Senior Town Planner | Principal Town Planner

Penguin Recruitment; Ledston; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Penguin Recruitment Ltd in Leeds is seeking a Senior/Principal Town Planner to lead and develop the planning function across Yorkshire. You will work on a varied portfolio including commercial, industrial, logistics, and infrastructure schemes, taking ownership from inception through to delivery.

The role offers autonomy, an established client base, and opportunities to build relationships with clients while supporting business development and growing the regional planning service.

Qualifications

• Strong background in Town Planning within a consultancy environment.
• Experience managing planning applications from inception to completion.
• Exposure to commercial, industrial, logistics or infrastructure schemes.
• Experience with Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) would be advantageous.
• Strong communication and client-facing skills.
• Interest in helping to grow a regional planning service and business development.

Responsibilities

• Take a leading role in delivering planning projects and developing client relationships.
• Establish and develop the local planning function in Leeds.
• Build relationships with existing and prospective clients across Yorkshire.
• Support business development and raise the profile of the planning offering regionally.
• Help shape the future direction of the team and grow the function as workload expands.

Skills

Town Planning

Client-facing communication

Business development

Job description

Job Title: Senior / Principal Town Planner

Penguin Recruitment is delighted to be supporting a leading multidisciplinary consultancy in its search for an experienced Senior / Principal Town Planner to join its growing team in Leeds.

This is an exciting opportunity for a Senior / Principal Town Planner to join an established consultancy with a strong national presence and play a pivotal role in developing and expanding its planning capabilities across Yorkshire.

With an established Leeds office of approximately 35 engineers, the business is looking to bring planning expertise into the office, offering the candidate the opportunity to take ownership of the planning function locally and help shape its future development.

The Role

Initially, you will be involved in a varied portfolio of projects across Leeds, Wakefield and the wider region, working across sectors including:

• Commercial, industrial and logistics developments.
• Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA).
• Residential and mixed-use developments.
• Large-scale infrastructure and complex planning schemes.
• Port, harbour and marine-related developments.

You will work closely with an established multidisciplinary team, drawing on expertise from across the wider business while taking a leading role in delivering planning projects and developing client relationships.

As the planning lead in Leeds initially, you will also have the opportunity to:

• Establish and develop the local planning function.
• Build relationships with existing and prospective clients.
• Support business development and raise the profile of the planning offering across Yorkshire.
• Help shape the future direction of the team, with scope to grow the function as the workload develops.

Importantly, there is no expectation for the successful candidate to walk in and immediately bring in new clients or generate their own workload. An established client base and existing project pipeline are already in place, allowing you to concentrate on delivering quality work and developing the regional offering. However, for someone who is commercially minded, enjoys building relationships and wants to contribute to further business growth, there is genuine opportunity to do so, with those efforts recognised and rewarded.

About You

We are keen to speak with an experienced Senior / Principal Town Planner who is looking for their next career move.

You will ideally have:

• A strong background in Town Planning within a consultancy environment.
• Experience managing planning applications and delivering projects from inception through to completion.
• Exposure to commercial, industrial, logistics or infrastructure schemes.
• Experience with EIA projects would be advantageous.
• Strong communication and client-facing skills.
• An interest in business development and helping to grow a regional planning service.

RTPI membership would be advantageous.

What’s on Offer?

• The opportunity to take a leading role in establishing a planning presence in Leeds.
• Genuine autonomy and responsibility from day one.
• An established client base and existing workload.
• No immediate pressure to bring in new business.
• The opportunity to be commercially rewarded for developing new relationships and generating additional work.
• A diverse portfolio of projects across multiple sectors.
• Access to a substantial multidisciplinary consultancy and its national expertise.
• Excellent long-term career progression as the regional team develops.

This is a particularly exciting opportunity for a Senior / Principal Town Planner who wants more influence over their career, greater autonomy and the chance to play a key role in growing a planning function, without the pressure of having to build a client base from scratch.