Planning Officer

Planning Officer (Development Management)

Full Time, Permanent

£36,457 - £40,197 per annum

Watford is a place with real ambition and incredible potential, just like the Planning Officer that we are looking to appoint within our busy development management team.

As a Planning Officer within our successful Development Management Team you will be responsible for leading on a varied caseload of planning applications focussed on smaller application types, with opportunities to stretch yourself on larger applications as your skills and experience develop. You will provide pre‑application advice to both residents and businesses on a range of proposal providing professional written advice.

You will be responsible for representing the Council in appeal proceedings and may be required, from time to time, to present to the Council’s Development Management Committee.

Whether you are looking for your first town planning role or just fancy a new challenge, with your confidence and a can‑do attitude we will support you to meet your professional goals and ensure that as a team we make Watford a place that residents and businesses can be proud of.

We are an organisation that actively supports agile working, building on the outstanding success of flexible working practices developed during the pandemic. Our Town Hall is within easy walking distance of our fantastic town centre with access to a wide range of shops, cafes and bars, as well as award‑winning open spaces such as Cassiobury Park. With local connections to the Metropolitan line, London Overground and other mainline services at Watford Junction, we are ideally located for convenient commuting from both London and across Hertfordshire.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact Alice Findlay, Development Management Lead  

We look forward to working with you.

• Salary of £36,457 - £40,197 per annum
• 29 days’ holiday per annum (rising to 33 days for long service)
• Pension scheme with generous employer contribution
• Flexible and agile working
• Learning and development opportunities
• Season ticket loan
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Discounted leisure centre membership
• Employee volunteering schemes
• Access to a branded shopping discounts platform and discounted activities and days out

Basic DBS check will be carried out for this post.

Closing Date: 29th June 2026

At Watford Borough Council we consider equality issues alongside other factors when making decisions as an employer of choice. We are committed to ensuring that we have effective policies, strategies, procedures, and processes and that we encourage behaviour which promotes equality, encourages diversity, and contributes to an inclusive organisational culture.

Watford Borough Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). If you are employed by Watford Borough Council on 1 April 2028, it is expected that the majority of roles will transfer to the newly‑created unitary councils on existing terms and conditions under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings – Protection of Employment) principles.

LGR is one of the biggest changes we will face in a generation. It will reshape how we work and how services are organised and gives us a real opportunity to build something better.

To find out more, visit