Town Planner

The Opportunity

Ocean to Earth Recruitment is working with an established and highly regarded planning, design and environmental consultancy to recruit Town Planning professionals at Consultant and Senior level.

This is an opportunity to join a collaborative planning team working on a diverse portfolio of projects across strategic land, regeneration, infrastructure, sustainable development and major development proposals.

You will have the opportunity to develop your technical and project management experience while working alongside experienced professionals from planning, design and environmental disciplines.

The consultancy takes a genuinely integrated approach to development, with a strong focus on creating places that work for communities, respond to environmental challenges and deliver positive long-term outcomes.

The Role

Depending on your level of experience, you will support or lead the delivery of planning projects, contribute to planning strategies and manage individual workstreams or projects.

For those earlier in their career, there will be plenty of opportunity to develop your technical planning knowledge, client exposure and project management skills with support from experienced colleagues.

For more experienced planners, the role will provide greater responsibility for project delivery, client relationships, multidisciplinary coordination and the development of junior team members.

It is a varied position offering exposure to projects across different sectors, scales and locations, making it particularly well suited to someone who wants to continue broadening their planning experience.

The Company

You will be joining an established multidisciplinary consultancy with planning working closely alongside design and environmental specialists.

The business has a collaborative and people-focused culture, with an emphasis on shared responsibility, professional development and producing high-quality work that creates lasting value.

Rather than working within an isolated planning function, you will have access to expertise from across different disciplines, giving you a broader understanding of projects and the opportunity to contribute to genuinely integrated solutions.

There is a clear commitment to career development, with opportunities to increase your responsibilities as your experience grows.

What You'll Be Doing

Your responsibilities will vary according to your experience and may include:

• Preparing planning applications, planning appraisals, strategies and supporting documentation.
• Undertaking planning policy research, site appraisals, planning assessments and development feasibility reviews.
• Supporting strategic land promotion and development proposals.
• Contributing to stakeholder engagement, consultation and evidence gathering.
• Supporting preparation for planning committees, appeals, hearings and Local Plan representations.
• Managing or supporting project programmes, budgets and delivery.
• Coordinating input from multidisciplinary teams, external consultants and clients.
• Identifying planning and project risks and helping develop practical solutions.
• Preparing clear, well-structured reports, presentations and briefing documents.
• Building positive relationships with clients, local authorities, consultants and wider stakeholders.
• Acting as a day-to-day client contact where appropriate to your experience.
• Supporting colleagues and contributing to knowledge sharing across the planning team.
• Contributing to bids, fee proposals, tenders, research and wider business development activity.

About You

You are likely to have:

• A relevant planning degree, postgraduate qualification or equivalent professional experience.
• Approximately one to five years' experience working within the UK planning system.
• Progress towards MRTPI accreditation, recently achieved Chartered status, or MRTPI accreditation with relevant professional experience.
• Strong written communication and report-writing skills.
• Good analytical and presentation skills.
• An interest in placemaking, regeneration and sustainable development.
• Experience working collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• A positive and collaborative approach to working with colleagues and clients.

For more senior applicants, experience managing planning projects, coordinating teams and developing client relationships would be particularly valuable.

You do not necessarily need to tick every box. If you have a solid grounding in UK town planning and are looking for an environment where you can continue developing your career, we would be very happy to have a conversation.

Location and Flexibility

The role can be based in Oxford, Bristol or Exeter, with hybrid and flexible working available.

Candidates living within reasonable travelling distance of other UK office locations may also be considered, depending on experience and individual circumstances.

Ocean to Earth Recruitment is supporting this appointment and welcomes confidential conversations with Town Planners who may be considering their next move.

We take a research-led, candidate-focused approach to recruitment across the natural and built environment, guided by our values of Respect, Integrity and Growth.

To discuss the opportunity confidentially or to apply, please contact:

Vicky Kenrick
Ocean to Earth Recruitment
vicky@oceantoearth.co.uk