Senior Town Planner
Location: Bedford
Penguin Recruitment is delighted to be supporting one of the UK's leading independent planning-led consultancies. This employee-owned business is experiencing sustained growth across its network of regional offices and is now looking to appoint a Senior Town Planner in their Bedford team. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a supportive and forward-thinking organisation that blends technical excellence with a people-first approach.
About the Company:
This is one of the UK's most respected and long-standing consultancies operating across planning, design, environmental, and infrastructure disciplines. As a multidisciplinary, employee-owned business, they have the scale to work on complex national schemes while retaining the culture and flexibility of a mid-sized practice. Their collaborative and inclusive culture is rooted in high-quality work, mutual respect, and shared success.
With planning at the core of their service offering, the business works across both public and private sectors - from residential and mixed-use developments to commercial, infrastructure, and regeneration schemes. Their team includes experts in town planning, urban design, masterplanning, architecture, transport and highways, sustainability engineering, environmental services, and research and analysis.
The Bedford office is a well-established part of their national network and plays a key role in delivering strategic and local projects across the East of England, Midlands, and South East.
What You'll Be Doing
As a Senior Planner, you will join a high-performing, friendly team and work on a variety of planning projects across scales and sectors. You will operate with a good level of autonomy and be given opportunities to lead small-to-medium scale projects, while also supporting Directors and Associate Planners on more complex schemes.
Your key responsibilities will include:
Delivering commercially-focused town planning advice to a broad mix of clients.
Preparing robust and well-reasoned planning applications, appeals, development appraisals, and policy representations.
Representing clients at committee meetings, stakeholder workshops, and public consultations.
Liaising with local planning authorities and external consultants as part of the planning process.
Leading or supporting multidisciplinary teams across projects.
Playing a role in mentoring junior staff and contributing to knowledge sharing within the office.
Developing and maintaining strong client relationships through quality work and clear communication.
Helping to grow the Bedford office's pipeline through client management, networking, and professional engagement.
You'll be encouraged to shape your role as you grow within the business - whether you're interested in team leadership, business development, technical specialism, or a broader strategic role in the future.
What They're Looking For
You will need to be a qualified planner (RTPI-accredited degree) with relevant professional experience in a planning consultancy, developer, or local authority. Ideally, you will have:
At least 3 years' experience working in planning (public or private sector).
A sound understanding of the UK planning system and current policy landscape.
Experience preparing or contributing to a variety of planning submissions and reports.
Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
A collaborative, team-oriented mindset and a proactive approach to client service.
Chartered status with the RTPI is advantageous, but if you're working toward this, the business will support you fully through the process.
Why Join
The company is employee-owned - meaning that as a team member, you'll benefit directly from the success of the business. But it's not just about profit share; their employee-first culture drives how they support, train, and develop their people.
Your Benefits Package
Employees enjoy a generous range of benefits designed to support wellbeing, work-life balance, and financial security. These include:
Private Healthcare (BUPA)
Life Insurance
Company Pension Scheme (with salary sacrifice option)
Enhanced Maternity Scheme
Cycle to Work Scheme
Financial support for RTPI or other professional subscriptions
Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
Flexible Working Arrangements
Employee Ownership Benefits (including profit-sharing opportunities)
Active wellbeing, equality, and inclusion initiatives
Interested?
The Hiring Manager is looking to meet with suitable candidates ASAP so if you meet the above criteria, please contact Josh Jones on email (url removed) or call (phone number removed)