As a Grade 8 Planning Officer, you will have the opportunity to develop your planning career in a beautiful and iconic area which has: an outstanding historic environment including thousands of listed buildings, national landscape designations, and England’s only natural World Heritage Site – the Jurassic Coast. Dorset is also a place of growth and innovation with a population of 380,000 and an economy worth around £8.1 billion. We have a friendly and supportive work environment where you’ll have the opportunity to learn, develop and thrive. You will be provided with the technology to work between our offices, home or other suitable locations to enable a healthy work-life balance and to support your wellbeing. The Council offers a range of employee benefits including a local government pension, flexible working, a generous holiday allowance as well as an in-house learning hub and development opportunities. If you are looking for a new and exciting challenge to develop your Planning career, then Dorset offers everything you need. What you can expect to be doing: We are a bold and ambitious planning service taking Dorset into the future. Dealing with over 5000 applications a year - with everything from urban extensions, retail schemes and renewable energy projects to small scale agricultural and householder projects working for Dorset Council's planning service really does have something for everyone. As a Grade 8 Planning Officer you would be part of a 'fast track' team in the northern area of Dorset which covers Dorchester, Sherborne, Sturminster Newton, Shaftesbury and Gillingham with a varied caseload of primarily small scale applications submitted as householder and minor development proposals including: permitted development enquiries, householder and other small scale development, advertisement consent, prior approvals, certificates of lawfulness, and applications for listed building consent. You will work with developers, communities, colleagues within the Council and external bodies such as Natural England and the Environment Agency to bring forward appropriate new development. Preparing reports and recommendations for applications, responding to appeals by written representation. You would have the opportunity to learn about Development Management and start your career in Planning in a supportive team environment. About you: Applicants are generally expected to hold a degree or equivalent in Town Planning or a related subject; or a degree in an unrelated subject and previous relevant experience in a planning environment in either public or private sector. Whilst holding a degree would be an advantage, applicants who do not hold a degree can still be considered for this role, providing they can demonstrate relevant previous experience in a planning environment. Your knowledge of the planning system, and relevant policies and principles, will enable you to play an essential part in securing appropriate development for Dorset. You’ll have an ability to communicate and collaborate proactively with communities, developers, and colleagues to achieve the best outcomes for Dorset. Further Information For further information about this role please contact Andrew Collins [email protected] This is a full time role at 37 hours per week. We are happy to consider part-time or flexible working arrangements. This post has a significant travel requirement and you are contractually required to have a vehicle (or transport deemed to be suitable by the council) available for use as required. Mileage allowance is paid. You do not need to live in Dorset – we are able to work in a hybrid way, but we would ask that you visit Dorset weekly to undertake site visits and attend meetings. To find out more about a career in planning at Dorset Council visit the Council’s website Or hear from some of our team members: Unable to show this video due to your cookie preferences Unable to show this video due to your cookie preferences This vacancy is being advertised internally to: our employees agency workers currently working for us casual workers currently working for us If we cannot appoint someone, the vacancy may then open to external candidates. Employees working within a school are not considered internal applicants. About Us At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future. We: provide essential services that support over 380,000 residents work in partnership to make a real difference value every role and the impact it has on our communities support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive You will: be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset have access to a range of benefits and support have access to range of training opportunities which will help with your personal development and career progression We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible. If you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application. This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement. If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us. Find out more about how to apply.