Town Planning Director - Bristol

Beach Baker Property Recruitment; West of England; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Private medical insurance

Wellbeing support

Generous holiday allowance

Job summary

Beach Baker Property Recruitment invites a strategically minded Planning Director to lead a fast‑growing Bristol planning practice. You will oversee high‑profile schemes, drive client relationships and shape regional growth while guiding a multidisciplinary team.

You will blend hands‑on project work with team leadership, financial stewardship and long‑term strategy to deliver major regeneration and development outcomes in the South West.

Qualifications

• MRTPI qualification with significant post‑qualification experience.
• Senior level experience (Associate Director/Director) in consultancy or equivalent public sector role.
• Strong leadership, client development and strategic planning abilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic planning advice to key clients and stakeholders.
• Lead and oversee complex planning applications, appeals and strategies.
• Act as senior point of contact with local authorities and consultees.
• Represent clients in meetings, committees and public consultations.
• Drive business development and grow client relationships.
• Shape growth and direction of the Bristol planning team.
• Mentor and develop junior and senior planners.
• Contribute to office leadership and manage project budgets and risk.

Skills

MRTPI

Leadership

Client facing

Business development

Strategic planning

Mentoring

Education

MRTPI

Job description

Town Planning Director

Bristol

This is a rare opportunity for an accomplished Planning Director to play a leading role within a highly regarded and growing consultancy in Bristol, shaping both major development projects and the future direction of the regional planning team.

We are seeking a senior, commercially astute planner with a strong market profile, capable of leading complex planning strategies, growing client relationships, and driving the continued expansion of a successful South West planning business.

The Role

As Planning Director, you will take a strategic leadership role, combining hands‑on involvement in high‑profile projects with responsibility for team leadership, business development and regional growth.

You will work on some of the most significant and transformative schemes in Bristol and the wider South West, including:

• Major city‑centre and brownfield regeneration projects
• Large‑scale mixed‑use, residential and commercial developments
• Science, technology, R&D and innovation‑led schemes
• Strategic land and long‑term promotion projects

You will collaborate closely with colleagues across development, agency, capital markets, rural and building consultancy teams, providing clients with integrated, commercially focused advice.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing strategic planning advice to key clients and stakeholders
• Leading and overseeing complex planning applications, appeals and development strategies
• Acting as a senior point of contact with local planning authorities, statutory consultees and elected members
• Representing clients at meetings, committees and public consultations
• Driving business development, securing new instructions and growing existing client relationships
• Playing a central role in shaping the growth and direction of the Bristol planning team
• Mentoring, managing and developing senior and junior planners
• Contributing to wider office and departmental leadership initiatives
• Managing commercial performance, project budgets and risk

About You

• MRTPI qualified with significant post‑qualification experience
• Proven track record at Associate Director / Director level within consultancy or a comparable senior public‑sector role
• Strong commercial awareness and client‑facing experience
• Demonstrable success in winning work and growing client accounts
• Excellent leadership, communication and influencing skills
• Deep understanding of the planning system and current policy environment
• Motivated by building teams, developing people and shaping places

Why This Opportunity?

• Leadership role within a growing and ambitious Bristol planning team
• Opportunity to influence major regeneration and development outcomes
• High level of autonomy, profile and responsibility
• Collaborative, multidisciplinary environment where leadership is valued
• Clear scope to shape regional growth and long‑term strategy
• Culture that rewards performance, initiative and contribution rather than tenure

Reward & Benefits

• Highly competitive salary and performance‑related bonus
• Pension scheme and life assurance
• Car allowance
• Private medical insurance and wellbeing supportEnhanced family‑friendly policies
• Generous holiday allowance plus wellbeing days
• Professional development and leadership support
• Regular social, team and business‑wide events