Planning Policy Planners

Are you looking to start your career in planning or for a career change where you have developed an extensive skillset you would like to apply to a different field? Do you have an eye for detail, self-motivated to work across a wide range of exciting projects and able to communicate effectively?

Following numerous successful promotions, we are seeking additional enthusiastic Planning Policy Officers to join our team.

We welcome your application if you have a relevant working or educational background in planning or related built/natural environment discipline but this is not essential as we are equally keen to hear from you if you have relevant transferable skills from other fields and are eager to work in planning.

We are an award-winning planning service with a wide remit to tackle urban and rural planning challenges, providing you with numerous learning opportunities and a firm foundation for your planning career.

You will play a key role in shaping the future of Greater Cambridge as we develop our new Local Plan and other projects, working across policy areas like neighbourhood planning, housing, employment and green infrastructure.

Our team is collaborative and works closely with internal and external stakeholders, such as local councillors and other public bodies, so strong communication skills are essential as well as the ability to manage a varied workload.

This is a great opportunity if you are passionate about making a positive impact on our local communities.

About the Planning Policy and Strategy team
The Planning Policy and Strategy team is currently working on a wide range of projects, including developing the first joint Local Plan in an area with the fastest growing city economy in the country, incorporating major regeneration schemes and new developments. We also have clear environmental ambitions and undertaken pioneering work on climate change and meeting net zero carbon to inform our policy development. The team also deals with the Councils' input to the development of significant infrastructure schemes that are prepared by external bodies, including the East West Rail project.

If you have the ambition to embrace the exciting challenges of this busy Shared Planning Service, there is no better place to develop your career. These roles provide you with an unparalleled opportunity to work on some of the most innovative developments in the UK with a group of passionate, supportive and dedicated colleagues.
About the Shared Planning Service

The award-winning Greater Cambridge Planning Service offers a unique opportunity to work in an area experiencing strong economic growth, that is home to world-renowned universities, hospitals and cutting-edge science.

We are a planning service of around 150 people that work on a wide range of projects covering both Cambridge City, nationally important technology and life science employment parks and over 100 villages across South Cambridgeshire. Our Delivery teams assess over 7,000 planning applications each year, from householder applications for extensions and work within the Cambridge Colleges to new settlements and nationally significant infrastructure projects like East West Rail. The specialist design, landscape, ecology and conservation officers in the Built and Natural Environment team play a key role in getting the best development outcomes for the built, historic and natural environment, whilst the Planning Policy and Strategy team are preparing a new joint Local Plan that ensures new growth is supported by infrastructure, open space and delivers on our climate ambitions. To help meet these challenges we are looking for people to come and join us across the planning
service, whether you are at the start of your planning career or looking for a new challenge. If what we do sounds interesting to you, keep an eye out for our current vacancies over the next 8 weeks on our website or follow Greater Cambridge Planning on LinkedIn.

About South Cambridgeshire District Council

As an organisation, South Cambridgeshire District Council (which hosts the shared planning service) believes that our people are our greatest assets. We know how important it is to find a job where you feel valued but also have the flexibility to allow you to balance your work/family commitments in an organisation that offers a competitive benefits package including:

• Local Government Pension Scheme.


• 25 days holiday entitlement (increasing to 30 after five years continuous service).


• Career progression.


• Development opportunities as well as ongoing training.



• Flexible hybrid working arrangements are positively encouraged, with working from home alongside our Cambourne and Cambridge City Centre office locations, including regular 'together days' where team members can work together in either office to benefit from collaborative working.


We are currently taking part in a 4 day working week (32 hours per week) to improve recruitment and retention and support the wellbeing of our colleagues. You can read more about it here 4-day week trial or talk to us about the detail of this flexible benefit we have been offering.