About the role:

We are looking for a talented and motivated Principal Strategic Planner to join our friendly, award-winning 80-strong planning team, working collaboratively with our wider GIS, landscape and historic environment services.

Our strategic planning services include national, sub-regional and local policy development, plan-making and evidence work. We are leading experts in Green Belt and wider countryside designation planning for local authorities, developers and communities, having assessed well over a third of all Green Belt land in England in recent years, covering all of Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Greater Manchester, and most of Greater London, the West Country and West Midlands. We have come to specialise in working with multiple authorities at a sub-regional scale to shape sustainable patterns of growth across whole Green Belts.

The Government’s recent changes to national Green Belt policy and practice guidance and our long-standing partnerships with clients make it clear to us that our expertise are needed now more than ever. Our team has never been busier as we support numerous local authorities around the country to navigate the government's planning reforms and continue to prepare sound and sustainable plans.

We’re looking to boost our project management capacity in order to meet increasing demand for these sub-regional and Green Belt planning services.

The Principal Strategic Planner role will involve:

• Managing Green Belt and sub-regional spatial planning projects, including dealing directly with clients, attending meetings, reviewing budgets/programme and report preparation.
• Responsibility for internal team briefing and oversight of tasks and external sub-consultants where relevant.
• Tender preparation and other business development activities, including attending tender interviews.
• Some line management responsibilities.

The role includes the opportunity to share and participate actively in the management and ownership of the business through the Employee Ownership Trust, which places full ownership of the company with the employees.

The role is based in LUC’s offices in London, Bristol, Manchester or Sheffield. We work in a hybrid model with people being in the office a minimum of two days per week. There will also be travel required to visit sites, client offices and other office locations.

A full-time role is based on 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday). However, LUC has a strong track record in flexible working, and we have been recognised for our flexible working culture, so we are happy to discuss a range of flexible working options for this role including part time hours (minimum 30 hours per week) if desired.

Salary: £39,000 to £46,000 FTE Depending on experience (Plus £4,000 London allowance if applicable).

We support all of our employee owners through mentoring, and we will help you to achieve your professional goals.

This is a great time to be joining LUC. Since its creation nearly 60 years ago, LUC has been driven by the belief that planning has a critical role to play in shaping the world around us for the better. This work has never been more critical or urgent.

Experience and qualifications

We are looking for a motivated, proactive project manager with some or all of the skills, knowledge and behaviours below.

Essential

• Educated to degree level, ideally in a relevant planning or environmental degree e.g., planning, landscape planning, geography, environmental science. Or able to demonstrate an equivalent level of knowledge and expertise.
• Experience of managing strategic planning projects either through previous consultancy or local authority roles.
• Excellent general project management and organisational skills.
• Excellent report writing and numeracy skills, with an eye for detail.
• Excellent map reading skills.
• Excellent communication skills and a proactive approach to building relationships with colleagues and clients.

Desirable

• Experience of undertaking, managing and/or commissioning local and/or sub-regional plan preparation including evidence studies, supporting documents and policy-making.
• Experience of spatial growth options and strategic site assessment work.
• Knowledge of Green Belt planning policy and guidance.
• Experience of line management and mentoring.
• Membership or working towards full membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
• A UK Driving Licence.

Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK.

Please apply by uploading your CV and covering letter via the above link

LUC is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and we actively encourage applications from under-represented groups. We value the differences, needs and contributions a diverse workforce represents, and we strive to embed equality, diversity and inclusion in all our people related activities.