Graduate Planner: Development & Policy with Mentoring

Capita; Belfast City District; Remote; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

23 days holiday?

Volunteer day

Pension

Life assurance

Cycle to work

Maternity leave

Adoption leave

Shared parental leave

Paternity pay

Retail discounts

Health & wellbeing

Employee networks

Diversity & inclusion

Job summary

Capita is recruiting a Graduate Planner, primarily home-based with on-site support in Belfast, Manchester or London to enable site visits. You’ll gain experience across development management and planning policy, with mentoring and clear progression toward Planner roles and RTPI membership.

You will support planning applications, policy analysis, and site assessments, while engaging with applicants and stakeholders in a dynamic local government/public/private sector context.

Qualifications

• A degree/masters level qualification in town planning.
• A valid full UK driving licence and willingness to travel for required site visits.
• A genuine interest in shaping places and communities.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written communication and report-writing ability.
• The confidence to engage with a range of stakeholders.
• The ability to organise, prioritise and manage your workload while meeting required timescales and high-quality standards.
• Effective communication and relationship‑management skills, with the confidence to work with different stakeholders and review detailed evidence.
• Placement‑year experience or practical exposure to planning applications, planning policy, research, local plans or site assessments.
• Recent experience working as a graduate planner within a local authority or public- or private‑sector consultancy.
• Working towards RTPI accreditation and/or Associate Membership.

Responsibilities

• Support the assessment of planning applications, producing concise reports and recommendations within agreed timescales.
• Support senior planners across development management and planning policy work.
• Undertake planning research, policy analysis, site assessments and site visits as required.
• Liaise with applicants and other stakeholders, including supporting pre-application discussions.
• Compile information and evidence to support planning policy, local plans and appeals.
• Contribute to improvements in planning systems, procedures and processes, helping to deliver timely and high-quality work.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Written communication

Stakeholder engagement

Organisation & workload management

Effective communication

Planning policy understanding

Education

Town planning degree

RTPI accreditation (in progress)

Job description

Capita is recruiting a Graduate Planner, primarily home-based with on-site support in Belfast, Manchester or London to enable site visits. You’ll gain experience across development management and planning policy, with mentoring and clear progression toward Planner roles and RTPI membership.

You will support planning applications, policy analysis, and site assessments, while engaging with applicants and stakeholders in a dynamic local government/public/private sector context.