Chief Planning Officer

Chief Planning Officer

Permanent, Full Time (37 hours per week)

Up to £90,117 per annum + LGPS

Location: Chelmsford*

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 19th October 2025

*This is a hybrid-working role, with attendance in the Chelmsford office or functional work locations expected to be to 2-3 days per month on average, depending on business need.

This is the lead professional role responsible for advising and supporting the Council's Planning Committee. This a senior county planning leadership position, which requires a good understanding and experience of dealing with infrastructure, minerals and waste planning applications and policy.

Please note we intend to invite successful applicants to interview in-person in County Hall, Chelmsford, on Tuesday 11th November 2025.

By 2050 Essex will have seen a 20% increase in growth, this is a significant amount of new development, including large scale housing developments, Garden Communities, employment sites and Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NIPS). The Chief Planners role is critically important to this growth agenda. This leader will have the ability to work with a wide range of both internal and external partners, to ensure that the interests of ECC, our residents, and the statutory responsibilities are undertaken and upheld, throughout the development and planning process.

The role demands a strategic, creative, thinker with strong analytical skills, the able to critically assess performance and negotiate and constructively challenge; the ability to problem solve and translate policy ambition into effective implementation. With excellent leadership skills and adept at working collaboratively with internal and external partners, and elected members to produce statutory Local Plans, and make sound recommendations for the approval of important infrastructure projects.

Responsibilities include being the Council’s lead advisor to the Council’s Planning Committee (Development and Regulation), and the duty to produce and review both the Mineral and Waste Local Plans’ which require full Council approval. The post is responsible for overseeing the planning applications relating to Essex County Council for capital schemes, including schools, libraries, and road infrastructure, and major applications dealing with minerals and waste sites. The Chief Planner is responsible for shaping the Council’s corporate response to strategically important (large-scale) development proposals within Essex including Garden Communities.

This leadership role requires senior management and programme experience with a breadth of senior town planning experience. It requires the ability to work across a broad range of different areas, including policy formulation, project delivery and development negotiations, and have the tact and diplomacy to advise and working with elected members, including Cabinet members and the Planning Committee chair. This post is accountable to make sound and effective planning decisions, which positively impact the future for people and place in Essex.

Accountabilities

• Lead and support the Council’s Planning Committee, take responsibility for the delegated officer decisions made by ECC as the County Planning Authority for new schools, libraries, roads, flood schemes, and other capital programme major infrastructure projects.
• Lead ECC’s statutory planning functions and strategic infrastructure engagement on major capital projects, Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), and complex growth proposals such as Garden Communities.
• Lead and support the Council’s Planning Committee and provide expert advice to inform the decisions on the Councils capital schemes applications and major mineral and waste planning applications. Provide robust, well-evidenced advice and recommendations for Cabinet Members, Councillors and senior officers.
• Champion and lead the review and delivery of both ECC’s Minerals and Waste Local Plans. Ensure legal and procedural requirements through all stages of the four-year process are met to deliver both Plans effectively through the external scrutinised examination process, to deliver the land supply of waste and minerals sites Essex needs.
• Act as the Council’s lead advisor on all applications, and enforcement cases dealt with by ECC, as required by legislation.
• Ensure that planning decisions are policy-compliant, deliver high-quality outcomes, and secure mitigation measures and infrastructure to support sustainable development.
• Act as the Council’s lead representation at Public Examinations and Inquiries, ensuring effective management of planning disputes across authorities to minimise risk and secure outcomes aligned with strategic objectives.
• Foster collaborative relationships with all District Councils to align strategic planning interests, support mutual objectives, and ensure ECC’s priorities are effectively represented.
• Act as the Council’s principal representative on strategic planning applications, including Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, Local Plan Examinations, and Public Inquiries. Promote and protect the Council’s interests through effective engagement with developers, statutory bodies, and external stakeholders. Lead the resolution of complex planning disputes to ensure outcomes align with the Council’s objectives and deliver public value.
• Ensure ECC’s corporate responses to strategic planning applications on Garden Communities and New Settlements effectively shapes outcomes that deliver high-quality development and secure infrastructure funding through developer S106 contributions.
• Ensure that decisions affecting Essex residents are robustly influenced and challenged where necessary, to secure the delivery of appropriate infrastructure that meets community needs and aligns with strategic planning objectives.
• Ensure effective collaboration with local councils and key stakeholders to strengthen the quality and consistency of planning responses, align negotiation positions with developers, and secure infrastructure outcomes that support sustainable growth.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Educated to degree level in a relevant field (e.g. Town Planning/Geography) with an RTPI recognised qualification.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area. Chartered membership of Royal Town Planning Institute or equivalent professional institute.
• Demonstrates strong project and programme management skills, with the ability to shape and oversee a diverse portfolio of planning initiatives. Recognised management or leadership training and/or qualifications are desirable.
• Brings significant post-qualification experience in planning at a senior management level, particularly within the public sector. Proven track record of representing the Council at appeals, Examinations in Public, and Public Inquiries.
• Experienced in leading high-performing teams, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Skilled at aligning diverse capabilities around shared goals and celebrating success.
• Possesses excellent analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex evidence, identify emerging trends and risks, and develop innovative, data-driven solutions to planning challenges.
• Proven ability to influence and engage a wide range of stakeholders, including developers, partners, and communities, across complex and fast-paced development proposals. Strong negotiation skills to secure positive outcomes.
• Demonstrates a clear understanding of strategic planning and future growth, with the ability to translate vision into actionable plans that shape culture, infrastructure, and sustainable development.
• The ability to absorb and understand many sources of evidence with sound analytical skills and ability to effectively lead multi-disciplinary teams who are handling complex planning issues to produce robust and creative challenges to lead and shape work.
• Builds strong, collaborative relationships with internal and external partners to deliver shared priorities.
• Excellent influencing and communication skills able to challenge robustly and constructively; adept at communicating complex challenges in a clear, compelling way, including shaping the planning agenda nationally is desirable.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

To read more about us please visit: People, Policy, Economy and Public Health - Working for Essex

What's in it for You?

• Secure Your Future: Enjoy peace of mind with enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Health and Wellbeing: We know that your wellbeing is essential. We are committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment for all employees. You will have access to our wellbeing portal, employee networks and more.
• Travel in Style: Benefit from our new electric vehicle scheme.
• Professional Growth: We cover professional fees for approved professions, supporting your career development.

• Work-Life Balance: Enjoy the flexibility of hybrid working arrangements, allowing you to balance work with your personal life.

• Generous Time Off: Start with 27 days of holiday, increasing with service, plus 8 bank holidays and up to 4 paid volunteer days each year.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

Should you have any queries or require further information, please contact Faye.Robertson@essex.gov.uk.

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