Principal Planner

NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNCIL; Harrogate; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Flexible hours

Annual leave 28 days+

LGPS pension

Job summary

North Yorkshire Council is seeking a Principal Planning Officer to lead major and complex development projects within a diverse North Yorkshire area. This role requires delivering expert planning advice, ensuring compliance with policy and legislation, and guiding decisions that shape communities and the environment.

You will mentor colleagues, collaborate with stakeholders, and play a pivotal role in developing a world-class planning service while maintaining a community-focused local presence.

Qualifications

• Degree, post-graduate degree or master's in planning or related subject.
• Eligible for RTPI membership.
• Experience working on major and complex planning cases.
• Strong knowledge of planning legislation and regulations.
• Ability to manage workloads and meet strict deadlines.
• Comfortable working in a political, stakeholder-rich environment.
• Experience mentoring or supervising planning colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Lead on major and strategically important planning applications.
• Manage complex development proposals from pre-application to determination and appeal.
• Present reports and recommendations to Planning Committees.
• Act as case officer for major and high-profile applications and appeals.
• Project manage strategic development sites.
• Negotiate community benefits through Section 106 agreements and CIL.
• Provide expert planning advice to stakeholders and colleagues.
• Mentor and support planning colleagues across the service.
• Investigate and respond to planning-related complaints and queries.

Skills

Planning expertise

Stakeholder management

Mentoring

Time management

Policy navigation

Education

Degree in Planning

RTPI eligible

Job description

Are you ready to take the next step in your planning career?

Join one England's newest and largest unitary authorities, we’re responsible for delivering services across a unique and diverse area. Our Planning Service plays a vital role in supporting sustainable growth, protecting our outstanding natural environment and helping create thriving communities.

About the Team

Are you an experienced planner looking for an opportunity to work on significant, complex and high-profile development proposals that genuinely shape communities and places?

North Yorkshire Council’s Planning Services are at the heart of change, helping communities grow and thrive across one of the most diverse landscapes in the UK.

As a team, we work on a diverse set of projects, from domestic through to national infrastructure – offering opportunities for staff to develop expertise and contribute to projects that shape our area. If you are ambitious about your future in Planning this is a great time to join us as we invest in building a world class planning service, whilst being community focussed on a local level.

We operate a hybrid model of working, offering the opportunity for our staff to work from home, but also from a base within your ‘patch’ to enable you to be fully immersed within the community in which you will provide your skills and expertise.

As a Principal Planning Officer, you will be trusted to manage a varied portfolio of major and complex planning applications, guide strategic development projects, and influence decisions that will have a lasting impact on North Yorkshire's communities, economy and environment.

Planning experience is fundamental to success in this position. We are looking for someone who can confidently navigate complex planning issues, balance competing priorities and provide professional planning advice at the highest level.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading on major and strategically important planning applications.
• Manage complex development proposals from pre-application stage through to determination and appeal.
• Present reports and recommendations to Planning Committees.
• Acting as case officer for major and often high-profile planning applications and appeals.
• Project managing strategic development sites.
• Negotiating community benefits through Section 106 agreements and CIL.
• Providing expert planning advice to stakeholders and colleagues.
• Mentor and support colleagues, sharing your planning expertise across the service
• Investigating and responding to planning-related complaints and queries.

This is a role where your professional judgement, planning knowledge and experience will directly influence the future development of North Yorkshire.

Knowledge and Experience

• Degree, Post-Graduate Degree or master’s in planning or related subject
• Eligible for Membership of RTPI
• Evidence of working on major and complex cases.
• Able to demonstrate an excellent knowledge of planning legislation and regulations.
• Ability to organise workloads and manage time work to strict deadlines.
• The ability to work confidently within a political and stakeholder-rich environment.
• Experience supporting, mentoring or supervising planning colleagues.

Why Join Us?

• Hybrid working with flexible working practices and hours, supported by effective technologies that enable you to work remotely.
• A generous annual leave offer; 28 days of holiday (pro-rata), increasing to 34 days after 5 years’ service – plus public holidays.
• A generous pension through our Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Supportive team culture: Work alongside experienced professionals in a collaborative, forward-thinking environment.

We are committed to meeting the needs of our diverse community and aim to have a workforce reflecting this diversity. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

North Yorkshire Councils’ purpose is to deliver services and facilities to the diverse residents and visitors of North Yorkshire. To ensure we deliver inclusive services we strive to have a diverse workforce where everybody can be themselves by respecting differences and embedding equality of opportunity. We celebrate diversity and recognise each other’s contributions; we therefore welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds.