Senior Planning Specialist

£38,450 pa + 4-day week and company benefits

Duration: Full time (32hrs, 4-day week)

Location: Flexible within the UK, home-based.

Closing date for applications: Midnight on Monday 16th March 2026, Please note that we may close applications early if we receive a high volume, so early applications are encouraged.

Interviews will be held virtually over Teams, the week commencing 30th of March 2026.

This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a successful strategic species conservation strategy by supporting colleagues with essential knowledge and guidance on the UK planning system.

The role requires an experienced, well-organised, confident communicator who can provide a high level of daily operational planning support to colleagues, alongside working on tasks and projects that require planning policy input that brings together licensing requirements and integrates our work effectively and smoothly with the planning system.

The experienced postholder will be responsible for supporting the Nature Space team with the increasing needs of a rapidly growing company – the technical and operations teams handle a varied workload and require significant planning support. This can vary from providing knowledge and understanding of the planning application and decision-making process, planning law and policy guidance, and planning support within internal and external meetings, and to external stakeholders.

The role would also support all other teams when required, including the science and programme teams, to provide planning law, strategic planning and local planning policy knowledge and context for innovative new work streams and to support licence applications.

The role sits within the Business Support team – a small yet growing team with a wide remit – and will be line‑managed by the Business Support Manager. You’ll work closely with two current planning specialists, while also working independently and collaboratively with colleagues across the company.

A sound understanding of planning law and practice is required for this role, with an expectation of a good grasp of planning principles. It is expected that the postholder will guide and support the two existing planning specialists within the team, supporting their development in core competencies to consolidate skills and build confidence and expertise within the planning team, and will ultimately undertake line‑management responsibilities.

We’re looking for an enthusiastic, capable individual, passionate about planning with a keen interest in biodiversity and sustainable development.

• Co‑ordinate the planning team to provide planning support across all teams as necessary, on both development management and strategic planning areas of expertise.
• Lead on the preparation, review and delivery of internal planning training, including organising training sessions and designing presentations.
• Review all external communications to ensure they are accurate in planning knowledge and understanding.
• Supervise and review planning knowledge and data for all licence applications requiring planning policy input, ensuring accuracy.
• Ensure that important records are kept up‑to‑date and assist with the quality assurance process to maintain high‑quality data.
• Co‑ordinate the review and dissemination of planning news, updates and guidance to the wider team and other relevant key information.
• Be responsible for a variety of work as necessary, including administration, communications, updating and monitoring progress towards key planning projects and wider company projects as required.

• Qualified to at least degree standard in a relevant discipline (such as Town and Country Planning/Environmental Planning). Demonstratable equivalent working knowledge and experience would be considered for a suitable candidate.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills and the ability to respond to changing and challenging priorities within set timescales.
• Good level of understanding of the role that local planning authorities play in making decisions about new developments in England.
• Excellent knowledge of the…