Principal Planner

About the Borough

Found in zone 6 with good transport links in and out of London, Kingston is a vibrant and diverse university town which creates the rich sense of community shared across the borough and its Residents. Kingston boasts an idyllic riverside location, good shopping and great restaurants, as well as a mix of modern and historic town centre. Kingston has lots of open parklands and cycle routes that help connect the district town centres into an enjoyable place to live and work.

We are passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.

About the Service and Team

Shape Kingston’s Future – Lead, Influence, Deliver

We’re looking for an experienced and ambitious Principal Planner to take a leading role in shaping Kingston’s growth and development. As Deputy Team Leader, you’ll manage complex projects, mentor colleagues, and ensure our planning service delivers excellence across the borough.

Why Kingston?
From our historic riverside and vibrant market town to major regeneration schemes, Kingston is one of London’s most dynamic boroughs. You’ll play a key role in flagship projects, balancing heritage with innovation and creating sustainable, high-quality places for our communities.

About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate

What you’ll do:

• Lead on major planning projects and applications, ensuring compliance and quality outcomes.
• Review and sign off planning applications of all types (subject to delegation).
• Represent the service at Planning Committees and Neighbourhood Committees, supporting effective decision-making.
• Manage and mentor planners, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Drive service innovation and contribute to annual planning processes and performance targets.
• Deputise for senior officers, playing a key role in strategic planning and delivery.

What we’re looking for:

• Chartered membership (or eligibility) of the RTPI.
• Significant experience in Development Management or Planning Policy, including complex projects and strategic workstreams.
• Strong leadership and mentoring skills, with the ability to manage teams and influence at senior level.
• Comprehensive knowledge of planning legislation and local government operations.
• A proactive, customer-focused approach and commitment to Kingston’s STAR values: Supportive, Transparent, Appreciative, Respectful.

Our Offer to You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 25-32 days, plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade.
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston
• Hybrid working (dependent on the role)
• Flexible and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle leasing scheme
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Application Process

For more information and to apply, please visit www.kingstonjobs.co.uk

Penna are managing this recruitment campaign on our behalf as our trusted Recruitment Partners.

Apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.

We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities.
However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI-generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Kingston we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our STAR values.
Here at Kingston we have core values of Transparency and this is to be demonstrated during the application process and completion of the supporting statement and will be further tested at interview and selection stage for those who progress forward.

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.