Planning Policy Officer

Our Planning Policy team sets the future direction for growth and sustainable development in West Northants. The team produces robust evidence base and is creating the first single Local Plan for West Northamptonshire.

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As our Planning Policy Officer, you'll play a key part in creating and keeping our policy documents up to date. These documents serve as guides and benchmarks for future developments in the area and you'll also be responsible for conducting research, monitoring, and gathering statistics to bolster our Planning Service and policy framework.

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.

You'll support in the preparation and review of the single Local Plan for West Northamptonshire, Neighbourhood Plans, and Supplementary Planning Documents, along with offering valuable insights on planning policy and development matters.

You will stay informed about UK Government policies, strategic planning, and sub- regional planning matters.

Collaboration is key as you'll liaise with colleagues, authorities, developers, and the public regarding land use policies. Monitoring development activities and conducting surveys will be part of your routine, as well as contributing to process improvements and fostering effective communication.

This role has been identified as a part-flexible worker type, this means that you will be able to worker from other work locations and when not working from an office you will be working remotely for up to 3 days a week (including from home).

Our ideal person is someone who thrives in a collaborative environment, enjoys researching, and has a keen eye for detail. With your fantastic communication skills, you will be relied on to deliver excellent customer service in every interaction for all internal and external customers, including Councillors.

As part of our team, you will make a proactive and positive contribution to the effective delivery of the Planning Service, this will include working flexibly and positively to achieve the objectives of the council.

If you have a background in policy development or related fields, we encourage you to apply.

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

Hear more from our Chief Executive, Anna Earnshaw, about what its like to work at West Northants Council.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential.  We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.