Planning Manager

Foxes Rural; Colchester; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading rural planning consultancy is seeking a seasoned Planning Manager to spearhead their practice. You will manage planning applications with a focus on supporting farmers and oversee a team while ensuring efficient CRM management. Ideal candidates will have over 10 years of experience in rural planning and relevant professional qualifications. This role offers competitive salary and performance bonuses.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Performance bonus

Autonomy to lead

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in rural planning.
• Strong ability to oversee planning applications.
• Experience in CRM administration.

Responsibilities

• Lead casework end-to-end focusing on securing permissions.
• Oversee a minimum of 15+ planning applications per month.
• Administer and manage CRM for effective tracking.

Skills

Detail-focused mindset

Organised and accountable

Commercial awareness

Clear communication

Education

RTPI, RICS or similar qualifications

Job description

NEW ROLE AVAILABLE - MAKE AN IMPACT - Planning Manager (Active Consultant) – Rural Planning Consultancy

Lead with precision. Deliver with pace. Shape the future of rural planning for farmers.

At Foxes Rural, we’re the largest specialist rural planning consultancy in Essex and beyond. With a 95% approval rate and a reputation for speed and accuracy, we secure planning for agricultural buildings, farm tracks and rural developments.

We’re hiring a Planning Manager to run the practice, consult hands-on, and own our CRM. If you’ve spent years honing your craft and love pairing structure with results, this is for you.

What you’ll do

*Be an active planning consultant: lead casework end-to-end with a focus on securing permissions that directly support farmers - (pre-apps, PD and full applications, statements, conditions, appeals, committee representation and site work).

*Deliver volume with quality: oversee a minimum of 15+ applications per month and carry your own caseload.

*Own and administer our CRM: manage pipeline stages, data hygiene, task workflows, templates, automations, dashboards and reporting; train the team and ensure every enquiry is tracked through to decision and invoice.

*Lead the team: work with our planning team, coach junior planners and support staff; set standards, rhythms and KPIs.

Represent with confidence: clear communication with clients, councils and stakeholders; keep momentum and remove blockers.

What you bring

*A detail-focused, compliance-driven mindset with the drive to ship.

*Organised and accountable—you build systems that scale.

*Commercially aware with the judgement to spot opportunities and risks.

*A seasoned professional (this will appeal to 10+ years’ experience) who’s still hands-on.

*RTPI, RICS or similar qualifications.

What we offer

*Competitive salary + performance bonus.

*Autonomy to lead and grow a respected planning practice.

*A supportive, professional team.

*Real impact on planning approval for farmers and the rural economy.

Ready to combine structure with results and own both the work and the system? Apply to lead from the front at a planning consultancy for farmers at Foxes Rural

How to apply: Submit your CV and application to Guy French - [e-mail] / 01206 481981