Principal Planning Officer
£52,425 - £52,709 plus 8% market supplement per annum
Permanent
Cirencester / Agile Working
Shape the Future of the Cotswolds
Are you an ambitious and experienced planner looking to work on some of the country’s most complex and rewarding planning projects in one of the UK’s most distinctive landscapes? We are seeking a Principal Planning Officer to join our ambitious and forward-thinking Planning Service in the heart of the beautiful Cotswolds, helping to deliver sustainable growth across an area renowned for its natural beauty, historic towns, and ambitious regeneration and commercial development opportunities.
Working within a collaborative Planning Service of around 40 professionals across Development Management, Policy, and Natural and Built Environment teams, you will lead a small sub-team of planners while managing a diverse caseload of major, strategic, commercial, and sensitive planning applications.
The role offers the opportunity to work on a wide range of high-profile planning projects, including major residential, commercial, heritage, and rural developments within the unique Cotswolds landscape. Alongside casework, you will contribute to service improvement initiatives, strategic projects, and the modernisation of planning processes.
This influential role requires strong technical planning skills, excellent judgement, and the confidence to engage effectively with Members, developers, consultants, parish councils, and local communities. We are looking for an organised and proactive planner who is ready to step into a leadership role, mentor junior colleagues, and help shape the future of planning within a dynamic and highly regarded authority.
If you’re passionate about good place-making, mentoring others, and shaping the future of planning in the Cotswolds, we’d love to hear from you.
You will need
- A planning or related degree.
- Eligibility for full Membership of the RTPI.
- Substantial experience at Senior Planner level.
- The ability to facilitate and manage ongoing change
- The ability to inspire and successfully motivate others towards shared objectives
- Deliver commitments and take ownership of own caseload, reshaping of plans to deliver required outcomes
Special Conditions
- Full UK driving licence with access to a vehicle for work purposes
- This is a politically restricted appointment within the meaning of the Local Government Act 1989 and regulations made there under.
Advert Closing Date: 2nd July 2026
We are rightly proud of the businesses, communities and residents who live in this beautiful part of the world, putting them first and at the heart of everything we do. We’re busy recreating a council set up for success, which can deliver for the needs of our communities in a fast-changing environment. That means we need to be ‘fleet of foot’ and look for innovative and creative ways to deliver against our Corporate Plan priorities.
Accredited of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies - Please state this within your covering statement or in a separate email.
Our organisation is committed to meeting its statutory and moral duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people under 18 years of age and adults at risk who are the recipients of its services and/or activities.
Safer recruitment practices are applied to all job vacancies. Successful candidates will be required to complete a pre-employment medical questionnaire; provide references; proof of identity; nationality and immigration status; three years’ employment or education history (if applicable) and, in some cases, verification of criminal record.
