Graduate Planning Officer

Overview

If you are a University Graduate or have completed a Level 7 Diploma or have relevant experience in Planning and have a keen interest in Planning & Environment, this could be the role for you.

By joining us as a Graduate Planning Officer at Buckinghamshire Council, you will not only be offered a competitive benefits package, you will also gain invaluable experience and potentially extra qualifications to help you kick-start your career. Through our excellent training programme, we’ll support you to process and determine planning applications and provide a high-quality service that is responsive to our customer demands. 

About us

Our Planning, Growth and Sustainability directorate work with partners to help shape the future of Buckinghamshire. We deliver services on planning, economic growth, regeneration, strategic infrastructure, transport and property.

Our key priorities include developing the economic narrative for Bucks, creating more jobs and delivering the right infrastructure to help businesses and residents thrive. We also aim to provide a proactive planning service that is responsive, whilst making the best use of the Council’s land and property portfolio. This will in turn support community services and create housing, jobs, regeneration and income to support public services.

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new Unitary  organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally. 

About the role

Working as part of a friendly team on a wide variety of projects, you’ll be based in one of our Buckinghamshire area offices (Aylesbury or High Wycombe), where you’ll undertake hands-on-training and development to gain an overall understanding of how our planning processes work. Throughout your time here, you’ll develop skills that will help shape your career as a Planner, including commercial awareness, great customer service skills and the legislation and regulations expertise required to excel in your profession.

As you grow with us, you’ll start dealing with more complex planning applications and requests for pre-application advice. Career development is something we take seriously at Bucks; we love nothing more than seeing our colleagues grow and develop with us, with many of our graduates progressing quickly as they gain more experience and responsibilities within their specialist areas.

Faye, a Senior Planning Officer at Buckinghamshire Council, described her experience as a graduate planner:

“In 2021  I started at Bucks Council as a Graduate Planner, I subsequently gained promotion to a Planning Officer role and have recently  stepped up into the role of a Senior Planning Officer. We are blessed working in a diverse area offering both rural and urban experiences, with application types including householders, agricultural notifications and listed building consents”.

We are committed to building our exceptional Planning Team, utilising our colleagues’ talent and making the most of what they have to offer. In this rewarding and fulfilling role, you’ll see the impact of your work in front of you as you help shape the future of Buckinghamshire for generations to come.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

Excellent communication skills and the ability to speak to people at various levels are a must for this role, and you should apply if:

• You have a keen interest in planning and environmental issues
• You’re ready to grow and learn from our established team
• You hold a driving license and have access to a vehicle for site visits. 
• (However, applicants working towards attaining their full driving licence will also be considered)

You are a University Graduate, have completed a Level 7 Diploma, or have relevant experience in Planning (Development Management or Planning Policy) and have a keen interest in Planning & Environment.

Other information

We actively encourage our colleagues to adopt a flexible working approach and take control of their work-life balance. This vacancy is flexible and part-time work will be considered. The role will primarily be based in our High Wycombe and Aylesbury offices.

For an informal chat about this role in more detail, please contact Laura Pearson on 01296 585076 or [email protected] or Ben Robinson on 01494 732042 or [email protected]

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Planning, Growth and Sustainability directorate works with partners to help shape the future of Buckinghamshire.  We deliver services on planning, economic growth, regeneration, strategic infrastructure, transport and property.

 Our key priorities include developing the economic narrative for Bucks, creating more jobs and delivering the right infrastructure to help businesses and residents thrive. We also aim to provide a proactive planning service that is responsive, whilst making the best use of the Council’s land and property portfolio. This will in turn support community services and create housing, jobs, regeneration and income to support public services.

 It’s a great time to join one of our teams. As part of the Planning, Growth and Sustainability function you will not only get to help shape the economic future of Buckinghamshire; you’ll also be involved in delivering high-profile development projects and work on some of the biggest infrastructure projects in the UK. You will support us to deliver the results that our local residents and businesses deserve.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/