Senior Planning Officer (Major Projects) x2

Salary - £43,621 to £50,383 per annum (dependent upon experience) plus frequent car user allowance £1,239 per annum

It is an exciting time at North Hertfordshire Council within Development Management. The Council has adopted a Local Plan within which there are a number of significant major sites, including two significant new neighbourhoods of more than 2,000 homes.

We are looking for senior professionals to join our major sites team in successfully delivering these sites from involvement at the initial master planning stage, to providing pre application advice, assisting/project managing design codes, through to negotiating and then finally presenting the applications at Planning Committee, through the medium of Planning Performance Agreements.

You will manage your own caseload, sites of 50+ homes and other significant development proposals, and contribute to the delivery of the two significant new neighbourhoods within a team of planning professionals and specialist advisors.

This is an ideal opportunity for career development within a friendly and supportive team. The Major Projects team is set within a large planning department, dealing with a range of applications in a busy, cross District Development Management team and would be ideal for planning professionals looking to take the next step in their career.

These roles are fixed term contracts, with the potential for extension following a review near the end of the contract period.

We would particularly like to encourage applications from female leaders and individuals from an ethnic minority background.

You will be a keen planning professional with a passion for driving and embracing positive change and innovation in the planning sector.

You will have great organisational skills which allow for independent working, effective problem solving and timely report writing.

You will be proficient in use of planning specific software and Windows based applications, which you use to extract and interrogate information to identify issues, plan solutions, and pursue effective action.

You will have strong written and verbal communication skills in fluent English, enabling you to present development management applications at Planning Control Committee and negotiate major and complex projects with confidence.

• participating in masterplanning
• interpreting masterplans for development management
• creating, interpreting, and applying Design Codes
• using Planning Performance Agreements as project management tool

You will be confident in working as part of a team, contributing to friendly and knowledgeable team discussions, and able to attend meetings outside of office hours when required.

North Hertfordshire is a large rural district with approximately 125,000 residents with four historic towns, Hitchin, Baldock, Royston and Letchworth Garden City. The Council has a clear vision: We put people first and deliver sustainable services, to enable a brighter future together.

We are committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in our recruitment practices and in our employment policies. We want our employees to feel safe to express themselves and we encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds with a wide range of talents. We are dedicated to promoting a healthy work/life balance, valuing our employees, and enabling them to make a difference to the local community.

Please note that all our vacancies require you to live and work in the UK, and selection interviews are face to face in our Letchworth offices or other nearby council sites.

At North Herts Council we are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and we guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum requirements for the job.

If you would like an informal chat about the post, you can contact Sam Dicocco, Principal Planning Officer (Major Sites) on .

To apply please click on the 'apply button'.

Closing Date: Noon 18th March 2026

Interviews: 7th - 9th April 2026