Planning Consultant

As a Planner within the Consultancy team of Be First, you will have a central role in delivering Be First’s consultancy services. Working on a range of public and private sector projects, you will work alongside multi-disciplinary project teams providing planning consultancy services for development schemes from inception to completion. You need to have a keen interest in town planning, outstanding organisation, be solutions led and have excellent customer service skills. Be First is a wholly owned planning and regeneration company of The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, and as a result we act like a Social Enterprise, with the financial return that we generate being reinvested back into providing key council services and more homes for local people. We are looking for someone who is mission centred and is motivated to deliver a socially responsible model of urban regeneration, which delivers new homes and jobs for current and future communities.

Job Salary £35,000 - £40,000, up to 10% employer pension contribution, payment of annual professional fee and 30 days annual leave entitlement. Hybrid - Home working / Barking, London. Closing Date April 4, 2025.

You will contribute to:

• Providing planning consultancy services and planning strategy advice to public, private and third-party sector clients.
• Carrying out planning appraisals and pre-application consultations, and co-ordinating and managing the preparation of planning applications.
• Providing technical and procedural advice that problem-solves and ‘adds value’.
• Inputting into public consultation strategies.
• Being a positive role model and provide mentoring where appropriate to graduate planners.
• Liaise with the wider Be First teams, clients, the public, sub-consultants and a range of public and private bodies.
• Assisting the team to manage financial aspects, such as invoicing and budgets.

Person Specification

Your skills, abilities and attributes:

• Engaging and driven personality wanting to join a highly successful and ambitious team.
• Proven technical abilities and demonstrable knowledge and understanding of national, regional and local development issues and trends.
• Proactive in providing clear, commercial planning advice and co-ordinating planning applications.
• Diligent and accurate in research with excellent professional writing skills.
• A critical thinker with excellent verbal communication skills.
• Proactive in identifying opportunities and making new ideas work.
• Ability to weigh up all possible options or approaches to problem solving and to make considered decisions.
• Capable of individually managing smaller scale projects with senior oversight and supporting the team in submission of larger applications.
• Demonstrates accurate comprehension in new situations with a grasp of essential details.
• Persuasive – putting forward convincing arguments in an articulate and concise manner.
• A motivated, self-starter with a willingness to learn.
• A team player, who is collaborative and works effectively with others.
• Displays tact and diplomacy when managing difficult situations.
• Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI).
• 2+ years working in planning, ideally in planning consultancy.
• Candidates must have existing right to work in the UK for this role.

Research has shown that members of communities which are under-represented in the property sector are less likely to apply for jobs in that sector. If you’re excited about this role but worried that your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every part of the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this role.