Join Our Team at DAC Planning — Chartered Planner (Flexible Level) in Colchester

Are you a passionate and talented chartered town planner looking for your next challenge? Do you want to work on interesting and high-profile projects that make a genuine difference to communities across the country? Whether you are at the beginning of your professional career or an experienced planner seeking your next challenge, we would like to hear from you.

DAC Planning is a professional planning consultancy dedicated to providing expert planning advice and support to local authorities, local communities and public sector bodies nationally. We combine our deep experience in local government with our consultancy expertise — because we understand how planning works in practice. We are proud holders of the RTPI Excellence in Digital Planning Award and in 2023 we were awarded the RTPI Small Planning Consultancy of the Year (East of England) Award. We are a friendly, dedicated and ambitious team, united by a shared passion for the plan-led planning system and the communities we serve. We are now looking to appoint an experienced chartered planner to join us. Depending on your skills and experience, this role could be at Planner, Senior Planner, Principal Planner or even Associate level. We are seeking the right person rather than recruiting to a fixed level.

The Role

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing consultancy at a pivotal time. You will work on a diverse range of projects for clients nationally, contributing to work that shapes communities and supports the delivery of sustainable development. Projects you could be involved in include:

• Local Plan production and examination support, including policy drafting, evidence base work, project management and consultation
• Infrastructure planning and Infrastructure Delivery Plans
• Developer contributions, CIL and S106 advice
• Development management support to local planning authorities in relation to high profile schemes of strategic importance
• Training delivery through The Planning Academy, our dedicated training service
• Neighbourhood Plan support, from inception through to examination
• Research projects
• Planning appeals and expert witness support

The role can be shaped around the strengths and experience of the successful candidate, and we welcome further expertise in our existing project areas and actively encourage candidates to pursue new projects aligned with their interests and expertise.

About You

We are flexible on the level at which we appoint, and we are open to candidates across a range of experience levels. Above all, we are looking for someone who shares our values and our passion for the work we do. You will:

• Hold RTPI chartered status
• Have a proven track record of delivering high-quality planning work
• Be an excellent communicator with strong written and verbal skills
• Have good political and commercial acumen
• Be self-motivated, organised and able to manage your own workload
• Be a collaborative team player with high personal standards
• Ideally have experience in planning policy and/or Local Plan work, though we welcome a range of planning backgrounds

For more information on the roles and responsibilities, please refer to the individual job descriptions on our website, which also include the proposed salary bandings.

Location

We are based in Colchester and welcome a hybrid working style, with a balance of regular time in the office and home working to support collaboration and work-life balance. Our main priority is creating the right team, and location is therefore open to discussion.

What We Offer

In addition to a competitive salary (commensurate with experience) and pension contribution, DAC Planning offers:

• Flexible working arrangements including flexible hours, part-time and full-time options
• 25 days annual leave, in addition to public holidays
• Health and wellness benefits including life insurance, an Employee Assistance Programme and a virtual GP
• Clear progression path, with support to develop your role and responsibilities and to develop specialist expertise.
• Ongoing CPD opportunities including attendance at national conferences
• A supportive and friendly working culture with regular team catch ups and social activities
• RTPI subscription fees paid
• The opportunity to contribute to the development and growth of the business
• Volunteering opportunities at Jordan's Farm, a local rewilding project

DAC Planning is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to ensuring that all employees and job applicants receive equal treatment regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability or any other protected characteristic. We believe that diversity and inclusion make us a stronger, more innovative organisation and we actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds.