Principal Planning Policy Officer

West Northamptonshire Council; Towcester; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

West Northamptonshire Council is seeking a motivated Planning Policy Officer to join our Planning Policy Team. You will play a key role in delivering Local Development Documents, including the Local Plan, evidence base, and community engagement, ensuring planning services are modern, responsive and efficient.

You will lead in developing planning policies and proposals, working with partner authorities, and providing policy advice at meetings while helping to manage the team’s day-to-day

Qualifications

• To be successful in this role you must be a Member of the RTPI and hold a planning-related degree or diploma recognised by the RTPI.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and review Local Development Documents, including the Local Plan and its evidence base, and manage community engagement and consultation documents.
• Develop planning policies and proposals in collaboration with council services, partner authorities and agencies.
• Provide planning policy advice at formal and informal council meetings and contribute to high-quality, value-for-money service delivery.
• Support the Planning Policy team’s day-to-day operations and ensure adherence to policy and operational guidelines.

Skills

RTPI membership

Planning knowledge

Education

Planning degree or RTPI-recognised diploma

Job description

About the role

We are seeking a motivated and forward-thinking Planning Policy Officer to join our dynamic Planning Policy Team. In this role, you will play a key part in delivering the team's objectives and enhancing the quality of planning services across the district.

You will actively engage with the local community and embrace new technologies to ensure our services are modern, responsive, and efficient.

What will you be doing?

Your contribution will be vital in supporting the Team Leader and Head of Service in the preparation and review of Local Development Documents, including the Local Plan and its associated components such as the evidence base, community engagement activities, consultation documents, Sustainability Appraisals, Authorities Monitoring Reports, and neighbourhood plans.

You will also take the lead in developing planning policies and proposals, working closely with other council services, partner authorities, and agencies to ensure effective implementation.

The role involves providing planning policy advice at both formal and informal Council meetings and contributing to the overall delivery of a high-quality, value-for-money service. You will help manage the day-to-day operations of the Planning Policy team while adhering to both policy and operational guidelines.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone looking to make a meaningful impact in shaping local development through collaborative, proactive, and community-focused planning work.

About you

To be successful in this role, you must be a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and hold a planning-related degree or diploma that is recognised by the RTPI.

This is an excellent opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to local planning in a supportive, collaborative environment.

Our benefits

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.

About us

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email [e-mail] for support.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.