School Place Planning Officer

Swindon Borough Council; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 39,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

Swindon Borough Council is seeking a School Place Planning Officer to lead long-term education planning and capital delivery in Swindon. You will manage school place planning, oversee building schemes, and coordinate education reorganisations with partners including schools, MATs, and the Department for Education.

The role requires strong stakeholder management, data analysis, and strategic vision, with hybrid working and a 37-hour week. Salary £42,839 p.a. plus benefits.

Qualifications

• Excellent and successful customer service skills.
• Experience working with Schools, Governing Bodies, Members and other customers with strong stakeholder management.
• Able to work as part of a team and also on own initiative.
• Conscientious, willing to go the extra mile and take accountability for your area.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills at all levels.
• Able to use IT packages and analyse and interpret data.
• Good attention to detail and strategic vision.

Responsibilities

• Lead range of planning functions including school place planning and client role for building schemes.
• Deliver education reorganisations and capital projects for primary and secondary phases.
• Take strategic lead on long-term education planning for Swindon and assess future demand.
• Data interrogation to develop coordinated responses to drive school places where needed.
• Collaborate with partners such as Schools, MATs, Department for Education and other council directorates.

Skills

Customer service

Stakeholder management

Teamwork

Initiative

Communication

IT skills

Data analysis

Attention to detail

Strategic vision

Job description

School Place Planning Officer

Ref: 191036

Salary: £42,839 p.a. plus benefits

37 hours per week

Swindon Borough Council are on an exciting journey to transform service delivery. We want our town to be the best it can be. Our ambitious vision in the new Swindon Plan is supported by realistic transformation programmes, with the people of Swindon at their heart. Because that’s who we’re doing it for – the communities and businesses that make our town great. As part of the Council, you’ll support a friendly local authority making decisions with real impact. It’s all for better public services. Better processes. And a better quality of life, for everyone. Join us, and Swindon will be better with you.

Your next role

This is an exciting time to join an established team, within the education service. The role will involve cyclical data returns and review of data, as well as fast paced capital delivery.

As a key member of the Education Place Planning Team, the role involves undertaking a range of planning functions, including school place planning, the client role for the implementation of building schemes, the delivery of education reorganisations, and many Capital projects for primary and secondary phases. This involves taking the strategic lead role for long-term planning for education in Swindon and ensuring that the implication of future demand is thoroughly researched and planned for. The role will require data interrogation to develop co-ordinated responses to drive school places to where they are needed.

The Team works closely with several partners and stakeholders, including schools, Multi Academy Trusts, the Department for Education, and other council directorates such as Planning, Architecture and Construction, Property and Legal services, Council Members, and Parish Council.

The successful candidate will require the following skills and experience –

• You will need to have excellent and successful customer service skills.
• Previous extensive experience of working with Schools, Governing Bodies, Members and other customers in a constructive way with excellent stakeholder management skills.
• Be keen to work as part of a team but also under your own initiative.
• Be a conscientious person, willing to go that extra mile and take responsibility and accountability for your area of work.
• Possess excellent and proven communication and interpersonal skills at all levels.
• Able to use IT packages and will be able to analyse and interpret data.
• You will be required to have good attention to detail skills and also strategic vision.

Ability to obtain an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service is required for the postholder.

The ability to travel throughout the Borough will be required and access to a car to attend meetings and visit school projects to monitor progress.

The team operates a hybrid working model with team members expected to be in the office for a minimum of three days per week.

You must be fluent in the English language (as a requirement of Part 7 of the Immigration Act “for the effective performance of a customer-facing role”).

Your next package

Please see our Rewards and Benefits offer for more details.

As an employee, you will receive a diverse and exciting environment in which to work, encouraging creativity and innovation whilst recognising the need to support ongoing personal development and a flexible work life balance.

For Swindon to thrive in the future, we need to lay the foundations now. It’s why our regeneration and transformation programmes are already underway. So, you’ll be joining us at an exciting time on our journey. We’ll look to you to share your knowledge, influence decisions and drive real, positive change. With your contributions, we’ll achieve our vision of a prosperous, revitalised Swindon together. And you’ll be proud to say it was made better with you.

Please see our Vision and Values page for more details and our new Swindon Plan.

Potential applicants are sometimes put off if they don’t meet 100% of the requirements. We think individual experience, skills and passion make all the difference, so if you meet the majority of the criteria, we’d love to hear from you.

Your next steps

As an inclusive employer, we welcome applications from a diverse range of communities, and in particular disabled people and people from ethnic minorities. Read our statement of commitment to equality & inclusion.

For further information about the role please contact Lorna Mitchell, School Place Planning and Capital Programme Manager, at [e-mail]

If you are experiencing technical issues submitting your application, please email [e-mail]

Closing date: 27 November 2026

Interview date: 9 December 2026.