Senior Planner – Oxford Strategy Unit

Job summary

The Oxford Strategy Unit is recruiting for a Senior Planner to support work to establish the Oxford Development Corporation and help to shape the long-term planning and delivery framework for growth in Oxford.

The Oxford Strategy Unit leads the Government’s work on housing, regeneration and infrastructure in Oxfordshire, with a central focus on addressing long-standing barriers to delivery. The Unit works across government and with local partners, including the Oxford Growth Commission, HM Treasury’s Oxford to Cambridge team, and MHCLG’s other OxCam focused teams. It sits within the New Towns, Infrastructure and Housing Delivery Directorate, which works directly with places and oversees funding to support the delivery of homes and high-quality places.

This role provides an opportunity to support policy and delivery on one of the Government’s highest-profile growth agendas. The Senior Planner role will support complex, high-profile work to develop proposals for a centrally led development corporation in Greater Oxford, subject to consultation. This includes inputting into work to shape the corporation’s purpose, powers and operating model, with a particular focus on planning powers, plan-making, development management, compulsory purchase and the relationship with existing local planning functions. The role requires an understanding of how the planning system can be used to unlock housing delivery while supporting high-quality place-making.

The role involves providing clear advice on planning, land and delivery options, and working closely with local authorities, Homes England, other government departments and delivery partners. The postholder will work alongside policy professionals to establish new governance arrangements, manage legal and delivery risk, and support decisions where trade-offs are unavoidable.

We are seeking candidates with the ability to operate at pace, build relationships with external stakeholders, and input into work that cuts across organisational and professional boundaries.

Regular travel to Oxford and Oxfordshire required.

Job description

As the Senior Planner in the Oxford Strategy Unit your responsibilities will include:

• Support the development of proposals to establish the Oxford Development Corporation, including defining its role, functions and scope following public consultation.
• Contribute to work on planning powers, including plan-making, development management, compulsory purchase and the relationship between the development corporation and existing local planning authorities.
• Work with local authorities, Homes England, other government departments and delivery partners to develop integrated approaches to housing, infrastructure and regeneration in Oxford.
• Operate appropriate governance arrangements for the programme, including delivery, legal and planning risks.
• Ensure that proposals support sustainable growth in Oxford, taking account of infrastructure capacity, environmental constraints and long-term place-making objectives.

Person specification

Essential criteria:

• Expertise and experience in planning and the built environment, including holding or being eligible for membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)
• Experience of working with the planning system, including plan-making, development management, compulsory purchase, or related statutory planning functions.
• Experience of contributing to complex planning, regeneration or development programmes, with an understanding of how planning powers and delivery vehicles can be used to unlock housing and infrastructure.
• Ability to analyse complex issues and make judgements where evidence may be incomplete and trade-offs are required.
• Ability to provide advice on planning, land or development matters, setting out implications, risks and options in an accessible way.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, including working with multiple organisations or partners, such as local authorities, delivery bodies or government departments
• Understanding of place-based growth and regeneration, and the role of planning in supporting high-quality, sustainable development.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £47,352, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £13,717 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:

Behaviours , Experience

Stage 1: Sift

• Behaviour: Making Effective Decisions (Lead Behaviour)

• Behaviour: Delivering at Pace

• Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing

There is a 250-word limit per question.

When writing your application, remember:

• the assessor won’t be reading your answers sequentially

• do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers

• if talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)

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

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead behaviour listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

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: Communicating and Influencing, Making Effective Decisions, Delivering at Pace
• Experience: Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 15/06/2026.

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 29/06/2026 and are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change.

Disability Confident Scheme (DCS)

We are a Disability Confident employer.

We apply a fair and proportionate interview process for all candidates. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to progress candidates who apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and meet the required minimum selection criteria.

However, where high application volumes are received, progression to interview may be limited to those who best meet the role criteria. In these circumstances, the benchmark required to proceed to interview may be raised for all candidates.

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

• Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles

• CV Declaration

• Sponsorships

• Salary and Grade

• Existing Civil Servants

• Conflict of Interest

• Location and Flexible Working

• Internal Fraud Database

• Appeals and Complaints

• Fixed Term Appointments for:

• External Candidates

• Existing Civil Servants (Including Loans)

• Secondments

• MHCLG employees

Security Clearance Requirements

National Office:

London Office: + CTC

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

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Lucy Clay
• Email : lucy.clay@communities.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@communities.gov.uk