Planning Casework Manager

Job summary

We are MHCLG

Are you at the early stages of your planning career and looking to dive into a high-profile area of work? Do you want to gain experience playing a vital part working on some of the most complex and controversial planning cases in England?
The Planning Casework Division (“PCD”) within the Chief Planner’s Directorate is based in 10 locations across the country, and it administers and determines applications relating to 40 different types of planning casework. This includes decisions on whether to call in planning applications, confirm compulsory purchase orders, EIA screening, or whether to grant planning permission, Crown development applications, among other things. These decisions may be very high profile and complex in nature, and cover a wide range of policy issues such as housing, prisons, design, energy, minerals or climate change. PCD advises the Secretary of State and other Ministers on those cases which require a Ministerial decision.

The post-holder will support the delivery of a high-quality service to Ministers, so that they can make informed, legally sound casework decisions, as well as managing casework decided under delegation. The post-holder will be assisted to take on the unique work undertaken by PCD in a supportive environment with tailored training.

Job description

As the Planning Casework Manager your responsibilities will include:

• Supporting team members, who may work across a variety of different locations, working effectively together in an inclusive environment.
• Prioritising their own portfolio of cases, to ensure cases are determined within defined or statutory deadlines;
• Preparing advice to senior officials and/or Ministers on major cases, and making decisions on a range of casework delegated to officials for decision, or providing recommendations to senior officials;
• Deputising for and assisting casework leads in amassing knowledge and providing advice on certain case types;
• Seeking opportunities to improve case handling and business delivery as part of a push to deliver a professional and high-quality service and to promote the PCD as a centre for excellence;
• Ensuring they and others act properly and maintain political awareness in dealing with some of the most high-profile and politically sensitive cases in England; and
• Undertaking any other duties required by the line manager, which are within PCD’s responsible functions.
• The post-holder may also be responsible for direct reports and will be supported in developing line management skills.

Person specification

Behaviours

• Making Effective Decisions - Ability to assess complex and detailed information and evidence to reach well-reasoned and balanced conclusions.
• Communicating and Influencing - Can communicate effectively using plain language, with technical stakeholders and members of the public who may have little experience of the planning process, while being able to negotiate set outcomes.
• Delivering at Pace - Ability to manage own work and priorities in line with set deadlines with a track record for delivery in a pressurised environment.
• Working Together - Ability to work as part of a wider team and undertake tasks in accordance with a set framework, while adding own specific value.

Qualifications and Experience

• Has a working understanding of the planning system, either gained through a professional qualification and/or experience.
• Is either a chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, or will qualify for such membership.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,801, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £10,081 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Staff Benefits Scheme, Childcare Vouchers, and Cycle to Work Schemes. For more information, please click here.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Application and Selection
The application process will be split into 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles:

Ability , Behaviours , Strengths , Technical

Please ensure your CV does not contain any personally identifiable information.

Note: We do not consider direct CV applications. All applications must be submitted via the provided application link.

Important: Your CV and Cover Letter must be merged into a single document before uploading.

Stage 1: Sift (CV & Cover Letter)

Experience: Your covering letter should be no more than one page referencing how you meet the person specification and essential criteria, and reflect on your previous experience in doing so.

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.

If you run into any technical problems when applying through Be Applied (for example, trouble logging in or submitting your application), their support team can help. Please contact them at hello@beapplied.com.

Stage 2: Interview

• Behaviours: Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Working Together
• Ability: Written assessment at interview stage.
• Technical: Technical questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.
• Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

Candidates will be asked to participate in a written test at interview stage, details would be provided upon invitation.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 13th April 2026.

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 27th April 2026 and are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change.

How We Recruit

Find out more about our recruitment processes here.

• Applying

• Sifting

• Interview

• Interview Results & Feedback

• Reserve List

• Near Miss

• Civil Service Grades

• We are a DCS, RIS & GPTWV employer

• Reasonable Adjustments

How to Apply

Find out everything you need to know before applying here.

You must review the following information from the MHCLG Career's Site before submitting your application. This step is essential to ensure your eligibility for the role and that your application is completed correctly.

• Security Clearance Requirements

• Civil Service Nationality Requirements

• Right to Work

• Artificial Intelligence

• Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles

• CV Declaration

• Sponsorships

• Salary and Grade

• Existing Civil Servants

• Conflict of Interest

• Location and Flexible Working

• Fixed Term Contracts

• Internal Fraud Database - Internal Fraud Register

• Appeals and Complaints

• Conflict of Interest

Security Clearance Requirements

National Office:

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Lewis Thomas
• Email : lewis.thomas@communities.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@communities.gov.uk

Further information

If you are unsure about any part of the process or require additional information about the post to enable you to progress your application, you should speak to the Resourcing team - recruitment@communities.gov.uk. Candidates can appeal at any stage of the recruitment process if they believe there has been:

a procedural irregularity

an infringement of the Civil Service equal opportunities policy

exceptional circumstances which were not notified to the interview panel which might have affected performance on the day.

It is important to note that these are appeals about the process not the decision. In the first instance, an appeal should be directed to the MHCLG Resourcing Hub at recruitment@communities.gov.uk.

If the MHCLG Resourcing Hub is unable to satisfactorily resolve your complaint, you may contact put your complaint in writing to the Civil Service Commission, Room G8,1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ or by email to: info@csc.gov.uk