Planning Operations Lead

About the role

Are you passionate about shaping the future of our towns and communities?

North Northamptonshire is a high-growth area offering an exciting opportunity for professional development. With six sustainable urban extensions in differing phases of delivery, a wealth of large commercial and industrial development proposals and everything in between, you will find this job both challenging and rewarding. Based on your existing experience in dealing with complex and extensive planning matters and commitment to high standards of customer service, you will have the opportunity to contribute towards the sustainable development of a high growth area and develop your career in the process.

In this dynamic role you will work across multi functions of planning policy and supporting managers in all these areas. You will develop a team delivering project management, performance management and administration support to ensure a successful delivery of a planning service.

Please note interviews will take place on 21st or 22nd January 2026

What will you be doing?

As part of the role, you will be responsible for overseeing and facilitating the preparation of reports and business cases, you will be monitoring and reporting to stakeholders to ensure the planning service is consistently meeting corporate standards.

• Responsible for overseeing and facilitating all invoicing and transactions and budget monitoring, production of financial statements
• Managing team performance, ensuring the timely response of performance data returns
• Coordinate IT superusers for planning systems, provide training
• Support system improvements and reviews
• Attend meetings/ committee/ exhibitions

About you

- Educated to degree level or equivalent experience

- Relevant experience at a management level in a appropriate, related work area

- Strong understanding of admin functions to support planning applications

- Project Management and financial management

- Ability to write concise reports

- Experience of designing and implementing effective systems and processes

- Understanding and experience of project management mechanisms

Our Benefits

Here at North Northamptonshire Council, we’re transforming for the better, using all our creativity and imagination to create the best life for our local people.

You’ll find that we have a wide range of careers that may be more surprising than you think!

Why choose us?

We offer a vibrant working environment with:

• a competitive salary
• a pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill-health protection.
• lots of opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council
• generous leave entitlement (28 days, rising to 33 days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days
• hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs to help you with a healthy work-life balance.

We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.

About us

Our Values and Behaviours

Our values define who we are and how we operate, by forming the foundation for how we interact with our customers, colleagues and provide our services. They are also at the forefront of our decision making and delivery and are:

Customer-focused
Respectful
Efficient
Supportive
Trustworthy

Our key commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most.

Disability Confident Employer

We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role.

Our Employment and Disability Service provides bespoke support to individuals facing barriers to employment, helping them work towards their goals to start, stay and succeed in employment. For further information please click here The Employment and Disability Service (EADS) | North Northamptonshire Council

Armed Forces Community

The council obtained the Gold status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).

Further information can be found at Jobs and careers | North Northamptonshire Council (northnorthants.gov.uk)