Principal Town Planner - Policy

AECOM; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading planning consultancy in the UK is seeking a Principal Planner to manage key planning policy projects. The role involves leading teams, developing client relationships, and ensuring successful project delivery. Candidates should have significant experience in planning policy, strong interpersonal skills, and a commitment to high-quality work. The position offers flexible hybrid work options and a supportive culture for career growth.

Benefits

Hybrid work options

Career progression opportunities

Comprehensive benefits programs

Qualifications

• Significant relevant experience in planning policy and strategy development.
• Client-focused with strong interpersonal skills.
• Experience in business development and work winning.
• Ability to produce high quality technical reports.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Lead and assist on key planning policy projects.
• Manage relationships with clients and stakeholders.
• Ensure successful project delivery on budget.
• Implement quality assurance and compliance standards.
• Contribute to business development strategies.

Skills

Project Management

Client Management

Strategic Planning

Interpersonal Skills

Business Development

Job description

Overview

in planning policy project wins and new opportunities, we are looking to bring in a Principal Planner to work with senior colleagues to manage our growing workload. We are looking for an outstanding consultant with proven experience in planning policy and strategy and project management. This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic thinker with strong interpersonal skills and a commitment to delivering high-quality work and driving business growth. You will managing and assisting in key planning policy projects, working alongside multi-disciplinary teams and engaging directly with clients and stakeholders to secure successful planning outcomes. You will be based in our flagship London Aldgate Tower office, though other locations may be considered, including Basingstoke, Bristol, Birmingham, Cambridge, Chesterfield, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, and Plymouth. We operate a hybrid working model, giving you the flexibility to balance time between our office and working from home, depending on your needs and the requirements of the role. This position is available on either a full-time or part-time basis, allowing us to tailor the role to suit your individual circumstances.

What you’ll do

• Team Leadership and Development – Participate in the successful operation and management of the town planning team.
• Planning Strategy and Expertise – Lead and assist on key planning policy projects, including supporting local authority policy and strategy development, coordination and delivery of local plan evidence studies, strategic growth studies, infrastructure strategies and other policy and strategy commissions.
• Provide strategic planning advice to other client and internal teams.
• Relationship Management – Represent the organisation, developing and managing relationships with clients, local authorities and other stakeholders through project work and through attendance at conferences and other networking events.
• Knowledge Sharing – Share technical knowledge and excellence.
• Project Management – Ensure projects are delivered successfully on budget and within programme timelines; coordinate multi-disciplinary teams for seamless project execution.
• Quality Assurance and Compliance – Oversee the deliverables produced by the planning policy team; implement and uphold quality assurance and health and safety principles.
• Business Development – Contribute to the business development strategy, nurture client relationships; lead and assist in the preparation of commercial tenders to secure new opportunities.

About our team

AECOM is a top ten UK planning consultancy by size, employing more than 70 Chartered or Licentiate Planners. The AECOM Planning Practice projects include some of the largest, most complex and high profile development and regeneration projects in the UK for both public and private sector clients. We are a dynamic planning team and work closely with colleagues in other related disciplines, including masterplanning, landscape, environment, sustainability, transport and economics.

• Sub-Regional Spatial Plans – AECOM leads growth studies and evidence bases for plans and policy (including OxCam Arc, Thames Estuary, Hertfordshire and the East Midlands).
• Local Plans – We have supported local plans for over 100 authorities in the last decade, providing evidence base studies, secondments, critical friend support and coordinating multi-disciplinary teams.
• Strategic Masterplans – Masterplanning for Garden Communities totaling almost 100,000 homes.
• Neighbourhood Planning – Since 2011, support for neighbourhood plan making across numerous communities.

Joining AECOM will provide you with opportunities for career progression within a positive culture where learning and development is actively supported and promoted. Come grow with us.

Qualifications

• Significant relevant experience of leading and contributing to planning policy and strategy development in a consultancy or public sector role.
• Client focus, with good interpersonal skills and a collaborative working approach; existing relationships with clients and local authorities.
• A business development mindset, with demonstrable experience of work winning and developing relationships with existing and new clients.
• Ability to produce high quality technical reports and excellent communication skills.
• Ability to work on your own initiative and under pressure.
• High level of commitment to quality.

Additional Information

Work with Us. Change the World. At AECOM, we’re delivering a better world. We offer hybrid work options, a wide array of compensation, benefits and well-being programs, and equal opportunity employment. We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to applicants with disabilities or long-term conditions who meet the minimum criteria. All information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.