Senior / Principal Planner (Planning Policy)

An introduction to our unique company

Waterman Aspen is a specialist professional services provider, supporting the delivery of development management, infrastructure and place‑shaping projects across the UK, particularly where organisations are facing skills shortages, increasing caseloads and complex delivery pressures. We work in partnership with both public and private sector clients, providing experienced planners and technical specialists to strengthen capacity, improve outcomes and support confident decision‑making at the point it matters most.

Our model is intentionally flexible. Through secondments and project‑based support, we place the right people with the right skills into client teams at the right time—whether that’s helping organisations manage sustained capacity pressures, progress backlogs, support critical projects, or navigate organisational and policy change. Our clients include local authorities, government bodies, consultancies and developers, and we work as trusted, embedded members of their teams to support confident, defensible decision‑making.

We are a people‑centred organisation and take pride in supporting our colleagues throughout their careers. Mutual respect, professionalism and trust sit at the heart of how we work. This is reflected in our commitment to wellbeing, family‑friendly policies, inclusion and social value, alongside our focus on sustainability and net‑zero ambitions. We are a Disability Confident Employer and an accredited Real Living Wage Employer. We have clear ambitions for the future and a growing Town Planning offer that plays a key role in supporting our clients and communities. If you’re looking to make a tangible impact, support organisations under real delivery pressure, and gain wide‑ranging experience across the planning sector, we’d like to hear from you.

Your career with Waterman Aspen

Joining Waterman Aspen as a Senior / Principal Planner means becoming part of a supportive, experienced Town Planning team while working on a diverse range of public and private sector projects across the UK, often in environments where additional capacity, experience and judgement are critical. You’ll enjoy the stability and benefits of permanent employment, combined with the variety, challenge and professional breadth that comes from working across different organisations and project environments.

You can expect a role that offers exposure to a wide client base, allowing you to apply your expertise, develop new skills and build a strong professional profile. Our clients actively value the contribution of Waterman Aspen colleagues, creating opportunities for meaningful technical involvement and professional growth. The secondment‑led model also offers flexibility—giving you the chance to broaden your experience with each new assignment, step into different planning contexts quickly, and add value from day one, without the disruption of changing employer.

We support career development at every stage, with access to training, mentoring and guidance from experienced managers and peers, helping you progress towards your professional or academic goals. Alongside this, we offer paid professional subscriptions, regular social and volunteering opportunities, and a culture that values balance, wellbeing and long‑term development.

Experience required

• Essential
• Degree qualified in Town Planning or a related discipline, with Chartered Membership of the RTPI (or working towards chartership at Senior level where appropriate).
• Significant post‑qualification experience in a Planning Policy role within a local authority, consultancy or client‑facing planning environment, operating at Senior or Principal level.
• Strong, up‑to‑date knowledge and practical application of planning legislation, national planning policy and statutory procedures, including emerging changes.
• Proven experience in the preparation, review and delivery of Development Plan documents, including Local Plans and associated policy documents.
• Experience preparing evidence for, and participating in, Local Plan Examinations, including responding to Inspectors’ questions and giving evidence at hearings where appropriate.
• Highly organised with strong programme and workload management skills, able to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines in pressurised environments.
• Confident and effective communicator, able to present clear, well‑reasoned planning policy advice to elected members, senior officers, stakeholders and the public; with the ability to quickly understand local context and priorities.
• Desirable
• Experience commissioning, managing and directing consultants in the preparation of planning policy evidence and technical studies.
• Experience working closely with Development Management teams to ensure alignment between planning policy and decision‑making.
• Experience of cross‑boundary planning work.

Role and responsibilities

As a Senior / Principal Planner (Planning Policy), you will:

• Play a leading role in the preparation, examination, adoption, monitoring and review of Development Plan documents, including Local Plans and associated policy frameworks, ensuring all statutory requirements are met.
• Lead on the preparation and management of planning policy evidence studies, including commissioning external consultants, preparing specifications, overseeing delivery and ensuring outputs are robust and fit for purpose.
• Provide clear, timely and well‑reasoned planning policy advice to client teams, elected members and senior officers, including attendance at formal and informal meetings, committees and member steering groups.
• Prepare consultation material and lead on stakeholder and community engagement, working with internal services, elected members, statutory consultees, parish councils, neighbouring authorities and local communities.
• Prepare written statements and give professional evidence, where required, at Local Plan Examinations, hearings, public inquiries and planning appeals on planning policy matters.
• Prepare and present high‑quality reports, briefings and recommendations to senior management, elected members and working groups in accordance with governance requirements.
• Operate confidently as an embedded member of client teams, quickly understanding local priorities and supporting the effective progression of planning policy programmes under pressure.
• At Principal level, provide leadership within planning policy teams, including mentoring and technical guidance to colleagues, and contributing to the day‑to‑day management, performance development and professional growth of officers where appropriate.

The role may be appointed at Senior or Principal level, depending on experience. Principal Planners will typically take a lead role on the most complex policy workstreams, examinations and strategic matters, and provide informal leadership and support to colleagues and client teams.

You’ll get this and so much more

As a salaried colleague, you’ll get a salary in line with your experience, skills and location along with an industry-leading benefits package:

• Company car or car allowance
• Contribution to commuting mileage
• Permanent health insurance
• 25 days annual leave (option to buy up to 5 more), in addition to the normal public holidays (based on a 40 hour week, pro rata for part-time colleagues)
• Company pension contribution
• Salary sacrifice to buy additional benefits
• 1 paid Waterman Aspen in the Community Day to volunteer in your local community