Digital Planning Officer

Gloucester City Council; Gloucester; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible and hybrid working

Generous Annual Leave entitlement

Volunteer days

LGPS & Life Cover

Training & career development

Employee assistance programme

Cycle to Work

Discounted local tickets

Flu jabs

Employee networks

Job summary

Gloucester City Council is seeking a Digital Planning Officer to join the Planning Development Team. You will help deliver user-focused digital tools, enhance planning data quality, streamline processes and support officers and stakeholders in using digital systems effectively.

The role targets applicants with planning experience, a strong interest in digital transformation, and the ability to communicate technical details to diverse audiences. Hybrid working is available.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of the UK planning system and practices.
• Experience in a Planning team.
• Interest in digital transformation for planning services.
• Experience with planning application and document management systems.
• Good understanding of GIS and map-based systems.

Responsibilities

• Assist with testing and implementation of changes in the Planning service.
• Coordinate system changes and service improvements with officers, ICT, GIS and suppliers.
• Prepare guidance, training materials and briefing notes for colleagues on new systems.
• Represent the Council on digital planning projects to safeguard the Council's interests.

Skills

Planning knowledge

GIS mapping

Digital transformation

Stakeholder communication

System testing

Tools

GIS software

Open Data platforms

Job description

• Hours per Week: 37.00 part time will be considered
• Contract Type: Fixed Term
• Duration: 6 months
• Closing Date: 25/10/2026
• Job Requisition Number: 15015
• This post is open to job share

• Hours per Week: 37.00 part time will be considered
• Contract Type: Fixed Term
• Duration: 6 months
• Closing Date: 25/10/2026
• Job Requisition Number: 15015
• This post is open to job share

We are a dynamic local authority providing essential services to the people of Gloucester.

Our main office, based in the Eastgate Centre on Eastgate Street in the heart of the city, is an accessible, modern and light space designed for collaborative working and finding new ways to work. It's all open plan, with a living green wall and other plants without set desks, so you can sit next to someone new every day. We're always looking to improve how we work and we offer flexible and agile working to give our people a great work life balance.

Gloucester is a member of The Open Digital Planning community which brings together council officers, digital specialists, and technical experts, all working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to shape the next generation of local government planning services and improve planning processes.

About The Role

Come and work for a rewarding organisation, joining our friendly, and supportive Planning Development Team as we progress along our Open Digital Planning journey, to support the modernisation of the local planning service by combining planning knowledge with digital, data and service improvement skills.

This role will help deliver user focused digital tools, improve the quality of planning data, streamline processes and support officers and stakeholders to use digital systems effectively.

This role is ideal for someone with knowledge of the UK planning system, experience working in a Planning team and with an interest in digital transformation to secure better and more accessible services to customers.

Ideally you will have experience of working with planning application and document management systems and have a good understanding of GIS and map based systems.

You will need to be well organised, have good problem solving skills , and be confident in communicating technical details to colleagues and external stakeholders.

What We Need From You

To assist with the testing and implementation of changes in the Planning service, bringing about significant improvements in the delivery of the service, ensuring that it is effective, high quality and customer focused.

Work with planning officers, ICT, customer services, GIS, data teams, software suppliers and external partners to coordinate system changes and service improvements.

Prepare guidance, training materials and briefing notes to help colleagues adopt new systems and digital ways of working.

Represent the Council internally and externally on digital planning projects ensuring that the Council’s interests are appropriately secured

What We Can Do For You

• Flexible and hybrid working opportunities
• Generous Annual Leave entitlement
• An option to purchase 10 days of additional leave per year (pro rata for part-time staff)
• 2 days paid leave every year to participate in local volunteering activities
• Excellent Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) & Life Cover of 3 times your salary
• Regular training, career development and qualification opportunities
• Supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential counselling and advice for employees, available 24 hours a day, online and by telephone, and in an in-house Occupational Health service
• Enhanced family friendly leave and pay
• Cycle to Work scheme (Salary Sacrifice - T & C apply)
• Employee discount scheme
• Discounted tickets for local events, and reduced rate use of GL1 facilities
• Free Flu-jabs
• Access to employee led networks such as Black Worker's, Prism (LGBT+), Carers, Disability and the Young Employees Network, and opportunities to participate in our Equalities Working Group.

Additional Information

To access the Job Profile, please follow the link below:-

Job Profile: Job Profile: Digital Planning Officer

The council is not currently able to offer sponsorship in this role. Candidates will need to have right to work that enables them to commit to at least 6 months employment. Right to work is not transferable from a sponsored role held with another employer.

Applications from any Gloucester City Council's employees who are currently on the redeployment register or at risk of redundancy will be considered first at shortlisting stage.

Gloucester City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people or vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Equality and Diversity

We recognise the positive value of equality and diversity and pride ourselves on growing a high-performing workforce that is diverse, skilled and talented; that represents the community it serves.

We aim to recruit a diverse pool of talent and will recruit the person who is most suited to the job without regard to their race, colour, religion or belief, age, nationality, ethnicity, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, caring responsibilities or disability.

We are a disability confident employer committed to removing barriers to employment to those with disabilities or long-term health conditions. Reasonable adjustments will be made to the recruitment procedure to ensure that no-one is disadvantages because of their disability. Please contact the recruitment team if you require support or reasonable adjustments during the application or recruitment process [e-mail]

If you wish to apply for this position on a secondment basis, please obtain approval from your current line manager that you may be released on a secondment before submitting an application form.

It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a 'customer facing role' must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.