Senior Planning Officer
Please apply online by clicking the link below
Wirral Council is a values‑driven organisation where employees are empowered to “#BeTheDifference” and help create fairer opportunities for residents. Set in one of the happiest and most scenic areas in the UK, the Council offers an inspiring place to live and work, with a strong commitment to supporting staff and delivering ambitious plans for the borough’s future. Joining Wirral Council means becoming part of a dedicated, forward‑thinking team that is truly valued and encouraged to thrive.
Senior Planning Officer
Permanent
Full-time/Part-time/Job Share considered.
About the Role:
Our strategic planner role is a newly created post which will be a central part of our newly formed strategic planning team, working directly with our senior and principal strategic planners.
Our team combines remarkable experience and knowledge with unrivalled levels of resilience and dedication. This is an opportunity to begin or grow your experience in strategic planning, at the centre of a supportive team, in one of the largest unitary authorities.
If you have some experience in other areas of planning or associated disciplines and would like to take the opportunity to expand your knowledge our team is receptive and appreciative of a range of skills to complement our abilities.
We have a newly adopted Local Plan which seeks to support the transformation of Birkenhead whilst protecting our heritage and natural environment. Your role would play a significant part in delivering the objectives of the Local Plan, working closely with the senior and principal planners moving forward key pieces of work and working closing with other planning colleagues within our service.
We are looking for a Senior Planners to come and join Wirral, working across our planning services team. Whether you’re looking for career progression or a further challenge we have a range of projects and meaningful work in which we need your expertise.
About the candidate:
Your main responsibility will be to process and determine a caseload of planning applications, appeals, discharge of conditions and all other post-decision matters. You will undertake all necessary site inspections, preparing reports and recommendations for applications.
We are keen to have an informal discussion with any interested candidates, to understand what they would like to get out of a role here in Wirral. We recognise more than ever the need for work-life balance and true meaning in the work we do, therefore we want to speak with any interested candidates informally and provide an opportunity to hear more about the roles available.
Wirral is ideally situated in the Northwest with excellent transport links to Liverpool, Manchester, Chester, and North Wales and very close to major motorway networks. This coupled with our hybrid working approach and flexibility in working patterns i.e full and part time opportunities, ensures work-life balance for our employees. Wirral also has several great places to live and a range of outstanding schools.
For an informal chat about this role– please contact Steve Lacey – stevenlacey@wirral.gov.uk
We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates. For this vacancy, candidates must have an existing right to work in the UK before commencing employment. Skilled Worker visa sponsorship is not available for this post. Eligibility to work in the UK will be verified in the final stages of the selection process.
If you’re already a Wirral Council employee, and 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
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.
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, enrolment into the local government pension scheme (an excellent defined benefit scheme), 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 differences 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.
Salary range
- £42,839 - £46,142 per year