Planning Officer (Strategic Sites) in Pershore

Malvern Hills and Wychavon District Councils are looking for a motivated and proactive Planner to join our Development Planning team, helping to deliver some of the most exciting and significant housing development projects in South Worcestershire – including the flagship Worcestershire Parkway site. This is a varied and rewarding role where you’ll play a key part in bringing forward sustainable, high-quality places across Malvern Hills and Wychavon District Councils. Working closely with colleagues, developers, consultants, Members, and local communities, you’ll support the coordination and delivery of major developments that make a real difference.

What You’ll Do

• Support the delivery of strategic development sites in line with Council objectives and planning policies.
• Provide planning and project support to senior officers and the Head of Development Planning.
• Assist in monitoring project progress, risks, and timelines, helping to identify and resolve delivery issues.
• Liaise across service areas, including Development Management, to coordinate Planning Performance Agreements and applications.
• Prepare planning documents, design guides, technical reports, and supporting materials for key projects.
• Facilitate effective communication and collaboration with developers, Members, and local communities through meetings and consultation events.
• Coordinate Project Board, working groups, and stakeholder meetings, preparing agendas, reports, minutes, and follow-up actions.
• Support communication, finance, and administrative tasks, including reports, newsletters, budgets, and stakeholder enquiries.

About You

You’ll have a good understanding of the town planning system and a passion for creating sustainable, high-quality developments. You will have at least a student membership of the RTPI and be working towards full membership. Ideally, although not essential, you will also have a degree qualification in urban planning or experience at an equivalent level. If you have less experience, we would expect you to be working toward a degree level qualification.

Experience in local authority planning, development delivery, or project coordination would be an advantage, but we’re also open to applicants looking to develop their career in this area. This role is about attitude as much as expertise; you will be someone who will demonstrate commitment to delivering the Council's values of great customer service, openness and accountability, innovation and improvement and fairness and respect. You’ll be organised, detail-focused, and confident in working with a wide range of people. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential, as is the ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.

You will also be responsible for championing and demonstrating the Council’s Leadership Behaviour Framework by inspiring, communicating, collaborating and empowering yourself and others and leading by example.

The successful candidate will have:

• A good standard of education
• Student membership of the RTPI (and working towards full membership)
• Ideally hold a Planning related degree or can demonstrate the equivalent experience
• Good communication skills
• An adaptable and flexible approach with the ability to work on a variety of tasks
• Good working knowledge of Windows based computer systems and their applications
• Good research and analytical skills
• A strong customer service orientation.

What We Can Offer

• Excellent pension scheme with employer contributions
• Generous annual leave entitlement with options to purchase additional annual leave
• Committed training programme and development opportunities
• Onsite nursery with 20% staff discount
• Discounted Gym and swim membership
• Health and Wellbeing support and a Free Employee Assistance scheme including access to counselling services
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Employee Discounts with a range of companies including EE and the Kaarp discount scheme

We are an employer that values face-to-face communication, collaboration and connection, therefore all our roles have an office-based requirement with some agile working as part of the role. If you’re passionate about planning, place-making, and sustainable development, we’d love to hear from you. To discuss the post or for further information, please call Rebecca Buckley, Principal Policy and Projects Officer.

Closing date: Sunday 25 January 2026

Interview date: Thursday 5 February 2026

Please note: If we experience a high intake of applications, we may close the role and interview for the position sooner than advertised.