Rural Planner

Wessex Internet; Blandford Forum; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Private medical insurance

Life assurance

Cycle to Work

Tech purchase schemes

Holiday buy/sell

Broadband discount

High street discounts

Staff socials

Career development

Job summary

Wessex Internet is recruiting a Rural Planner to support delivering our network build across Dorset, with emphasis on community engagement and route planning. You will liaise with landowners, explain benefits, and guide legal and documentation steps to start construction in targeted areas.

The role suits someone with solid countryside awareness, strong communication skills, and a proactive, detail-driven approach. The team values initiative and stakeholder collaboration.

Qualifications

• Excellent agricultural and countryside awareness.
• Strong negotiation and relationship-building abilities.
• Good communication, both oral and written, with diverse stakeholders.
• Proactive, analytical mindset with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Engage with communities and landowners to discuss expansion projects.
• Explain benefits to landowners and support agreement processes.
• Propose and adapt construction routes based on feedback.
• Address landowner concerns and ensure smooth project progression.
• Evaluate service maps to determine optimal routes.
• Prepare detailed route plans for the Planning Team.
• Record progress in the management system.

Skills

Agriculture awareness

Negotiation

Spatial awareness

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Multi-project handling

Tools

GIS

Job description

Wessex Internet is a fast-growing, award-winning broadband provider transforming rural connectivity across the Southwest.

We're looking for a detail-oriented Rural Planner to join our Planning team, supporting the successful delivery of our network build across Dorset.

What you'll get as a Rural Planner at Wessex Internet:

• A starting salary up to £36,000, dependent on experience.
• A £2,000 annual car allowance
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays, with the option to buy/sell up to 5 days.
• Private medical insurance & life assurance.
• Cycle to Work & Tech purchase schemes.
• Enhanced family leave policies.
• Staff broadband discount (75%).
• High street discounts on 100+ brands.
• Summer & Christmas team socials.
• Career development opportunities - Whether you want to lead a team or learn new skills, we'll support your growth in our fast-moving business.

What You'll Do As a Rural Planner

• Community and Landowner Engagement: Actively engage with communities and landowners to discuss and promote Wessex Internet network expansion projects.
• Benefits Communication: Clearly explain the benefits to landowners of participating in the Wessex Internet model, highlighting advantages for their properties and communities.
• Route Planning: Liaise with landowners to propose suitable construction routes, adapt plans based on their feedback, and confirm final development plans.
• Customer Assurance: Instil confidence in landowners by addressing and resolving any concerns they may have regarding the impact of network construction on their property.
• Legal Agreement Facilitation: Guide committed landowners through the legal agreement process to enable the commencement of network construction in their area.
• Service Map Evaluation: Evaluate service maps and accessible land information to determine the best construction routes.
• Route Plan Handover: Develop and hand over a detailed and deliverable route plan to the Planning Team.
• Progress Documentation: Keep all progress and updates accurately recorded in the company's central management system.

What You'll Bring As a Rural Planner

• Excellent agricultural and countryside awareness, including an understanding of possible landowner concerns
• Negotiation and relationship building skills
• Knowledge of agricultural and construction machinery operation
• Strong IT skillset
• Previous experience in GIS (Advantageous)
• A robust grasp of UK arable and livestock farming systems and processes
• Keen sense of spatial awareness
• Ability to work on multiple projects at differing stages concurrently
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail
• Proactive, can do and full of initiative
• Good communication skills, both oral and written, and the ability to work well with a wide variety of people
• Ability to foresee potential challenges and propose resolutions