Development Management Principal Lead Officer, Permanent

This is a rare and exciting opportunity to lead a specialist Development Management service at a pivotal moment for local government in Gloucestershire. As Gloucestershire moves towards a new unitary council model, this role offers the chance not only to lead an established and highly regarded County Development Management Service, but also to help shape the future of specialist planning services within a new organisation. You will have a key role in influencing how planning services evolve, ensuring they remain resilient, innovative and equipped to meet the needs of communities, businesses and critical infrastructure for years to come.

If you are an experienced planning professional looking for a role where you can make a lasting impact, lead talented people and help design the future of a service, we'd love to hear from you.

About the Role and the Team

As Development Management Principal Lead Officer, you will be responsible for the day-to-day management and operation of Gloucestershire County Council's specialist Development Management Service. You will lead a dedicated team of experienced planning professionals, technical support staff and emerging planning talent, ensuring the delivery of a responsive, customer-focused and high-quality planning service. Strong operational leadership, people management and a commitment to continuous improvement will be central to your success.

The team manages a diverse and challenging portfolio of work, including:

• Minerals development proposals.
• Waste management infrastructure proposals.
• County Council developments such as schools, highways, care homes, depots, etc.
• Nationally significant infrastructure developments where the County Council is the determining authority for detailed matters.
• Pre-application advice service.
• Engaging with local communities, site operators, elected members and partner organisations through community liaison across Gloucestershire's strategically important minerals and waste facilities.

The role requires a strong focus on people leadership. You will be supporting and developing a team with a mix of highly experienced officers and colleagues at the beginning of their planning careers. Creating a positive, high-performance culture will be essential, ensuring staff are supported to develop professionally while maintaining a clear focus on service delivery, accountability and continuous improvement. Through effective mentoring, coaching and leadership, you will help build confidence, capability and resilience across the team.

Alongside service delivery, you will play a supportive role in preparing the service for upcoming changes through national reforms and local government reorganisation, contributing to the design and development of specialist planning functions. This is a unique opportunity to influence how planning will be structured and delivered in the future.

The service is also embracing digital transformation and innovation. Having recently implemented a modern cloud-based planning and case management system, we are well placed to enhance agile working, improve customer experience and explore new opportunities for digital service delivery. We are looking for a leader who is enthusiastic about modernising services, challenging traditional ways of working and fostering a culture that encourages innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement.

Working closely with the Team Manager and wider Planning Service, you will ensure planning decisions are delivered efficiently, consistently and to the highest professional standards, while supporting the development of a skilled, motivated and future-focused team.

About You

You will be an accomplished planning professional with significant development management experience and a proven track record of leading high-performing teams. This role will suit someone who enjoys developing people as much as managing complex planning casework. You will be comfortable supporting colleagues at different stages of their careers, from aspiring planning professionals and apprentices through to highly experienced officers. You will have the credibility, emotional intelligence and leadership skills needed to foster a positive culture, drive performance and help colleagues embrace new ways of working.

As the service continues to evolve through local government reorganisation and digital transformation, you will be able to balance support and challenge, helping individuals and the wider team adapt confidently to change while maintaining a strong focus on delivering excellent outcomes for customers and stakeholders.

You will bring:

• A strong understanding of the UK planning system and development management processes.
• Broad experience managing complex planning applications and providing professional planning advice.
• Proven leadership and people management experience, including mentoring, coaching and developing professional teams.
• Experience of managing performance, setting clear expectations and supporting colleagues to achieve their full potential.
• The ability to lead teams through change, building engagement, confidence and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Strong organisational and operational management capability, with the ability to balance competing priorities and maintain high service standards.
• Experience driving service improvement, embracing innovation and supporting organisational change.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with confidence working alongside elected members, applicants, consultants, statutory consultees and local communities.
• Sound professional judgement and effective decision-making skills.
• A commitment to creating an inclusive, supportive and high-performing working environment.
• A passion for public service and delivering positive outcomes through planning.

Membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), or eligibility for membership, would be advantageous.

Most importantly, you will be an inspiring and visible leader who is excited by the opportunity to shape the future of specialist planning services in Gloucestershire, develop talented people and lead a high-performing team through a period of significant opportunity and transformation.

About Us

At Gloucestershire County Council, we are committed to creating a workplace where people feel supported, valued and empowered to achieve their potential. As you'd expect, we offer an attractive package of benefits that makes a career in local government both flexible and rewarding, including:

• Hybrid working arrangements, with a mix of office and remote working, balancing service needs and individual choice.
• Flexible and agile working opportunities.
• 25.5 days annual leave, rising to 30.5 days after five years' continuous service.
• Career development and professional qualification opportunities.
• A supportive, collaborative and positive working environment.
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), providing free and confidential counselling, support and advice 24 hours a day, online and by telephone.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• Gloucestershire Salary Sacrifice Green Car Scheme (terms and conditions apply).
• Access to employee networks, including the Prism (LGBT+) Network and the Young Employees Network.

Join us and help shape the future of Gloucestershire through a specialist planning service that delivers real impact for communities, infrastructure and the environment. Whether through local government reorganisation, digital transformation or the delivery of nationally significant development, this is an opportunity to play a leading role in shaping a modern, ambitious and high-performing planning service.

How to Apply

If you are an experienced planning professional looking for an exciting leadership opportunity and want to play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering Gloucestershire's future specialist Development Management service, we would love to hear from you. Please submit your application and supporting statement by clicking the Apply Now button.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Robin Drake, Team Manager (Planning Development Management and Minerals & Waste Planning).

We look forward to hearing how your experience, leadership and ambition can help drive the continued success and future development of this important service.

Additional Information

To access the Job Profile for this role, please follow the link below:

Job Profile - Development Management Principal Lead Officer

Gloucestershire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people or vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The council is not currently able to offer sponsorship in this role. Candidates will need to have right to work that enables them to commit to at least 6 months employment. Right to work is not transferable from a sponsored role held with another employer.

Applications from any Gloucestershire County Council's employees who are currently on the redeployment register or at risk of redundancy will be considered first at shortlisting stage. We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire's diverse communities. Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential.

It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a customer facing role must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English. Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.