Senior Strategic Planner

Senior Strategic Planner

There has never been a more exciting time to join Wirral Council. We’ve got ambitious targets to meet and to achieve everything we have promised to our residents, we need people who are ready to deliver the very best for our communities and show how they can #BeTheDifference. Our vision is to secure the best possible future for our residents, defined by the community prosperity we create and supported by our excellent people and services. If you strive to #BeTheDifference and want to be at the heart of our change and improvement journey, then this could be the perfect job for you.

About The Role

We are looking to appoint a Senior Strategic Planner to join a team at the start of an exciting journey. You will be expected to play a key part in working with the strategic authority as progress with the Spatial Development Strategy continues and scoping the future of plan making in Wirral. This is alongside maintaining and monitoring our newly adopted Local Plan. The role provides the chance to develop a wide range of planning experience in a supportive environment, at the heart of the wider planning service.

About The Candidate

We would like to hear from you if you have knowledge of the relevant law, Government guidance, policies and practice relating to planning, have excellent communication skills, including the ability to articulate information; to present clear, accurate and concise reports to a wide range of audiences, and an ability to work effectively with individuals, teams, customers, partners and staff, understanding the functions and needs of the service and the organisation as a whole. The successful candidate will be educated to degree level in Planning or hold a closely related relevant qualification and be eligible for full membership of the Institute of Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

If you enjoy working in a fast‑paced environment and think you have what it takes to be the difference for our staff and residents, then this could be the perfect job for you.

You Will Be Required To

• Prepare, monitor and review the Development Plan and its supporting documents and information, to meet the timescales for plan making set out in the Council’s Local Development Scheme.
• Prepare planning policy responses to planning applications, neighbouring local planning authorities, Government consultations and emerging sub‑regional strategies and initiatives.
• Support the preparation of neighbourhood planning proposals by the local community.
• Collect, prepare and maintain the evidence base for the Development Plan and associated planning policy development, including the Council’s statutory Brownfield Land Register.
• Support the Council through production of evidence and represent the Authority at public inquiries, hearings, appeals, and examinations.
• Attend Council Committees and other meetings/events as required.

Interviews to be held on Monday, 24th November 2025.

For an informal chat about this role please contact either of the following panel members:

John Entwistle – johnentwistle@wirral.gov.uk or Mandy Lewis – mandylewis@wirral.gov.uk

If you are a Wirral resident, are unemployed or out of work, and require help with your application, please contact Involve Northwest’s employment and skills team on info@involvenorthwest.org.uk or contact 0151 644 4500 or 0151 652 4349.

If you’re already a Wirral Council employee, as part of our Talent Strategy, we’re committed to strengthening opportunities for our people to learn, grow, progress, and thrive. For many of you, this may be preparing and applying for your next role with us, and we\’re passionate about ensuring you feel supported throughout your internal recruitment experience. Please get in touch if you want to know more about some of the ways in which we could support you by emailing recruitment@wirral.gov.uk

Working at Wirral

You’ll also want to know what it’s like to work here so, as a start: Our values are more than just pieces of paper on our walls! We’ve all played a role in developing these, so they reflect the immense pride we have in what we do, what matters to us, what inspires us and inform how we think, approach things, and behave.

We believe in ensuring staff are well looked after, staff wellbeing is a priority for us. We’re serious about recognising and rewarding people for the great things they do. You’ll benefit from our track record of developing, growing, and investing in our people.

We have a range of staff benefits including staff discounts, an excellent pension scheme which includes a generous employer contribution rate, immediate life cover and ill‑health protection. We have a strong flexible working approach, hybrid working, family‑friendly employment initiatives and an annual leave package starting with 28 days leave plus public holidays.

We have an inclusive, engaged culture, everyone has a voice, everyone is valued for their contribution and understands the role they play in delivering our strategic priorities.

Each voice is heard; each contribution valued. We embrace diversity in our workforce and recognise it is critical to our success. We support an inclusive culture that champions difference and nurtures a sense of belonging. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds, who share our values and our commitment to inclusion to apply for roles with us.

We want you to be your best at work, we create the conditions to help you thrive and we mirror this in our recruitment process. If you’d like us to do anything differently during the recruitment process to make it barrier‑free and as accessible as possible, please contact recruitment@wirral.gov.uk

Please note that in accordance with the Council’s policy, employees who are in a formal redeployment situation will be considered in the first instance for all vacancies.

It is Council policy not to re‑appoint any employee who has left under the terms of the Council\’s Early Voluntary Retirement (EVR) scheme or who have left with a voluntary severance (VS) package, unless in exceptional circumstances.

Applications will be accepted until midnight on the closing date. We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applications. Applications can only be accepted through the Jobs page following registration. Forms received via the post will not be processed. All applicants invited to interview must evidence their right to work in the UK. Details of required documents can be found by clicking the link at the bottom of the Jobs page.

The job description and other supporting documents will not be accessible once the vacancy closing date has passed so if a copy is required you should download it now. We do not accept applications or CV’s from recruitment agencies, unless otherwise stated. Therefore, any candidates submitted via a recruitment agency will not be considered for this role.

How To Apply: Please apply online by clicking the link below.