Planning Officer x2

Herefordshire Council; Hereford; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

LGPS enrolment

Career progression

Annual leave 31 days + bank holidays

Flexible working

Employee assistance programme

Professional membership fees

Retail/health benefits

Job summary

Herefordshire Council is recruiting Planning Officers to handle householder and small-scale planning applications across Herefordshire, including Hereford city. The role offers a clear career path, professional development opportunities and support to progress toward RTPI membership.

You will work within one of two area teams in a dynamic planning environment, with a competitive HC07 salary and a permanent contract. A full driving licence is required and flexible working is considered.

Qualifications

• GCSEs including English and Maths at minimum Grade C/4 or above.
• Two A Levels or equivalent qualifications.
• Demonstrated CPD commitment and progression towards RTPI membership.

Responsibilities

• Handle a wide range of householder and small-scale planning applications.
• Respond to service requests and enquiries in a timely manner.
• Work across Herefordshire countryside and Hereford city with casework.
• Contribute to shaping the Local Plan and development management processes.

Skills

Communication

Customer focus

Organisational skills

Time management

Teamwork

IT skills

Education

Two years progress towards Town & Country Planning degree/diploma

RTPI technical/student membership

CPD commitment towards professional qualification

Tools

Windows-based software

Job description

Job Title: Planning Officer – 2 Positions AvailableHours: 37 Hours full timeSalary: HC07 £33,119 - £37,563 per annum(depending on experience)Contract: PermanentClosing date: 2 October 2026

The Role

Are you looking to start or develop a career in planning and help shape the places where people live, work and thrive?

If so, as a result of recent internal promotions, we're looking for enthusiastic and motivated individuals to join our Development Management Team as a Planning Officer, so whether you're at the beginning of your planning career, currently studying towards a planning qualification, or already gaining experience within a development management environment, we'd love to hear from you.

This is an exciting opportunity to work on a wide range of smaller scale planning applications and development proposals across Herefordshire, influencing the future of our towns, villages and countryside while helping to deliver high-quality outcomes for local communities

What`s more, you'll become part of a supportive and experienced planning team committed to professional development and delivering positive outcomes for Herefordshire's communities and this role offers an excellent career pathway, providing opportunities to develop your technical knowledge, gain practical planning experience and progress towards professional qualifications and RTPI membership

Read the full advert to understand how you could play a key role in shaping a sustainable and greener future for the Herefordshire community.

What will you be doing?

You will be based within one of the two area teams and the role will involve handling a wide range of householder and smaller scale applications as well as responding to other service requests and enquiries.

You will work within the beautiful Herefordshire countryside as well as dealing with casework within the city of Hereford and/or its surrounding historic market towns and villages.

The County is rich in biodiversity, landscape and heritage value including two National Landscapes, Conservation Areas and many listed building buildings. We think it`s a truly outstanding place to work, that will offer the right candidate valuable experience in a wide range of casework and challenges, as well as an opportunity to shape a sustainable future as the Council embarks on the preparation of a new Local Plan.

About You

These are career-grade positions, with entry points available depending on your qualifications, experience, and professional development.

HC5 level

• Minimum of 5 GCSEs (Grade C/4 or above), including English and Maths.
• 2 A Levels or equivalent qualifications.

HC6 level

• Degree in a non-planning discipline, or
• HNC, degree or equivalent qualification in a planning-related discipline.
• Technical or Student Membership of the RTPI.

HC7level

• At least two years' progress towards a degree or diploma in Town and Country Planning.
• Demonstrable commitment to Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
• Progress towards full professional qualification and RTPI membership.

We're looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• A positive and customer-focused approach
• Strong organisational and time management skills
• The ability to prioritise workloads and meet deadlines
• Confidence working both independently and as part of a team
• Good IT skills and experience of Windows-based software
• Negotiation and presentation skills
• A willingness to learn and develop professionally

You will also have a current full driving licence. Pool Cars are available for use.

Please note we do not provide sponsorship for employment in the UK.

We Offer

A competitive salary, holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:

• Salary range of £33,119 - £37,563 per annum.
• Enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Career progression: clear pathways to progress
• Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum during the request period
• Flexible working: including the potential for job-sharing, part-time hours and agile working.
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
• Payment of professional membership fees (based on role requirements)
• Pick your perks – our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.

Why Choose Us?

We're proud and excited to unveil our new recruitment video, a celebration of Herefordshire's people, places, and purpose. Set in the heart of England and filled with pride, compassion and possibility, the video brings to life what it means to work somewhere you truly belong.

At Herefordshire Council, every role matters and every person makes a real difference for our communities. We’re a team where people feel valued, supported and empowered to grow together.

Herefordshire is big hearted, welcoming and friendly. We have strong and independent communities and idyllic countryside, situated in the South West Midlands and bordering Wales. The county sits between Worcestershire and the Malvern Hills to the east, and Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons) in Wales to the west.

Historically Herefordshire has been the gateway to the Marches. We embrace partnership working. We are a member of the Marches Forward Partnership, which is a cross border collaboration between Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, Powys and Shropshire who are collectively working to secure funding to invest in the region.

The council priorities over the next four years are set out in the Council Plan, with four main areas;

People: We will enable residents to realise their potential, to be healthy and to be part of great communities who support each other. We want all children to have the best start in life.

Place: We will protect and enhance our environment and ensure that Herefordshire is a great place to live. We will support the right housing in the right place, we will support access to green spaces and we will do everything we can to recover the health of our rivers.

Growth: We will create the conditions to deliver sustainable growth across the county; attracting inward investment, building business confidence, creating jobs, enabling housing development along with providing the right infrastructure.

Transformation: We will be an efficient council that embraces best practice, delivers innovation through technology and demonstrates value for money.

Don’t meet all parts of the job description?

Herefordshire Council is committed to strengthening a diverse and inclusive work environment which reflects the communities of Herefordshire. If you are looking at the next stage of your career and have a broad base of fieldwork experience, we can provide supportive and welcoming opportunities to help you develop your professional, management & supervisory skills.

Reasonable Adjustments

Our recruitment process runs in partnership with Hoople Resourcing. If you require any reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please contact the resourcing team by email: [e-mail].

Creating an inclusive workplace

We encourage our employees to feel empowered and to use their voices to help embrace diversity, promote inclusivity and shape our organisation. We have eight employee network groups, collectives of colleagues who often share identities, life experiences or cultures and offer support and community. They also play an important role in strengthening the voices of employees at Herefordshire Council. Embedded in the Council's values is a commitment to listen to people's views and needs.

For more information on our Employee Network Groups please view our dedicated recruitment website: www.spiritofherefordshire.com.

Commitments, Covenants and Statutory Obligations

The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:

• Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.

We take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check.