Assistant / Graduate / Planning Officer (Career Grade)

This is an excellent opportunity to join a high-performing Development Management team. We are recruiting to a career grade role, and will appoint at Assistant Planner, Graduate Planner, or Planning Officer level depending on your qualifications and practical experience.

This role is ideal for ambitious, capable individuals eager to progress in their planning careers. You’ll benefit from the support of a highly experienced and friendly team while gaining hands-on experience across a wide variety of planning applications and appeals.

You will:

• Determine a diverse portfolio of planning applications, from householder to minor and (depending on experience) major developments.
• Provide high-quality advice through our pre-application service.
• Offer general guidance to residents, applicants, agents, councillors, and colleagues.
• Contribute to planning appeal work, including preparing submissions to the Planning Inspectorate.

This role will provide a strong foundation for your professional growth and development in planning.

About You

We’re looking for candidates who are passionate about planning and delivering great outcomes for our communities.

You should have:

• A degree or diploma in Town & Country Planning or a related discipline (e.g. geography, architecture, construction, or design) at graduate or postgraduate level.
• Membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), or be working towards it.
• Experience in the end-to-end planning application process, ideally within a local authority setting.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to produce clear, concise reports.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities effectively.
• A positive, proactive approach and willingness to engage with residents, communities, and stakeholders.
• Strong ICT skills, including the ability to learn and use service-specific software.

For a detailed list of essential criteria, please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification.

We reserve the right to close the recruitment process before the advertised date.

We value our employees and are committed to ensuring that they enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding career with us. We understand that a happy and motivated workforce is essential for the success of our organisation. That is why we offer a wide range of employee benefits to enhance your work-life balance, financial wellbeing, health, and professional development.
 
Here’s a comprehensive overview of the fantastic benefits we provide:
 
Work Life Balance

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement
At the London Borough of Hillingdon, we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace.

This commitment means that all employees, job applicants and others who work for us will be treated fairly.

The aim is for our workforce to be representative of all sections of society and Hillingdon residents so we welcome applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds.

We strive to ensure that our recruitment process is free from discrimination and bias, and we are dedicated to providing reasonable adjustments to applicants with disabilities.

Join us in building a workplace where everyone feels respected, able to give their best and be themselves at work, whilst contributing meaningfully to our organisation's success.
 
Additional Information
Due to an expected high volume of applications, we could close this role early, we therefore recommend you apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.