Senior Planning Officer

Hoople Ltd; Hereford; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

LGPS enrolment

Career progression

Flexible working

Job summary

Herefordshire Council is seeking a Senior Planning Officer to join one of two area teams and manage significant planning applications in Herefordshire. The role also involves casework in Hereford city and surrounding towns as the Council prepares a new Local Plan.

The ideal candidate will have strong knowledge of planning policy and legislation, work well independently and in a team, and hold a full driving licence. RTPI membership is encouraged for career advancement.

Qualifications

• Understanding of the role of a Senior Planning Officer in a local planning authority.
• Knowledge of planning policy, regulatory issues and current legislation.
• Ability to work on multiple streams and tight deadlines.
• Membership of RTPI or working towards it (desirable).
• Full driving licence (Pool Cars available).

Responsibilities

• Based in one of two area teams; handle significant planning and related applications.
• Work on casework in Hereford city and surrounding towns and villages.
• Contribute to preparation of a new Local Plan and development management improvements.

Skills

Planning policy

Regulatory knowledge

Self-motivation

Teamwork

Driving licence

Job description

About The Role

Job Title: Senior Planning Officer

Hours: 37 full time post

Salary: HC08 £37,563 - £42,123 per annum ( NJC Pay structure 26-27)

Contract: Permanent

Closing date: 2 October 2026

Herefordshire Council are seeking to recruit a Senior Planning Officer (a permanent full-time 37 hours per week post)

The successful applicant will be an ambitious town planner seeking to gain further experience within Development Management and take their career to the next level or someone with senior level experience simply looking to work in a beautiful part of the world and with a great team.

Read the full advert to understand how you could play a key role in shaping a sustainable and greener future for Herefordshire residents and its economy.

What will you be doing?

You will be based within one of the two area teams and the role will involve you in some of the more significant planning (and associated) applications that we deal with.

You will work within the beautiful Herefordshire countryside as well as dealing with casework within the city of Hereford and/or its surrounding market towns and villages.

The County is rich in biodiversity, landscape and heritage value including two National Landscapes, Conservation Areas and many listed building buildings. We think it`s a truly outstanding place to work, that will offer the right candidate valuable experience in a wide range of casework and challenges, as well as an opportunity to shape a sustainable future as the Council embarks on the preparation of a new Local Plan.

About You

As a Senior Planning Officer you will have:

• An understanding of the role of a Senior Planning Officer in a local planning authority and demonstrable experience of dealing with a range of planning and other associated applications.
• Strong knowledge of planning policy, regulatory issues and current legislation.
• The ability to work under your own initiative as well as within a team, often to tight deadlines and on multiple work streams.
• Membership of or be or actively working towards membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
• A current full driving licence. Pool Cars are available for use.
• Please note we do not provide sponsorship for employment in the UK.

We Offer

A competitive salary, holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:

• Salary range of £37,563 - £42,123
• Enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Career progression: clear pathways to progress
• Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum during the request period
• Flexible working: including the potential for job-sharing, part-time hours and agile working.
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
• Payment of professional membership fees (based on role requirements)
• Pick your perks – our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.

Why Choose Us?

We're proud and excited to unveil our new recruitment video, a celebration of Herefordshire's people, places, and purpose. Set in the heart of England and filled with pride, compassion and possibility, the video brings to life what it means to work somewhere you truly belong.

At Herefordshire Council, every role matters and every person makes a real difference for our communities. We’re a team where people feel valued, supported and empowered to grow together.

Herefordshire is big hearted, welcoming and friendly. We have strong and independent communities and idyllic countryside, situated in the South West Midlands and bordering Wales. The county sits between Worcestershire and the Malvern Hills to the east, and Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons) in Wales to the west.

Historically Herefordshire has been the gateway to the Marches. We embrace partnership working. We are a member of the Marches Forward Partnership, which is a cross border collaboration between Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, Powys and Shropshire who are collectively working to secure funding to invest in the region.

The council priorities over the next four years are set out in the Council Plan, with four main areas;

People

We will enable residents to realise their potential, to be healthy and to be part of great communities who support each other. We want all children to have the best start in life.

Place

We will protect and enhance our environment and ensure that Herefordshire is a great place to live. We will support the right housing in the right place, we will support access to green spaces and we will do everything we can to recover the health of our rivers.

Growth

We will create the conditions to deliver sustainable growth across the county; attracting inward investment, building business confidence, creating jobs, enabling housing development along with providing the right infrastructure.

Transformation:

We will be an efficient council that embraces best practice, delivers innovation through technology and demonstrates value for money.

Don’t meet all parts of the job description?

Herefordshire Council is committed to strengthening a diverse and inclusive work environment which reflects the communities of Herefordshire. If you are looking at the next stage of your career and have a broad base of fieldwork experience, we can provide supportive and welcoming opportunities to help you develop your professional, management & supervisory skills.

Reasonable Adjustments

Our recruitment process runs in partnership with Hoople Resourcing. If you require any reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please contact the resourcing team by email: [e-mail].

Creating an inclusive workplace

We encourage our employees to feel empowered and to use their voices to help embrace diversity, promote inclusivity and shape our organisation. We have eight employee network groups, collectives of colleagues who often share identities, life experiences or cultures and offer support and community. They also play an important role in strengthening the voices of employees at Herefordshire Council. Embedded in the Council's values is a commitment to listen to people's views and needs.

For more information on our Employee Network Groups please view our dedicated recruitment website: www.spiritofherefordshire.com.

Commitments, Covenants and Statutory Obligations

The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:

• Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.

We take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check.