Corporate Director – Planning (Full Time)

New Start; England; Remote; GBP 97,000 - 126,000; Full time

Job summary

Dorset Council is seeking a Corporate Director – Planning to lead the planning function at scale, setting the strategic direction and delivering a stronger engine for economic development. You will drive regeneration, modernise services, and ensure robust governance while engaging with elected members.

Joining the Leadership Team of the Economy and Environment directorate, you will shape a culture focused on ambitious delivery, working across priorities such as the Local Plan and major projects,

Qualifications

• Experience leading planning at scale to deliver outcomes.
• Track record delivering through complex political environments.
• Ability to drive regeneration and local economic development.

Responsibilities

• Lead Dorset’s planning function from the front and set direction.
• Drive delivery and modernise planning to support economic growth and better customer experience.
• Oversee budget and governance with clear accountability.

Skills

Leadership at scale

Delivery through planning

Local plan adoption

Job description

Corporate Director – Planning

Salary

£97,966 - £126,181

Expires

25/10/2026

Location

Dorset, Dorset

Job Type

Full Time

Do you share our ambition for Dorset?

Our planning service is one of the largest in the country and already performs very well against the Government’s performance indicators, but we have real ambition to perform better, make swifter planning decisions, reflect the needs of our customers, and seize the opportunities presented by new technology and Artificial Intelligence.

We think you will have a very sound starting point. Our performance is already strong and we have many professional and committed employees in our planning department. You can rely on where we already are, to reimagine where we want to be in the future. The near future.

You will also have the opportunity to help Dorset become a modern, sustainable unitary council where planning actively enables our corporate priorities rather than simply managing them.

You will be joining the Leadership Team of our Economy and Environment directorate, reporting to the Executive Director, alongside colleagues responsible for economic development, highways and engineering, sustainable waste and resource management, and assets and property.

The scope is significant, and the opportunity is clear: firm foundations, strong ambition and support from the wider team. Are you up for the challenge?

Find out more about the role here: Corporate Director - Planning - Dorset Council

What you’ll be doing

You will lead Dorset’s planning function from the front, setting direction, driving delivery and ensuring planning becomes a stronger engine for economic development, regeneration and modernisation.

That means:

• Leading the production and delivery of the Dorset Local Plan , ensuring it is economically viable and aligned with corporate priorities. We will ask you about the Council’s corporate priorities at interview.
• Gearing planning to actively support economic growth, including regeneration and investment opportunities across the county.
• Driving forward strategic opportunities such as regeneration in Weymouth, Portland and Chickerell; clean energy and offshore wind, and the Dorset Innovation Park.
• Modernising planning services, improving pace, consistency, customer experience and digital capability.
• Working closely with elected members, providing clear, confident advice and ensuring strong governance and decision-making.
• Building a culture that is unafraid to challenge “how we’ve always done things”.
• Overseeing significant budgets and resources with clear accountability and discipline.

About you

You will have led at scale before and understand the reality of delivering through complexity, politics and competing priorities.

You know planning can be more than regulation, and you have the drive and credibility to make that happen.

You will also bring a track record of delivery through planning. You may well have already led the process of producing and adopting a Local Plan.

If you'd like an informal conversation with theExecutive Director for Economy & Environment, please contact Karen Gondelle, Executive Assistant,[e-mail], or 01305 224 216

Company: Dorset Council

Salary: £97,966 - £126,181

Location: Dorset, Dorset

Sector: Corporate Services

Sector: Corporate Management Team

Sector: Regeneration and Local Economies

Job Role: Corporate Director