Senior Planning Officer

Dorset Council; Dorchester; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in England seeks a Senior Planning Officer to join their fast-track team in Dorchester. The role involves handling complex planning applications and mentoring staff. Applicants should hold a degree in town planning and have some experience in the field. This position offers hybrid working options while requiring weekly in-person meetings. Competitive salary offered with significant travel responsibilities.

Benefits

Training and development opportunities

Diverse and inclusive workplace

Access to benefits and support

Qualifications

• Post-qualification experience in a planning role, public or private sector.
• Chartered membership of the RTPI or eligibility to apply is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Shape local place making through consideration of complex applications.
• Drive high-quality place making on some major applications.
• Present applications to committee and represent the Council at public inquiries.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Mentoring

Dealing with complex applications

Education

Degree in town planning or related subject

Postgraduate qualification in planning

Job description

About the role

Looking for a new and exciting challenge? Would you like to develop your planning career in a beautiful and iconic area which not only has thousands of listed buildings, national landscape designations and England's only natural World Heritage Site - the Jurassic Coast, but is also a place of growth and innovation with a population of 380,000 and an economy worth around £8.1 billion?

We are a bold and ambitious planning service which has been through a period of positive transformation since becoming a unitary authority in 2019. With a one team approach we are taking Dorset into the future. Dealing with over 5000 planning applications a year - with everything from urban extensions, retail schemes and renewable energy projects to small scale agricultural and householder projects working for Dorset Council's planning service really does have something for everyone.

What you can expect to be doing

As a Senior Planning Officer you would be part of one of our "fast track" teams in the Southern and Western planning committee area. In the fast track team you would have the opportunity to shape local place making through the consideration of a range of complex "minor" applications. However, we are offering a dual role where you would also have the opportunity to drive high quality place making through the consideration of some major applications alongside the "majors" team. Both elements of the role provide extensive opportunities for negotiation, including any necessary planning obligations, presenting applications to committee, and representing the Council at hearings and public inquiries. There will be the opportunity to undertake case reviews, signing off applications under the council's scheme of delegation and to mentor planning officers in the "fast track" teams.

About you

You will hold a degree-level qualification in town planning (or related subject) and it is normally expected a postgraduate qualification in planning. You will have post-qualification experience in a planning role, in either the public or private sector. Chartered membership of the RTPI or eligibility to apply is desirable.

You will be confident dealing with major and complex "minor" applications and the presentation of those applications at planning committee. Being able to demonstrate experience of mentoring and signing off applications would be desirable.

You do not need to live in Dorset - we are able to work in a hybrid way but we would ask that you visit Dorset at least once a week for in-person team meetings and to undertake site visits.

Part-time applicants will be considered.

Protect it. Shape it. Enjoy it. Be part of Dorset!

Further Information

Location: Dorchester with potential for significant home working

The interview will consist of a presentation & test as well as competency related interview questions. Please bring along an example of your work and prepare a short presentation (this can either be verbal or PowerPoint presentation) for you to present and talk through with us.

If you would like to discuss the job vacancy in further detail, please contact:

Southern/Western team - Katrina Trevett, DM Team Leader ([email protected]), Ann Collins, Area Manager (ann[email protected])

This is a full time role at 37 hours per week.

This post requires significant travel. You must have a vehicle (or transport we deem suitable) available for use as needed.

About Us

At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future.

We:

• provide essential services that support over 300,000 residents
• work in partnership to make a real difference
• value every role and the impact it has on our communities
• support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive

You will:

• be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset
• have access to a range of benefits and support
• receive training and development opportunities to help your career progress

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible, if you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application.

This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement.

If you're passionate about making a difference, we'd love you to join us.

Find out more about how to apply.