Associate Director/Associate- Town Planning

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

Job summary

An established industry player in planning consultancy seeks proactive planners at Associate/Associate Director level. This role involves navigating the planning system, forming bespoke strategies, and liaising with various stakeholders. Join a dynamic team that values integrity and communication, offering a supportive environment with competitive salaries and a range of benefits. You'll tackle diverse projects across the UK, from sensitive sites to large-scale developments, all while contributing to a respected consultancy recognized for its excellence in planning.

Benefits

Phone Allowance

Training Budget

Payment of Professional Memberships

Cycle-to-Work Scheme

Season Ticket Loan

Various Perks and Discounts

Qualifications

• Proactive and pragmatic planner with strong communication skills.
• Ability to build client relationships and manage planning cases.

Responsibilities

• Providing initial site appraisals and forming bespoke planning strategies.
• Liaising with local authorities and negotiating legal agreements.
• Managing planning appeals and assisting a small team of planners.

Skills

Planning Strategies

Client Communication

Negotiation Skills

Team Management

Job description

Working for 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 is key, both for building client and team relationships and in your writing skills. We encourage career-long learning — there's always something new to learn.

You'll note that we aren't seeking a specific number of years' experience, qualifications, or market expertise. We are seeking someone who will fit readily into our team and ways of working.

Duties:

1. Providing initial site appraisals and forming bespoke planning strategies
2. Building the best planning case based on strong evidence from the right expert team
3. Liaising with the local planning authority, 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 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. Our clients include Mileway, Watson Homes, and Peel Waters. We work on a variety of challenging projects, often in sensitive locations at all stages of the development process. We are well-versed with Green Belt, heritage, and environmental planning, working on both large and small-scale projects, from university masterplans and city centre regeneration to smaller, technically challenging sites, such as redevelopment in the Green Belt.

We are an experienced team of planners, where we punch above our weight — something which has been consistently recognized by the industry over recent years through awards and nominations by Insider, planning awards, and the RTPI, culminating in winning the RTPI Small Planning Consultancy of the Year award in 2023.

We are very selective with our clients and aim to build long-standing relationships based on trust and shared values. We have made a conscious decision to remain independent and focus solely on helping navigate the complex planning system. We excel at distilling convoluted issues into significant planning considerations, applying experience and critical thinking to deliver better places across the UK.

For the right person, we offer a great package. We work hard to keep salaries competitive, with a contributory pension and discretionary bonus. Other benefits include a phone allowance, training budget and internal CPD, payment of professional memberships, cycle-to-work scheme, season ticket loan, and various perks and discounts.

You will be well-supported and gain access to a variety of interesting challenges.