Partner - Planning & Development

Berrys; Kettering; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Real autonomy to lead development

Established client base

Multi-disciplinary platform

Collaborative flat structure

Partnership pathway

35 days holiday

Private healthcare

Enhanced pension

Agile working

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

Berrys in Kettering seeks a Planning and Development Lead to own and scale a full-service development offering. The role sits at partner level, combining strategic leadership with hands-on delivery across planning, development and client engagement.

You will build a strong pipeline, coordinate multidisciplinary teams, and shape the firm’s growth in Northamptonshire, with a clear pathway to partnership for the right candidate.

Qualifications

• MRTPI / MRICS qualified with post-qualification experience.
• Broad planning knowledge across multiple sectors.
• Strong commercial judgement and ability to identify and convert opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Take autonomous ownership of the planning and development service line in Kettering, setting its direction and driving its growth.
• Build and manage a strong pipeline of instructions from landowners, developers, promoters and investors across Northamptonshire.
• Deliver technical planning consultancy across residential, commercial, mixed-use and strategic land.
• Provide strategic planning advice and lead on pre-application engagement, planning applications, appeals and post-planning work.
• Coordinate with architecture, building surveying, valuation and land promotion teams to deliver a joined-up offering.
• Identify and convert new business opportunities, including cross-referrals from existing clients.
• Build a strong personal presence and profile for Berrys in the Northamptonshire market through networking and business development.
• Grow the team over time and recruit/develop people as the offering scales.
• Contribute to the commercial direction and strategic planning of the wider business.

Skills

Commercial judgement

Client engagement

Business development

Leadership

Education

MRTPI / MRICS qualified

Job description

Berrys is a people-focused property business, built on trusted relationships and a commitment to delivering the best outcomes for our clients. Property is what we do, but our clients and our team are at the heart of everything we achieve. Acting as a trusted advisor, we are ready to support at any stage, bringing together expertise and insight to help navigate challenges and unlock opportunities.

Working across four offices in the Midlands, we offer a wide range of services including planning, architecture, building surveying, valuation and business consultancy, helping our clients make the very most of their land and property assets.

Here, you'll be part of a collaborative, multi-disciplinary team of engineers, surveyors, archaeologists, planners and architects. We're large enough to offer a diverse range of projects and career opportunities, yet small enough to give you real autonomy. We offer the chance to build meaningful relationships and the space to grow your skills.

This is a leadership position. The incoming Planning and Development Lead will take ownership of building and scaling a full-service development offering at Berrys, using the firm's established client base, regional reputation and multi-disciplinary platform as a springboard for growth.

The role sits at the partner level and will be treated as such. Berrys is looking for a leader, not just a deliverer, and expects the right person to shape planning and development in Kettering for years to come.

Key Responsibilities

• Take autonomous ownership of the planning and development service line in Kettering, setting its direction and driving its growth
• Build and manage a strong pipeline of instructions from landowners, developers, promoters and investors across Northamptonshire
• Deliver technical planning consultancy across a broad range of sectors, including residential, commercial, mixed-use and strategic land
• Provide strategic planning advice and lead on pre-application engagement, planning applications, appeals and post-planning work
• Draw on and coordinate the wider Berrys team across architecture, building surveying, valuation and land promotion to deliver a joined-up, full-service offering
• Identify and convert new business opportunities, including cross-referrals from existing Berrys clients across the practice
• Build a strong personal presence and profile for Berrys in the Northamptonshire market through networking and business development activity
• Grow the team over time, with the ability to recruit and develop people around you as the offering scales
• Contribute to the commercial direction and strategic planning of the wider business alongside the Berrys leadership team

Candidate Profile

An experienced and commercially driven planning professional, ready to operate at a senior or partner level:

• MRTPI / MRICS qualified, with significant post-qualification experience in a planning or development consultancy environment
• Broad planning knowledge across multiple sectors, with an understanding of the wider development process
• Strong commercial judgement and an ability to identify and convert business opportunities
• Confident and credible at a senior level, comfortable engaging with clients, agents, local authorities and wider stakeholders
• An appetite for business development that goes beyond duty — someone who finds it genuinely energising
• Experience of, or an appetite to embrace, a multi-disciplinary practice environment and the opportunities it creates for clients
• Motivated by long-term ownership and progression, including a genuine interest in partnership
• A full, clean UK driving licence

Why Berrys?

• Real autonomy to lead and build a full-service development offering from a position of strength
• Immediate access to an established client base and a strong regional reputation
• The Berrys multi-disciplinary platform is a genuine competitive advantage for clients
• A collaborative, flat structure where senior people have genuine influence from day one
• A clear long-term pathway, with partnership a genuine possibility for the right individual
• 35 days holiday, private healthcare, enhanced pension, agile working, and a comprehensive benefits package