Principal Planning Officer

Carrington West; Braintree; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A recruitment agency is seeking an Interim Principal Planning Officer to join a local authority's Development Management team in Essex. This hybrid role requires managing complex planning applications and collaborating with various stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have experience in development management and excellent communication skills. This position offers up to £55 per hour on an initial 6-month contract.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Competitive pay

Qualifications

• Experience as a development management case officer.
• Good technical knowledge of planning legislation.
• Self-starter with a positive attitude.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex planning applications and negotiations.
• Prepare and present reports to planning committees.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners.

Skills

Communication skills

Negotiation skills

Planning legislation knowledge

Ability to manage complex cases

Education

Post-graduate degree in planning or related discipline

Eligibility for membership of RTPI

Job description

Interim Principal Planning Officer

Carrington West is assisting their local authority client based in Essex in the search for an Interim Principal Planning Officer to join their Development Management team on an initial 6‑month contract.

This role requires a planning professional with previous experience of working on major and strategic planning applications and who can manage a varied workload. The role is offered on a hybrid working basis, with an expectation of 1 day a week in the office and attendance at site visits.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a broad range of complex cases and pre‑applications with emphasis on larger developments, including negotiating S106 agreements, Planning Performance Agreements (PPAs), and providing resilience and flexibility within the service (applications for residential schemes of 1,000+ dwellings).
• Manage complex and/or contentious planning applications, processes and compliance, acting as single point of contact for customers and attending appeals hearings and public inquiries as appropriate.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the organisation, members, and partners to manage key relationships.
• Access and accurately update all relevant information systems, ensuring the master customer record is updated and maintained with verification and validation, in accordance with Data Protection principles.
• Prepare and present reports to Area Planning Committees, District Planning Committee, and other internal and external meetings; present evidence and serve as witness at planning appeal hearings and public inquiries.

Qualifications

• Previous experience as a development management case officer in a local authority planning department or equivalent private practice.
• Good fundamental and technical knowledge of all relevant planning legislation and policies.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills; self‑starter with a can‑do attitude.
• Post‑graduate degree in planning, regeneration, or related discipline is beneficial.
• Eligibility for membership of RTPI is beneficial.

Benefits

• Up to £55 per hour.
• Flexible working arrangements.

Job Reference

61978

Contact

Please call Cameron de Wit on (phone number removed) for a confidential discussion on this role, or email the planning team: (url removed) or (url removed).