Travel Planning Officer

Job Introduction

Role Purpose

Would you like to help schools and businesses to become more sustainable in their travel arrangements by encouraging and supporting more cycling, walking, public transport use and a shift to electric vehicles? We are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic person to join the Sustainable Transport Team to work with schools and businesses in the BCP Council area.

BCP Council is making great strides to improve conditions for people walking, wheeling and cycling. We also work in close partnership with the bus operators and are making buses better and easier to use. For car drivers, we’re supporting the transition to Electric Vehicles by installing a network of publicly available EV charge points across our area. 

We need another keen and proactive person to join our team to promote credible alternatives to petrol and diesel cars by engaging with schools and businesses and helping them to develop more sustainable travel plans. This is in line with Council policies to encourage modal shift throughout the BCP Council area.

You will champion sustainable travel initiatives, and using creativity, excellent communication and a hands-on approach, help deliver a wide range of sustainability-led projects in schools, businesses and other organisations across our area.

Main Responsibilities

As a Travel Planning Officer, you will support the Senior Sustainable Travel Planning Officer (SSTPO) with the delivery of measures to help facilitate changes in travel behaviour and to promote sustainable transport to schools, employers and the general public. You will also support the SSTPO with the development, implementation and updating of the BCP Council Corporate Travel Plan, as required.

You will be working with schools across BCP to develop and/or review and advise on their school travel plans and provide support for the implementation of actions and initiatives resulting from the plans. You will also ensure that school travel planning issues are recorded and raised with relevant colleagues, for example through the Safer Routes to Schools working group, Road Safety team and the Bus Enhanced Partnership. 

Your role will be to promote and help provide advice and assistance on the development of workplace travel plans, in order to encourage sustainable work-related travel choices for large employers and commercial sites across BCP.

You will be expected to encourage and promote sustainable travel to school by engaging with them and providing support on national and local campaigns and initiatives such as Living Streets Walk to School campaigns, National Walk to School Week, Bike It Plus, School Streets, Big Walk and Wheel, Bike to School Week etc.

The Ideal Candidate

Ideally you will have experience working with schools, children and/or employers, understanding the challenges they face with respect to transport and travel. You will also have an in-depth understanding of the barriers to individuals adopting sustainable travel modes, and knowledge (and preferably experience) of how to enable and encourage people to shift to using more sustainable modes of transport.

You will be educated to at least A Level standard (3 A Levels or equivalent) or have equivalent experience. You will also have good knowledge of ICT including Excel, Word, and Outlook.

You will need a flexible approach with an understanding of the varying and diverse needs of the general public and having the ability to provide advice and support, using diplomacy and tact as required. This will require being excellent at communicating both in writing and verbally/face-to-face.

As well as a team player, you should be confident working with both children and adults, introducing new ideas to them in an engaging way, tailored at an appropriate level for the audience. 

Your work will mainly be office-based, in a flexible hybrid working model working from home and the BCP Council Civic Centre.  There will also be visits to schools and other sites across the BCP Council area, and you will be encouraged to travel actively as much as possible.

For an informal discussion about this role please contact Beth Barker-Stock, Sustainable Travel Team Leader at beth.barker-stock@bcpcouncil.gov.uk to arrange a call.

Interview date: 2 October 2024

About BCP Council

BCP Council provides services to a diverse community of 400,000 residents and employs more than 5,000 people. Our area includes over 15 miles of beautiful world-renowned coastline. We can offer career defining roles to transform and improve services. By working with us, you can help deliver a vision of a thriving, word-class, prosperous and inclusive place for generations to come.

Our Benefits

We offer an excellent benefits package to colleagues. Find out more on our website

As a result of the creation of BCP Council in 2019, we are working on simplifying our terms and conditions of service and will be creating a single pay structure which is to be applicable for all employees. It is important to us that we offer benefits that our colleagues value as part of their total employment package and we are reviewing these to make sure we have it right. We are in the process of establishing a timescale for implementation and colleagues joining us will be included in these changes. This is expected to be in place in 2024 or early 2025.