Principal Planning Officer (Minerals and Waste)

North Northamptonshire Council; Kettering; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Career development opportunities

Generous leave entitlement 28–33 days

Hybrid and flexible working

Job summary

North Northamptonshire Council is seeking a Principal Planning Officer (Minerals & Waste) to lead the Development Management function, mentor staff, and drive the council's planning transformation. You will engage with diverse stakeholders, influence planning policy, and help deliver a forward-looking Minerals & Waste Plan while adopting new software and processes.

The role offers a challenging, rewarding environment within a high-growth area, with hybrid working options and a strong commitment

Qualifications

• A relevant degree or equivalent qualification for RTPI access or demonstrated experience in Minerals & Waste Planning
• Chartered RTPI membership or demonstrable eligibility for full Chartered Membership

Responsibilities

• Lead the Development Management functions for Minerals & Waste Planning.
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders, including councillors and the public.
• Deliver high-quality planning services and mentor junior colleagues.
• Contribute to preparation of a new Minerals & Waste Plan and transformation efforts.
• Support roll-out of new planning software and ways of working.

Skills

Minerals & Waste Planning

Negotiation

Public engagement

Communication

Project management

Team mentorship

Public speaking

Presentation skills

Travel readiness

Education

Degree or equivalent (RTPI eligibility)

Chartered RTPI membership or eligibility

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Kettering

Principal Planning Officer (Minerals and Waste)

Job Reference Ref/126918/9125

Number of Positions:

1

Contract Type:

Full Time

Salary Range:

Working Hours:

37

Location:

Kettering

Closing Date:

11/10/2026

Job Category:

Planning

Organisation:

North Northamptonshire Council

Here at North Northamptonshire Council, we’re transforming for the better, using all our creativity and imagination to create the best life for our local people.

You’ll find that we have a wide range of careers that may be more surprising than you think!

Why choose us?

We offer a vibrant working environment with:

• a pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill-health protection.
• lots of opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council
• generous leave entitlement (28days, rising to 33days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days
• hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs to help you with a healthy work-life balance.

We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.

About the role

Principal Planning Officer (Minerals & Waste) – Managing our Landscapes

North Northamptonshire Council is a product of local government reorganisation which took place across Northamptonshire in 2021. We have brought together the four former district and borough and county Local Planning Authority planning functions and are towards the end of a transformation programme to create a single high-performing planning service for North Northamptonshire.

North Northamptonshire is a high-growth area offering an exciting opportunity for professional development with a good record in providing a Minerals & Waste Planning service across both North and West Northamptonshire and for Rutland County Council. This role is at a Principal Officer level, providing direction and leadership in delivery of the Development Management service for Minerals & Waste Planning.

Beyond dealing with the determination of Minerals & Waste applications, the role provides an opportunity for the mentorship of colleagues, with a potential to further grow the high-quality service it provides to other areas. This is a role that can offer a breadth of opportunities to utilise your knowledge and experience, and develop your career, in a job that is both challenging and rewarding.

What will you be doing?

In this dynamic role you will play a vital part in supporting the effective delivery of North Northamptonshire’s Minerals & Waste Planning service, specifically leading with the Development Management functions. You will be at the forefront of providing customer service, engaging with a range of internal and external stakeholders, including members of the public, various agencies and councillors, ensuring every interaction reflects our commitment to the future of our area.

You will be joining us at an exciting time as we implement our new team structure, come together in new headquarter offices, and roll-out new planning software and ways of working. Working as a Principal Planning Officerin Minerals & Wasteyou will be at the forefront ofdelivering the application service and advising on the preparation of a new Minerals & Waste Plan, being an important part of our continuing transformation and improvement journey, influencing the evolution of our service.

You will be part of a team structure that is designed to ensure that you can both benefit from the support and guidance of colleagues to help you achieve your potential but also utilise your own knowledge to mentor junior colleagues. Through our ‘Development Team’ approach we will offer opportunities for all officers to be involved in bespoke project teams brought together to handle the various largescale and high-profile developments.

About you

What you will require:

• A relevant degree or equivalent qualification to allow access to Chartered membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute (or equivalent) or able to demonstrate equitable experience in Minerals & Waste Planning
• Chartered membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute (or equivalent), or demonstration of eligibility for full Chartered Membership
• Extensive experience in minerals and waste development management
• Strong knowledge of NPPF, minerals and waste legislation, and best practice
• Capable negotiator and facilitator, who is able to build effective relationships and achieve co-operation from other colleagues, Councillors, stakeholders and members of the local community
• Experience in public engagement and consultation
• Emerging knowledge or experience of coaching, mentoring, and supporting the professional development of others
• Highly capable and effective communicator in verbal (including presentations) and written forms requiring limited supervision and revision, and proficient in writing clear and concise reports for different audiences and purposes.
• Good organisational skills and project management skills
• Able to travel independently to multiple sites across the Council’s administrative area to undertake site visits on a frequent basis (3-5 times a week), or further away to attend meetings and events on behalf of the Council. For example, the ability drive with access to own transport
• Good personal presentation, Confident and assertive

About us

Our Values and Behaviours

Our values define who we are and how we operate, by forming the foundation for how we interact with our customers, colleagues and provide our services. They are also at the forefront of our decision making and delivery and are:

Customer-focused
Respectful
Efficient
Supportive
Trustworthy

Our key commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most.

Disability Confident Employer

We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role.

The council obtained the Gold status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).

Further information can be found at Jobs and careers | North Northamptonshire Council (northnorthants.gov.uk)