Principal Town Planner - Policy

Principal Town Planner - Policy

Company: AECOM

At AECOM, we’re delivering a better world by improving infrastructure, ensuring clean water, and transforming skylines to help people and communities thrive. We are a leading global infrastructure consulting firm partnering with clients to solve complex challenges and build lasting legacies.

Due to a significant increase in planning policy project wins and new opportunities, we are looking to bring in a Principal Planner to work with senior colleagues to manage our growing workload. We need an outstanding consultant with proven experience in planning policy and strategy, project management, and a commitment to high‑quality work and business growth.

You will be based in our flagship London Aldgate Tower office, though other locations may be considered, including Basingstoke, Bristol, Birmingham, Cambridge, Chesterfield, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, and Plymouth.

We operate a hybrid working model allowing flexibility between office and home work. This position is available on either a full‑time or part‑time basis.

• Team Leadership and Development
  • Participate in the successful operation and management of the town planning team.
• Planning Strategy and Expertise
  • Lead and assist on key planning policy projects, supporting local authority policy and strategy development, coordination and delivery of local plan evidence studies, strategic growth studies, infrastructure strategies, and other policy and strategy commissions.
  • Offer strategic planning advice to other client and internal teams.
  • Provide effective representation for the organisation, developing and managing relationships with clients, local authorities and other stakeholders through project work and attendance at conferences and networking events.
  • Share technical knowledge and excellence.
• Project Management
  • Ensure projects are delivered successfully on budget and within programme timelines.
  • Coordinate multi‑disciplinary teams for seamless project execution.
• Quality Assurance and Compliance
  • Oversee the deliverables produced by the planning policy team.
  • Implement and uphold quality assurance and health and safety principles.
• Business Development
  • Contribute to the business development strategy, nurturing client relationships.
  • Lead and assist in the preparation of commercial tenders to secure new opportunities.

AECOM is a top‑ten UK planning consultancy by size, employing more than 70 Chartered or Licentiate Planners. We deliver complex, high‑profile development and regeneration projects for public and private sector clients. Our work includes:

• Sub-Regional Spatial Plans – Leading growth studies and evidence bases for plans and policy, including the OxCam Arc, Thames Estuary, Hertfordshire, and the East Midlands.
• Local Plans – Supporting over 100 local authorities with plan evidence, secondments, critical friend support, and coordinated interdisciplinary teams.
• Strategic Masterplans – Master planning new garden communities totalling nearly 100,000 homes, such as South Manydown in Basingstoke and Naas North West Quadrant in Ireland.
• Neighbourhood Planning – Supporting hundreds of local communities with scoping, evidence production, stakeholder engagement, appraisal, option development, plan production, design, delivery, adoption, monitoring, and overall project management.

• Experience
  • Significant relevant experience in leading and contributing to planning policy and strategy development in a consultancy or public sector role.
• Client & Stakeholder Relations
  • Client focus, with good interpersonal skills and a collaborative working approach.
  • Existing relationships with clients and local authorities.
  • A business development mindset with demonstrable experience of winning work and developing relationships with existing and new clients.
• Skills
  • Ability to produce high‑quality technical reports and excellent communication skills.
  • Ability to work on your own initiative and under pressure.
• Quality & Commitment
  • High level of commitment to quality.
• Education & Professional Memberships
  • Degree in Town Planning or a related discipline, and membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute…