Principal Town Planner

Company Description
Work with Us. Change the World.
At AECOM, we're delivering a better world. Whether improving your commute, keeping the lights on, providing access to clean water, or transforming skylines, our work helps people and communities thrive. We are the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, partnering with clients to solve the world’s most complex challenges and build legacies for future generations. There has never been a better time to be at AECOM. With accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of over 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world. We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.

Job Description
Start here. Grow Here.
We have an opportunity for a Principal Town Planner to work on infrastructure planning projects across the UK, with a particular expertise and focus on DCO projects. We have an impressive portfolio of involvement in major infrastructure projects, including delivery of projects through various consenting regimes including DCOs. We are currently leading on planning applications for renewables and wider energy/electricity related infrastructure, transport, defence, water and much more. We are passionate about delivering planning to support complex projects. As our Town Planning team is national, and we support hybrid working we are flexible in terms of base location. This position can be based from our offices in Basingstoke, Birmingham, Bristol, Chesterfield, Leeds, London or Manchester.
You will be joining a great team; you will have an interesting and diverse workload and you will be given the opportunity to make the most of your abilities.

Here’s what you’ll do:
You will be joining a market leading, experienced infrastructure planning team and will be given the following responsibilities:

1. Project Leadership and Delivery
   Lead and assist in the delivery of major development applications.
   Coordinate multi-disciplinary teams across various project types.
   Submit and manage planning applications, including liaising and negotiating with local planning authorities and key stakeholders.
2. Planning and Advisory Services
   Provide planning advice to colleagues and clients on consent requirements and permitted development rights.
   Produce planning feasibility reports and consent strategies.
   Write Planning Statements and Design and Access Statements for development applications.
3. Client and Business Development
   Contribute to business development in specific market sectors, including sector strategy.
   Identify opportunities and build client relationships.
   Lead and contribute to the preparation of successful commercial tenders.
4. Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement
   Work closely with the Environmental Impact Assessment team.
   Participate in internal and external meetings with stakeholders.
5. Project and Operational Management
   Oversee project management, ensuring quality and adherence to health and safety principles.

Does this sound like something you can do, and do well? If so, read on…

About our team
AECOM’s rapidly growing Town Planning team plays a key role in delivering major infrastructure and development projects. AECOM is a top ten UK planning consultancy by size, employing more than 70 Chartered or Licentiate Planners. AECOM is also a worldwide leader in environmental and engineering consultancy and working as a planning consultant within AECOM means access to some of the highest profile and prestigious development projects in the UK, working with colleagues operating at the cutting edge of their disciplines as part of the largest UK environmental consultancy. Become part of our Environment business, and collaborate with top-tier planners, impact assessment specialists and project managers to consent a variety of captivating projects, from local developments to major and national infrastructure, from developing planning strategies to obtaining consent and post consent work. At AECOM, you’ll thrive in an inclusive and forward-thinking environment where your contributions are valued.

Qualifications
Ready to push the limits of what’s possible? Here’s what we’re looking for:
+ Sound knowledge of English planning policy and legislation
+ Demonstrable and relevant experience of leading planning applications, including infrastructure development
+ Client focus, with good interpersonal skills and collaborative working approach
+ High level of commitment to quality
+ Commercial awareness and experience of project / budget management
+ Experience of contributing to bids or planning services procurement
+ Ability to write clearly and concisely
+ Ability to work on your own initiative and under pressure
+ Competence in Microsoft Office

Additional Information
Interested in the role or curious about life at AECOM? Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to explore our AECOM voices, employee stories, latest projects, and much more! For further information about the role, reach out to the recruiter on LinkedIn.

We celebrate diversity, including neurodiversity, and believe it enriches our team. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and abilities. If you are an applicant with a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us.

About AECOM
AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities.

Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity
You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options. Whether you’re working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed.

AECOM provides a wide array of compensation, benefits and well-being programs to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. We’re the world’s trusted global infrastructure firm, and we’re in this together – your growth and success are ours too. Join us, and you’ll get all the benefits of being a part of a global, publicly traded firm – access to industry-leading technology and thinking and transformational work with big impact and work flexibility.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential, and we’ll help you reach yours. We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to applicants who have a disability or long-term condition, who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role.