Town Planning Director

Director of Planning - Bedford | Competitive Salary + Benefits

Penguin Recruitment is proud to be partnered with a leading employee-owned, planning-led multidisciplinary consultancy who are looking to appoint an experienced Director of Planning to join their established team in Bedford.

This is an exciting senior leadership opportunity for an experienced planning professional who is looking to take responsibility for leading a planning team, developing client relationships and playing a key role in the continued growth of the business.

The Role

As Director of Planning, you will have a senior leadership position within the consultancy, with responsibility for both project delivery and the continued development of the planning team and client base.

Your responsibilities will include:

Leading, managing and growing the Planning team
Providing leadership, mentoring and professional development to staff
Leading major planning applications and appeals
Working across development management and development plan/policy work
Preparing and managing Local Plan representations
Working on site promotion, Local Plan examinations and public inquiries
Building and maintaining strong client relationships
Developing new business opportunities and expanding the client base
Managing existing client instructions and identifying new opportunities
Managing office workloads, budgets, income projections and profitability
Identifying and developing opportunities within key growth sectors
Contributing to wider company strategy and business development
Working collaboratively with colleagues across the wider multidisciplinary business

The consultancy works across a diverse range of sectors, including residential, strategic land, affordable housing, mixed-use development, regeneration, commercial and industrial, logistics, education, energy and renewable projects and the public sector.

Salary & Benefits

Salary:
Negotiable depending on experience

The successful candidate will receive a strong overall benefits package, including:

Competitive, negotiable salary
Private healthcare with BUPA
Life insurance
Salary sacrifice pension scheme
Cycle to work scheme
Contributions towards professional subscriptions
Enhanced maternity scheme
Hybrid working
Structured training and CPD programme
Annual professional reviews and career development
Opportunity to work within an employee-owned business
Excellent opportunities for progression and professional development

The consultancy places a strong emphasis on employee wellbeing, professional development, diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. 

Requirements

The ideal candidate will have:

10+ years' professional planning experience
A relevant postgraduate qualification in Planning
Chartered membership of the RTPI
Strong experience within a private-sector planning consultancy, or a combination of private, public-sector and client-side experience
Significant experience managing major planning applications and appeals
Strong knowledge of development management and planning policy

Experience with Local Plan representations, site promotion, examinations and public inquiries
Previous experience managing and developing professional planning teams
Excellent stakeholder and client management skills
A proven track record in business development and winning new work
An established network of industry contacts
Strong commercial awareness, including experience with budgets, profitability and income projections
Excellent communication, leadership and organisational skills
A full UK driving licence

Why Apply?

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Planning Director, Associate Director or Senior Planning Consultant who is ready to take the next step into a genuine leadership position.

You'll have the opportunity to shape the growth of the planning team, develop new business, work on a diverse portfolio of projects and contribute to the wider strategic direction of an established multidisciplinary consultancy.

Interested?

If you're an experienced planning professional and would like to find out more about this Director of Planning opportunity in Bedford, please send your CV to:

(url removed)