right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply to the programme. You can take our eligibility quiz here https://publicpractice.typeform.com/to/gbqtVRzz 

 

LOCATIONS

You will be willing to consider placements at an Authority within London, the South East or East of England. Potential placements range from Camden to Cambridge and Barnet to Brighton, and we will look to match you with a placement that works for your personal circumstances and location. Although many Authorities offer flexible working options, all Associates will be required to travel to locations across this region during R&D days so we are not able to consider candidates who would not be able to do this. 

 

HOW TO APPLY

  • The first stage of the application process is completing an online form where applicants will be assessed anonymously based on their answers to four questions. Deadline for applications is the 23 November 2020 and there is an Open Evening on Tuesday 3 November for applicants to meet current Associates and ask any questions about the application process.
  • Those successful at the online stage will be invited to a day-long placement workshop on either the 5, 6, 7 or 8 January 2021, prior to which attendees will be asked to submit additional supporting information by the 29 December 2020. And if successful at placement workshop applicants will then be considered for matching to the placements we have available and be asked to meet with their proposed Authority at the end of January 2021.

We strongly recommend you read our FAQs and further information on our programme before applying through our online form that can be found on our website: www.publicpractice.org.uk/associates

 

ACCESSIBILITY

If, for accessibility reasons, you are unable to submit the initial application using the online form, we are happy for you to submit your application in an alternative format. Please email info@publicpractice.org.uk or call 020 3858 7447 to discuss your requirements.

Company

PUBLIC PRACTICE is a not-for-profit social enterprise with a mission to improve the quality and equality of everyday places. We do this by building the public sector’s capacity for proactive planning, transforming perceptions of working in local government and developing the way we plan through practice. 

We believe that the built environment is where the symptoms, and solutions, to society’s most complex challenges are played out and one where the role of the public planner is often overlooked. But it is this very role, as a public planner, that has the agency to influence every aspect of our everyday environment, to plan for the longer-term, and to work for society as a whole, not just those who can afford it. Public planning is one of the few positions with the freedom, and responsibility, to take on these challenges.

WHAT WE DO
Public Practice acts as a broker, selecting outstanding professionals - Associates - and matching them to Authorities in need of additional planning, delivery and placemaking expertise. As a not-for-profit social enterprise, we offer Authorities a cost-effective model to build the public sector’s capacity over the longer-term. As a placement programme, we give Associates unique place-based roles to deliver change on the ground, alongside industry-leading training and development. And as a network of leading planning practitioners, we develop collective knowledge and research to be shared across the sector.

Company info
Website
Telephone
02038587447
Location
Urban Innovation Centre, 1 Sekforde Street
London
England
EC1R 0BE
GB

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