An exciting opportunity has arisen for a career graded Planning Assistant post within our thriving Development Management team. This role provides a structured career pathway to becoming a chartered town planner and progression to Senior Planning Officer.
You will have responsibility for a varied caseload of planning applications and will gain unrivalled experience for your continued professional development. We operate a mentoring system, and you will be part of a supportive team whilst maintaining individual responsibility for your work. You will be joining at an exciting time, with wide-ranging development proposals providing plenty of opportunities to develop and progress in a structured team environment. As well as core planning work, as a large rural and urban unitary planning authority you will enjoy the support of, and collaboration with, a wide range of planning specialists including professionals in urban design, landscape design, transport and highways, ecology, built heritage, archaeology and more. We are a friendly and professional team seeking enthusiastic new members to join us on our mission of sustainable place-making in Cheshire East.
About us
At Cheshire East Council we are resident and partner focused with a vision to enable prosperity and wellbeing for all. People really are at the heart of everything we do and that starts with our incredible workforce. We promote a culture of high performance where people can aspire, thrive and flourish, where we strive to deliver best value in everything we do.
For us, success isn’t just about what we achieve, but how we achieve it together. We promote curiosity, excellence, innovation and continuous improvement. We are values led and committed to wellbeing and inclusion for all, where our employees co-created our values of drive, integrity, respect and collaboration which inform all that we do.
We are proud to work for Cheshire East Council and believe you would be too, so come and join us!
Join us on a meaningful journey at Cheshire East Council
Join a team that’s compassionate, forward-thinking and deeply committed to making a difference. Our residents are at the heart of everything we do, and your role will be a key part of our transformation journey. This is your chance to be part of something meaningful where your ideas, energy and work can create real impact every day.
About the Role:
This is a career graded role providing a clear pathway up to Senior Planning Officer level. The post advertised begins at the level of Planning Assistant, which is the initial salary band indicated. Future progression to Planning Officer and Senior Planning Officer level is linked to reaching milestones set within your professional development plan. This has proved to be a successful pathway for existing members of the team, so you will be following a well-established pathway to achieve professional progression based on your own performance and development. You will have responsibility for managing a varied caseload of planning applications. This will range from householder planning applications to small scale residential and commercial developments. You will also enjoy responsibility for the lifecycle of the planning process including discharge of conditions and appeals. You will have opportunity to develop your experience in Development Management with the opportunity to learn from more senior planners dealing with major developments and appeals. You will collaborate with other planning specialists including professionals in urban design, landscape design, transport and highways, ecology, built heritage, archaeology and more to ensure positive outcomes.
This is just a snapshot of some of the exciting things you’ll be doing in role, to find out more about the other key responsibilities of the role please view the attached job description.
About you:
- We are looking someone with a keen interest in Planning, with the education and aptitude to develop into this role.
- You must have excellent interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate with all stakeholders in the planning process.
- You must be organised with an eye for detail, and possess excellent report writing and IT skills.
- You should enjoy problem solving and working to deadlines.
- You must be customer focused and be driven to develop yourself as a professional planning officer.
- A degree in Planning or related discipline is desirable, but there are alternative entry points available, please see the job description for details.
- Above all you must demonstrate a passion and commitment to a career in sustainable place-making.
To find out more about the essential and desirable criteria for the role please view the attached job description specification document.
What we offer in return:
- A competitive salary - Between £31,537 per annum - £34,434 per annum with guaranteed yearly pay increases!
- Enhanced annual leave - Start with an impressive 34 days of annual leave (including bank holidays) from day one, and watch it grow to 39 days after just five years of service
- Purchase of annual leave – Want more time off? You can purchase up to 10 extra days of annual leave each year, giving you the flexibility to balance work and life just the way you want (Pro-rata for part-time staff)
- Flexible working pattern - Enjoy a 37-hour standard full-time work week with the added perks of flexitime.
- Salary sacrifice green car scheme - Drive green and save green! Lease a brand-new electric or hybrid car through our salary sacrifice scheme. There’re no credit checks, no deposits, just significant savings and exclusive offers on a three-year lease
- White goods salary sacrifice scheme - Upgrade your home with ease. Purchase home and electronic items through our salary sacrifice scheme, spreading the cost of big-ticket purchases like appliances, computers, and tech gadgets directly from your salary
- Enhanced public pension - Secure your future with our career average pension, where contributions are built at a rate of 1/49th of your yearly pensionable pay
- Cycle to work scheme - Save up to 25-39% on the retail price of bikes and safety equipment through Income Tax and National Insurance savings. Get fit and save money!
- Employee assistance programme - Access a completely free and confidential assistance service to help manage, reduce, and overcome life’s challenges, both at work and in your personal life
- Discounted gym membership - Stay active and healthy with corporate membership prices for Everybody Leisure, including:
- Gym, Swim and Group Fitness at all 16 facilities
- Off-Peak Racket Sports
- Athletics Tracks
- Sauna/Steam/Spa
Organisation
Cheshire East Council
Location
Macclesfield, Crewe
Job Category
Place, Planning
Salary Min
£31,537 Per Annum
Salary Max
£34,434 Per Annum
Employment Type
Permanent
How to apply:
We’re delighted that you’re considering applying for this role!
As an equal opportunities’ and disability confident employer, we warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We believe that a diverse workforce helps us better reflect and serve our local communities, and together, we can build something truly special.
To join our team, simply click ‘Apply for this job’ at the bottom of the page. If you’d prefer an informal chat first or have any questions about the role, feel free to reach out to Peter Hooley at: [email protected], they’ll be happy to hear from you!
If you would like to get in touch with us regarding this role then please remember to include the job reference number so we can assist you accurately and in a timely manner.
Once you’ve applied for the position, please keep an eye on your email inbox (including your junk and spam folders), as we’ll send any correspondence there to stay in touch with updates about your application.
If you haven’t heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, it likely means we weren’t able to move forward with your application at this time but please don’t let this discourage you as your interest means a lot to us, as we’d truly love to hear from you again in the future!
For any technical enquiries please email [email protected]
Please quote job reference number in all correspondence.
