Principal Town Planner

Capita Pension Solutions; Gildersome; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

23 days’ holiday (rising to 27)

Annual bonus

Company pension

Volunteering opportunities

Cycle2work scheme

Job summary

A leading planning consultancy in the UK seeks a skilled Principal Planning Consultant to lead major planning applications and provide expert advice. The ideal candidate will have over 7 years of experience, including expertise as an expert witness. This role involves managing planning applications, supporting team development, and ensuring compliance with planning legislation. The position offers a competitive salary between £40,000 and £55,000, and a range of benefits including generous holiday, volunteering opportunities, and a commitment to diversity.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of relevant experience in planning.
• Experience as a Principal Planning Officer or Consultant in public sector.
• Full, clean UK Driving Licence.

Responsibilities

• Process major planning applications timely.
• Prepare and present evidence on appeals.
• Provide high-quality professional advice on planning matters.

Skills

Expert witness experience

Negotiation skills

Project management

Knowledge of planning legislation

Education

Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute

Job description

Job Description

We’re looking for a skilled and experienced Principal Planning Consultant to join our market‑leading Planning Resilience team at Capita.

As the Principal Planner, you’ll lead on major planning applications, provide expert advice, and help drive service improvements for our Local Authority clients. With access to a wide range of projects and a supportive team of over 200 planning professionals, this is a chance to make a real impact on your career and the communities we serve.

The role is open to applicants across the UK and Northern Ireland.

What you’ll be doing

• Process major planning applications in a timely manner, producing robust reports and recommendations to achieve desired and deliverable outcomes.
• Undertake pre‑application discussions on major proposals, some under Planning Performance Agreements.
• Prepare and present evidence on appeals for external clients.
• Contribute to the delivery and improvement of business management systems, procedures and processes.
• Provide support and guidance to peers and more junior staff and ensure contemporary planning issues and legislation are cascaded and understood.
• Support the growth of the team by making a positive contribution to business development, securing repeat work and applying a commercial lens to all work undertaken.
• Provide consistently high‑quality professional advice on planning matters to clients, members of the public, councillors and others as necessary.
• Negotiate with applicants and a wide range of stakeholders to obtain high‑quality outcomes within given time constraints set out in our contractual arrangements with clients.
• Provide concise, accurate, justified and timely reports and recommendations on major planning applications and pre‑application discussions applying current legislation and policy changes as appropriate.
• Keep up to date with current and emerging policy development at a local, regional and national level.
• Be involved in service improvements and our business operations to ensure resilience competitive edge, efficiency and effectiveness going forward.

Essential qualifications

• Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience, including proven expertise as an expert witness at Planning Inquiries.
• Demonstrable experience working as a Principal Planning Officer or Consultant in the public sector is essential; experience across both public and private sectors would be advantageous.
• Proven ability to lead on Planning Performance Agreements (PPAs).
• A high level of knowledge, understanding and application of current and emerging planning legislation.
• Full, clean UK Driving Licence with the willingness to travel to meet our client requirements.

What’s in it for you

• Salary: £40,000 – £55,000 per annum, negotiable depending on experience.
• 23 days’ holiday (rising to 27) with the opportunity to buy extra leave.
• The opportunity to take a paid day out of the office, volunteering for our charity partners or a cause of your choice.
• A discretionary annual bonus / car allowance or company car – if applicable.
• Auto‑enrolment to our company pension, life assurance, a cycle2work scheme, 15 weeks’ fully paid maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, paternity pay of two weeks and plenty more.
• Voluntary benefits designed to suit your lifestyle – from discounts on retail and socialising, to health & wellbeing, travel and technology.
• Access to our Employee Network Groups, which represent every strand of diversity and allow colleagues to connect and learn from each other on an open, inclusive platform.

Equal Opportunities

At Capita, we’re committed to providing an inclusive, barrier‑free recruitment process and working environment for everyone. We are an equal opportunity and Disability Confident employer; we want to hear from you if you’d like to discuss any adjustments you might need during your recruitment process.

Seniority level

• Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

• Full‑time

Job function

• Other

Industries

• IT Services and IT Consulting