A well-established Yorkshire division of a major housebuilder is looking for a Senior Planning Manager to lead its planning function. Reporting directly to the Land Director, this is the senior planning hire in the region — responsible for driving planning strategy across a live pipeline of immediate and strategic land, managing a small team of planners, and playing a visible role at board level.
THE ROLE — RESPONSIBILITIES
* Lead all planning activity across the Yorkshire region — immediate consents, outline applications, and a long-term strategic land portfolio
* Manage and develop a team of two town planners, setting workload priorities and quality standards
* Oversee the preparation, submission, and negotiation of planning applications, S106 agreements, and pre-application discussions
* Contribute to land acquisition decisions — appraising planning risk, identifying allocation opportunities, and supporting the Land Director in site selection
* Engage directly with local planning authorities, consultants, and statutory bodies to progress consents
* Monitor and influence emerging Local Plans, SPDs, and planning policy changes relevant to the region's land strategy
* Present planning appraisals and updates to the regional board — owning the narrative on planning risk and programme
* Work closely with the technical, land, and commercial teams to align planning programme with build and sales phasing
* Support due diligence on potential acquisitions, including assessment of planning history, constraints, and deliverability
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
* Substantial planning experience gained on the developer or housebuilder side — candidates from consultancy will not be considered unless they have significant client-side or in-house experience
* Strong track record in residential planning, ideally including both outline and detailed applications across mixed site types
* Experience working across both immediate and strategic land — understanding the full pipeline lifecycle
* Used to presenting to board or senior leadership — comfortable owning the planning narrative in a business context, not just a technical one
* MRTPI qualified (preferred) or equivalent experience
* Proven ability to manage and mentor junior planners
* Strong negotiation skills — experienced in handling LPA relationships, S106 heads of terms, and appeal management
* Commercially minded — able to translate planning risk into business language and contribute meaningfully to land appraisals
Development Manager profile also considered: Candidates with a Development Manager background will be considered where they can demonstrate deep, extensive planning expertise gained across the planning process — not project delivery. The emphasis must be on planning knowledge and strategy, not programme management or build-out.