PDP Placemaking Officer

This role has a starting salary of £33,552 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week.

We are excited to be recruiting a PDP Placemaking Officer to join our fantastic team, based at Victoria Gate in Woking. This role requires a minimum of two days per week in the office, and will also require you to attend site visits throughout Surrey, which may include some evenings.

This role is offered as a Professional Development Programme (PDP) post, providing an excellent opportunity for individuals to develop their career in the Place Programme and Commissioning Team. The post spans three pay grades (£33,552 - £45,135), enabling progression as you build your skills, experience and professional capability. You will be supported through a structured Professional Development Programme, this includes opportunities to gain a relevant professional qualification alongside practical experience.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service (prorated for part time staff)
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents.

About the Role

The newly formed Place Commissioning and Engagement Team brings together the teams responsible for developing and commissioning infrastructure programmes and schemes across Surrey, moving us towards a holistic, place based approach that supports our ambitions for towns and villages, our communities, and our residents. Our work spans placemaking, sustainable transport, flood risk management and climate resilience. As a Placemaking Officer, you will play a central role in shaping high quality public spaces and creating thriving, inclusive communities, championing excellent street and public realm design. We aim to create places that support a greener future, boost local economies, and reflect the needs of the communities they serve.

In this role, you will provide essential technical, financial, and administrative support to the Place Commissioning and Engagement Team across a range of projects that will shape Surrey's public spaces and communities. Your day-to-day work will be varied, including:

• Assisting with the preparation of high-quality project materials such as reports, presentations, and engagement materials.
• Supporting stakeholder and public engagement activities, helping to gather valuable feedback that will shape plans.
• Coordinating project information and contributing to the development of key project documents, including risk registers, financial reporting, and business cases.
• Providing project and administrative support to senior officers within the Place Commissioning and Engagement Team, ensuring smooth and efficient service delivery.
• This role provides an opportunity to contribute directly to the Council's strategic goals and to make a meaningful difference to residents, places, and communities across Surrey.

You will:

• Help shape projects that improve public spaces, accessibility, and community wellbeing.
• Support Surrey's ambition to create inclusive, thriving and resilient communities where no one is left behind.
• Gain hands on experience in collaborative, cross disciplinary ways of working.
• Contribute to more effective engagement, ensuring residents' voices inform decisions.
• Your work will directly support Surrey's commitment to being inclusive, collaborative, ambitious and dynamic, and you'll have the opportunity to grow professionally within a forward thinking service.

Your Application

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• Able to take initiative, including ownership of work, to work flexibly, getting to grips with new areas and respond rapidly to requests for briefs
• Customer focused and able to build strong working relationships with both internal and external partners
• Have some knowledge in the design and delivery of infrastructure projects and be self-motivated to develop further.

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and you will be asked the following three questions:

1. What interests you about developing a career in placemaking, and how does this role align with your skills, experience, and career aspirations?
2. Provide an example of a time when you had to manage multiple tasks or adjust your priorities quickly in response to changing demands. How did you organise your work, and what was the outcome?
3. Equality, diversity and inclusion are central to the Council's values and part of The Surrey Way. Please tell us how you would support and promote inclusion through your work, for example, when contributing to project materials, engagement activities, or the development of public spaces.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 06/05/2026 with interviews provisionally scheduled for 18th and 21st of May in person at Victoria Gate, Woking.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.

Our Commitment

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum criteria, we guarantee you an interview.

#J-18808-Ljbffr