Assistant Planning Officer​/Graduate Planning Officer​/Planning Officer

About us

At Hillingdon we’re proud of our commitment of ‘Putting our residents first’, ensuring they’re at the heart of everything we do! We want to attract talented individuals like yourself who share our aspirations for the borough and can support us to deliver exceptional services for Hillingdon.

With an ambitious strategy we pride ourselves on delivering services that improve the lives of all our residents, businesses, and partners. Embarking on a journey of continuous improvement, we’ve set an agenda to ensure the provision of; safer communities, a thriving local economy, a greener more sustainable environment, whilst increasing our digital capabilities.

Working at London’s second largest borough can be tough, particularly with government reforms, budget restrictions, and political attention – but it’s enough to keep us busy and ensures no two days are the same!

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a high performing and friendly Development Management team.

As a Planning Officer at Hillingdon, you will be responsible for managing your own case-load of planning and related applications, making a vital contribution to a Planning Service which processes over 4000 planning submissions every year. You will be dealing with a varied mix of applications, which will include householder applications, certificates of lawfulness, listed building consent applications, prior approvals through to complex minor applications.

In addition to the above, post holders will be required to process and case manage residential and commercial pre-application enquiries, prepare professional appeal statements and act as the Council’s lead witness in informal hearings where required.

This is a career graded position, meaning that consideration will also be given to appointing to Assistant (S01) grade or Graduate (S02) grade for an outstanding candidate that meets those requirements, but does not yet meet the criteria for Planning Officer (POA) grade.

For further information, or an informal discussion about the role, please contact Ed Laughton – Area Planning Service Manager – Central and South ().

To be considered for appointment as a Planning Officer (grade POA) or Graduate Planning Officer (grade S02) candidates should have a Diploma or Degree in a Town & Country Planning RTPI accredited course at graduate or post graduate level. Candidates that are actively working towards completion of such a Diploma / Degree may be considered for appointment at Assistant Planning Officer grade (S01).

As an essential part of a high performing Development Management team, your focus will be on results. You will need excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to write reports clearly and concisely for a variety of audiences.

Candidates must have proven customer service skills, in addition to excellent ICT skills and the ability to learn and use service specific software.

Candidates seeking to be appointed at Planning Officer grade (POA) must be able to demonstrate prior experience working as a planner / planning assistant, ideally within a Local Government setting. Candidates at all levels must have a sound knowledge of current planning related legislation.

A full driving licence is an essential requirement for the role.

For full details of the essential criteria for the role, please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

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 :

• Flexible Working Hours – We recognise the importance of flexibility in managing your work and personal life.
• 36 Hour Week – Enjoy a standard 36-hour workweek for all full time staff.
• Generous Holiday Entitlement – You will receive a minimum of 26 days annual leave…