Strategic Town Planner | Gloucestershire | Policy Specialist | Successful SME

Are you a Town Planner with experience of local plans / strategic promotions?

Have you either worked for a council, helping to form their local plan and going through the examinations process, or worked in a private sector role focused on representing strategic sites and monitoring local plans?

Are you based, or do you have ties to Gloucestershire or its close surroundings (Cheltenham, Gloucester, Hereford, Cirencester, Ross-on-Wye, Worcester etc.)?

If your answers to the above are 'YES' then you must read on!

My client is a well-established, vibrant and successful small to medium sized consultancy based in beautiful Gloucestershire. They currently have 12 staff across 2 offices and have grown steadily in recent years to support the increasing workload they have experienced as their reach has grown. They have a fantastic reputation amongst their clients and other stakeholders in the region and pride themselves on their friendly but professional approach and close-knit team. Clients return over and over again and new clients are regularly recommended so their reputation for excellent delivery really does precede them.

Typical sector work includes residential development (householder and self build through to large sites and strategic land promotion), commercial and employment-related projects, leisure and tourism, retail and mixed use, heritage and conservation and much more. They offer a full range of planning services from site appraisals through to appeals and public inquiries, and also offer a project management service to their clients as required.

The Strategic Planner position on offer has arisen to plug a small gap in their current service provision. Whilst the senior team have plenty of strategic planning experience and can support and guide the new team member, much of their time is devoted to building client relationships and keeping the pipeline full, so they now require a policy specialist to promote strategic sites, monitor and coordinate the local plan function and work with all members of the planning to support their strategic planning needs.

About you:

• 3+ years' town planning (policy/strategic) experience, ideally in the local area (although if you have worked elsewhere, they would prefer you had ties to the area and a reason to stay!);
• MRTPI chartered (or due to be chartered soon);
• experience of either promoting strategic sites on behalf of clients / a developer, or working as a policy planner in local government;
• experience of at least one local plan examination from a public or private perspective is desirable;
• keen to work in private practice and be client facing;
• excellent communication skills, including the ability to represent client/company at hearings and examinations as required;
• strong report writing skills;
• broad and up to date understanding of planning policies and legislation;
• ability to communicate effectively with team members and be flexible with managing a diverse workload.

The successful candidate will be offered a fantastic place of work surrounded by a supportive management team and great colleagues. You will be offered a salary roughly in the region of £30k - £35k (although there is a little room for manoeuvre depending on the candidate's experience). Bonuses are always paid at Christmas, and often there is a second discretionary bonus paid during the year. You will need a car but mileage is paid at HMRC rates for all business related travel. You will receive company pension contributions of up to 5%, death in service and sickness benefit and a good amount of holiday. Due to the workload, full time hours are preferred but they can offer some flexible working including the option to work a compressed week if required.

Overall, this is a fantastic opportunity to work for one of the most desirable built environment consultancies in the area and an opportunity for a policy specialist to continue utilising their skills in a private sector environment.

If you would like to find out more then please give Claire a call on 07983 143 831 or 020 7859 4246. Alternatively, send you CV via the apply button below or send your CV to claire@lewisdavey.com including a contact number so that I can get in touch with you.

Please note that we will endeavour to review your application within two weeks and if there is interest in your candidacy, a Consultant will be in touch. Unfortunately, due to the significant amount of applications we receive, we are unable to provide individual feedback so if you have not heard from us within two weeks, please consider your application unsuccessful.  Thank you for your interest.

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Lewis Davey specialise in recruiting talented people across Town Planning, Cleantech & Sustainability and Environmental industries.