Associate Director/Associate- Town Planning

ZipRecruiter; Manchester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

An independent planning consultancy in Manchester is seeking proactive planners at Associate/Associate Director level. This innovative firm values integrity and effective communication, offering a supportive environment for career-long learning. You'll engage with diverse projects, from university masterplans to sensitive environmental planning, and build strong client relationships. The role involves providing bespoke planning strategies, liaising with stakeholders, and managing a small team. A competitive package awaits the right candidate, including a pension, training budget, and various perks, ensuring you are well-supported in tackling interesting challenges.

Benefits

Contributory pension

Discretionary bonus

Phone allowance

Training budget

Internal CPD

Professional membership fees

Cycle-to-work scheme

Season ticket loan

Qualifications

• Proactive and pragmatic planner with strong work ethic and integrity.
• Ability to build client and team relationships effectively.

Responsibilities

• Provide initial site appraisals and bespoke planning strategies.
• Liaise with local planning authorities and negotiate conditions.
• Assist in managing a small team of planners.

Skills

Good communication skills

Planning strategies

Negotiation

Team management

Critical thinking

Job description

Job Description

We are an independent planning consultancy based at the edge of Manchester city centre. We are seeking proactive and pragmatic planners at Associate/Associate Director level to help our clients successfully navigate the planning system. We value a strong work ethic, integrity, and honesty. Good communication skills are essential for building client and team relationships, as well as for effective writing.

We encourage career-long learning — there's always something new to learn. We are not specifying a required number of years' experience, qualifications, or market expertise. We seek someone who will fit well into our team and our ways of working.

Duties:

1. Providing initial site appraisals and forming bespoke planning strategies
2. Building strong planning cases based on evidence from the right expert team
3. Liaising with local planning authorities, the community, and other stakeholders
4. Negotiating conditions and legal agreements to secure valuable, deliverable consents
5. Preparing and managing planning appeals and local plan examinations
6. Instructing counsel and acting as an expert witness at public inquiries
7. Assisting in the day-to-day management of a small team of Planners

Join a better team. We work with many fantastic clients across the UK, including Mileway, Watson Homes, and Peel Waters.

Our projects are diverse and often in sensitive locations, covering all stages of development. We are experienced in Green Belt, heritage, and environmental planning, working on both large and small projects, from university masterplans and city centre regeneration to redevelopment in Green Belt areas.

We are a highly regarded team, recognized through awards such as the 2023 RTPI Small Planning Consultancy of the Year. We focus on building long-term relationships based on trust and shared values, remaining independent to better serve our clients.

We excel at distilling complex issues to identify key planning considerations, applying experience and critical thinking to deliver better places across the UK.

For the right candidate, we offer a competitive package, including a contributory pension, discretionary bonus, phone allowance, training budget, internal CPD, professional membership fees, cycle-to-work scheme, season ticket loan, and other perks. You will be well supported and engaged with a variety of interesting challenges.