Planning Support Officer — Hybrid, Flexible Hours in Huntingdon

Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is passionate about providing high-quality services to our communities, residents and businesses. This means we must employ and retain the most talented and dedicated people. Situated within the heart of the Cambridge-Peterborough Growth Area, Huntingdonshire is a beautiful district that boasts thriving market towns and many attractive villages, each with its own identity. We are an innovative and forward-thinking local authority whose residents are at the heart of our decision‑making. At HDC we want to employ staff who embody our icare values (Inspiring, Collaborative, Accountable, Respectful, Enterprising), all of which support our ultimate purpose of putting our customers first.

Do you get a weirdly satisfying feeling when everything’s in the right place? Good at spotting what’s missing before anyone else does? Like helping people understand complex processes clearly and calmly? You might be exactly who we’re looking for. Help shape places. Protect communities. Start (or grow) your career in planning. As a Planning Technical Support Officer, you’ll be the gateway to the planning system. Your work is what helps planning applications move forward in the right way - legally, sustainably and fairly.

• Register and check planning applications and appeals, making sure they meet national and local rules (including biodiversity net gain).
• Explain clearly to applicants and agents what’s needed - and help them fix things when something’s missing.
• Support planning officers behind the scenes while also responding to real questions from the public.
• Publish planning documents accurately and responsibly, keeping data safe and GDPR compliant.

It’s a busy, people‑facing role where attention to detail really matters - and where your work directly affects how places grow and change.

Planning isn’t just paperwork. What you do helps protect local environments and heritage and make sure communities grow in the right way. Your decisions help keep the system fair, transparent and trusted.

You don’t need to be a planning expert already. You might be:

• An organised administrator.
• Someone with customer service experience.
• A recent graduate or career starter looking to move into public service or planning.

What matters most is that you:

• Care about getting things right.
• Communicate clearly and professionally.
• Stay calm when things are busy or complex.
• Like learning new systems and processes.

Experience with planning systems, GIS or document management tools is helpful - but if you’re curious, reliable and keen to develop, we’ll support you to learn.

What you’ll gain:

• A strong foundation for a career in planning or local government.
• Real responsibility and visible impact from day one.
• Supportive colleagues and opportunities to build specialist knowledge.
• Experience working with legislation, digital systems and public-facing services.

If you enjoy problem‑solving, working with people and want a role where your work genuinely makes a difference, we’d love to hear from you - even if you don’t tick every box. Apply now and help shape the future of our communities.

An offer of employment is conditional upon having the right to work in the UK. HDC does not hold a Sponsorship Licence and is unable to provide a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) or take over sponsorship for any role. However, this is a rolling campaign and we'll be reviewing applications on an ongoing basis and will close the advert early should we receive suitable applications, so please don't delay in applying!

For many of our roles, our hybrid work model enables employees to work remotely while allowing for in‑office collaboration opportunities across the district, with an expectation of being in the office at least two days a week. However, please note that some positions may require a more consistent presence in the office due to the nature of the work.

As an employer who values diversity of thought, we seek to employ candidates from a range of backgrounds in order to make our organisation more innovative. We are seeking candidates who are looking for their next career opportunity and are supportive employers, enabling our staff to work in an environment that produces high standards of work in an employee‑led environment. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our recruitment and along with our values we are committed to creating an inclusive working environment, where diversity is valued and there is equality of opportunity. We therefore welcome applications from all sections of the community and we offer a range of benefits, including flexitime, to encourage a work‑life balance.