We’re looking for Planners at all levels  

Cotswold District is a great place to live, work and visit, and we are rightly proud of our businesses, communities and residents. We are busy recreating a council that’s pro-active and responsive to the needs of our residents and businesses in a fast changing environment. That means we need to be ‘fleet of foot’ and look for innovative and creative ways to deliver against our Corporate Plan priorities. 

About the role…

As Career Grade roles we are looking for those that need support to start a career in Planning as well as those who are already qualified, experienced and ready to help us support those starting their careers. This is a post you can apply for whether you are a recent graduate or have a few years planning experience and are looking for a new career opportunity and we are looking to appoint people at different points on the career grade structure according to qualifications and experience. 

There are a few great organisations that can help you excel, achieve, and support you in discovering your true potential – Publica Group is one of these organisations. We’re looking for two Planners to join our Planning Service. If you have the ambition to develop your knowledge and experience whilst working towards gaining a recognised RTPI qualification or using your experience to support other officers to do that in Planning with an excellent organisation, then this is the role for you.

Publica provides Planning Services to three Local Authorities. So, if you are starting your career journey you will have an extensive training ground and scope to progress; and if you are already an experienced Planner you will have a scope of opportunities that you will not find anywhere else. The salary range is purposefully wide in order to properly recognise your level of experience, qualification and talent. 

You will be a member of a highly supportive team. Your duties will primarily be around making decisions on a wide variety of applications but you will have the opportunity to experience the wider Development Management service.  

These roles, which will assist the planning team with increased demand, will cover the Cotswolds District but you will also have the opportunity to work across West Oxfordshire and Forest of Dean District Council to further develop your career progression. Within these Districts, there are plenty of places to see and visit whether you love hiking or cycling.  With our agile working ethos: you will be spoilt for choice.  

The appended Role Description and Employee specification sets out the entry level requirements to be appointed at Technician level and the attached matrix indicates the likely criteria to determine where appointments will be made and how career advancement to Principle level can take place. We will support your career progression with training and qualification support from Technician to Principle Planner level, and beyond. As well as financial support, we will provide mentoring and  time for study within your working week.

You will need…

•    A qualification in your area of expertise, equivalent to a degree or relevant experience
•    GCSE Maths and English or equivalent to grade C/4 or higher
•    Experience of working flexibly as part of a team and collaborating with colleagues and stakeholders
•    Experience of being involved in continuously improving services and developing products to meet customer need 
•    To deliver commitments and take ownership of own caseload, reshaping of plans to deliver required outcomes
•    To demonstrate commitment and resilience to succeed

Special Conditions…

•    Ability to travel

For more information about this role please see the Job Description/Person Specification.

You will be employed by Publica Group Ltd which was created by four partner Councils (Cotswold District Council, West Oxfordshire District Council, Cheltenham Borough Council and Forest of Dean District Council) to deliver more efficient and improved services. 

Publica is a unique place to work – we are a local government organisation with a twist! Publica wants to transform the way local services are delivered. To help do this we have started to fundamentally rethink the way we design our services in the digital era so that Publica is a customer-focused organisation driven by real user needs.

What can we do for you…

•    agile working allowing a mix of home and office working
•    flexible working arrangements (depending on the role)
•    26 days paid annual leave (pro rata if you are working part time) plus bank holidays and an extra two volunteering days off a year for you to support a charity of your choice 
•    paid for health cash plan giving you cash back on health, dental and eye care
•    pension scheme with a good employer contribution of 5% of your earnings
•    paid for Employee Assistance Programme 24/7, providing positive, preventative and supportive advice and counselling to deal with everyday events and issues
•    cycle to work scheme
•    paid for access to digital financial advice (covering your pension scheme, mortgages and other finances)

These are just a handful of the benefits  that you can enjoy when you join us!

To apply for this position please click on "apply now" within this page and complete your application form and supporting statement. Please tell us about your skills, knowledge, qualifications, experience and how they meet the criteria listed above and in the job description/person specification. It’s important that we’re a good fit for each other, so let us know what’s important to you and why you want to work for Publica.

Safer recruitment practices are applied to all job vacancies. Successful candidates will be required to complete a pre-employment medical questionnaire; provide references; proof of identity; nationality and immigration status; three years’ employment or education history (if applicable) and, in some cases, verification of criminal record.