Planning Specialist - Heritage

Job title: Heritage Advisor (Fixed Term Contract 12 months)
Salary: From 37,500.00
Grade: Band 2
Contract type: TfL
Reference: 5731
Team: Town Planning & Heritage  

Directorate: Investment Planning- Professional Services 
Contract details: FTC 12 months with permanency possible
Location:  Palestra, Southwark SE1 and other TfL sites across London/ Hybrid

Hybrid working within this role enables a balance of 50 per cent of time split between the office and home over a 4-week period. Hybrid working arrangements are subject to business requirements and may require additional time on, for instance site visits.  

Consideration will be given to part-time working, depending on the skills and experience of the candidate; however given the nature of the role, no less than 0.6 would be feasible.

Application closing date: 23:59 on 18 October

Interviews due to take place from: 6 November

All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory right‑to‑work checks.  Candidates must be able to demonstrate their right to work in the UK.  At the present time TfL is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.   

Overview of the role

TfL's Town Planning & Heritage team helps shape the future of London's transport network while protecting its rich historic environment. From listed stations and historic bridges to major transport improvements, the team provides specialist heritage advice across a diverse range of projects.

As a Heritage Advisor, you'll work closely with the Heritage Manager to ensure TfL meets its heritage responsibilities, providing advice on asset management, infrastructure projects and development proposals. You'll collaborate with internal teams and external stakeholders to embed heritage considerations from the earliest stages of projects, helping deliver practical solutions within a complex operational environment.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with experience in heritage, town planning or conservation who is looking to develop their expertise while working on some of London's most significant historic and transport assets. Applications from candidates with transferable skills and a genuine interest in heritage are also welcomed.

Key Accountabilities

Depending on your qualifications and experience, you will work independently, but with support from the Heritage Manager, and your duties will include:

• Provision of advice to colleagues in line with legislation, national and local policy and conservation best practice.
• Influencing the design of proposals that impact on heritage assets or their settings to avoid harmful impacts and maximise success of listed building consent and planning applications.
• Preparation and submission of listed building consent applications for heritage assets, including drafting Heritage Statements; identifying national and Local Planning Authority specific validation requirements and liaising with internal clients to ensure documentation is fit for purpose.
• Updating and expanding TfL’s heritage registers by contributing to an ongoing programme of researching TfL assets to create a full and informative record of TfL’s heritage assets that sets out their significance.
• Working proactively with internal and external stakeholders, including TfL’s project teams, Local Planning Authorities and grant giving bodies including Railway Heritage Trust and Heritage of London Trust.

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Skills

• Competence in the identification of architectural and historical significance in diverse heritage assets and the wider historic environment, or a genuine interest in developing these skills.  [Essential]
• Sound judgement as to when the advice and input of the Heritage Manager and other colleagues may be required to ensure advice provided is technically accurate, to avoid TfL breaching heritage legislation. [Essential]
• Good research skills demonstrating a thorough and methodical approach utilising a variety of sources (eg mapping, photography, archives, written records). [Essential]
• Ability to manage a busy and varied case load to deliver outcomes within expected timeframes. [Essential]
• Attention to detail and the ability to produce good quality reports, presentations and other material, conveying complex issues, [Essential]
• Ability to collaborate constructively with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders across the wider organisation and beyond. [Essential]
• Good verbal communication and negotiation skills along with the ability to create effective working relationships.  [Essential]

Knowledge

• Degree in Built Heritage Conservation, or a degree in Architecture / Urban Design / Town Planning with experience of working in built heritage conservation.
• Membership (or working towards membership) of a relevant professional body (e.g. IHBC, RIBA, RTPI).
• Good understanding of legislation, planning policy and best practice guidance relevant to heritage assets.

• Good understanding of the role of central and local government and heritage organisations as relates to the management of heritage assets.

• Awareness of and interest in the history of London’s transport system and the contribution it makes to the city.

Experience

• Providing expert advice and guidance  and negotiating improvements to proposals. [Essential}
• Experience of town planning practice within a heritage and design context.
• Experience of the preparation and/or review of technical reports for a range of readership [Essential]
• Experience of developing relationships with internal and external stakeholders and adapting your approach to the stakeholder. [Essential]

Application Process 

• Please apply using your CV and a one-page covering letter  

• Think carefully about the skills, knowledge and experience in the advert and cover this in your CV and cover letter  

• Please make it clear if you can only work part time or require flexible working arrangements- and provide details of the arrangements you would require. 

• PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images  

We will make every effort to give you as much notice as possible, however some interviews/assessments could be organised at short notice. 

Equality, diversity and inclusion 

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and aim to reflect the diverse communities we serve. We believe that a diverse workforce enables us to deliver better services and outcomes. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled people. As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we aim to offer an assessment or interview to candidates who apply via the scheme where the minimum essential criteria for skills, knowledge and experience has been met. In some circumstances, it may not be practical to offer an interview or assessment to every candidate who applies through the scheme and meet the minimum essential criteria; in these situations, we select candidates who best meet the minimum criteria for the job rather than interviewing all who meet them. 

Across all recruitment activity, we recognise that selection methods may vary depending on the nature and scale of the campaign and will be applied fairly, consistently and proportionately in line with our Disability Confident commitments.    

Benefits  

In return for your commitment and expertise, you will enjoy excellent benefits and scope to grow. Rewards vary according to the level of role but mostly include the below: 

• Final salary pension scheme  
• Free travel for you on the TfL network  
• Reimbursement of 75% of the cost of a standard class Ticket for National Rail travel from home 
• 30 days annual leave plus public and bank holidays 
• TfL is committed to work-life balance, operating a hybrid working approach where business and role requirements allow 
• Private healthcare discounted scheme Tax-efficient cycle-to-work programme 
  Retail, health, leisure and travel offers 
• Discounted Eurostar travel 

Vetting Process 

At Transport for London, safety, trust and fairness sit at the heart of how we recruit. Our Vetting Charter (https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/careers/our-vetting-process) explains the checks we carry out before you join us, helping ensure we create a safe, inclusive and reliable network for everyone who depends on our services. We simply ask that the information you provide is honest and accurate so we can progress your application smoothly. If something doesn’t match or can’t be verified, we may not be able to move forward with your application, but we’ll always treat you with transparency, respect, and clear communication throughout.