Area Manager - Development Management

Some key information

• £63,528 per annum (which includes a recruitment allowance of £14,246 per annum payable for up to 3 years).
• Reporting to the Chief Planner.
• Permanent position, 37 hours per week
• Flexible and Hybrid working (1-2 days per week in the office).
• Generous pension scheme and 30 days’ annual leave.
• Extensive CPD and peer support.
• Opportunity to work on a wide range of interesting projects, offering unique opportunities to develop your experience and skills.

What will I be doing?

Somerset Council is the second largest Planning Authority in the UK. The Development Management Service is divided into 2 geographic areas (North/West and South/East and the Area Manager is responsible for managing one of these areas.

Key responsibilities include:

• Acting as the lead officer for two development management area teams, providing a high quality, customer focused service, responsible for determining planning and relevant applications.
• Manage two of the four Area Planning Committees.
• Ensuring applications are professionally managed to determination from per-application stage through to implementation and compliance in accordance with the Councils constitution and agreed scheme of delegation.
• Directly line managing and mentoring the Principal Planning Officers and their teams.
• Supporting the Service Manager to improve and streamline planning across Somerset.

There is a significant breadth of work and plenty of interesting projects, which currently include:

• Local Development Orders.
• Development Consent Orders.
• Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
• Major residential and Commercial developments.
• Our Emerging Local Plan.

We have a successful history of gaining Levelling up and Homes England funding - which means there will be a range of new things to work on in the coming years as we deliver key community facilities, infrastructure and public realm improvements.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We are looking for a Chartered Planner, qualified and/or experienced in development management who can demonstrate leadership, support and a pro-growth mind set. Experience of strategic and operational management to deliver the Council’s corporate objectives, clear communication, problem solving and negotiation skills are required to mentor staff, build relationships with elected members and local agents.

The right candidate should have experience of Public Inquiries, attending planning committee and be comfortable presenting to elected members, parish/town/city councils, agent panels, senior leadership and staff.

Ideally you will:

• Be educated to degree level, ideally in planning, geography or a related subject.
• A Chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI) or eligible to be a member.
• Hold a Management Qualification ILM/CMI 5 or higher.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

What's in it for me?

You’ll have the opportunity to engage with improvement projects currently running throughout the service and help to shape a future planning service for Somerset within a team that offers a supportive and rewarding environment. The team are passionate about the work they do and work collaboratively to ensure the best outcome for all and improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave.
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more.

Anything else I should know?

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Dawn deVries via email at [email protected], or Alison Blom-Cooper at [email protected]

Interviews will be held on Tuesday 14th October 2025.

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button - we can’t wait to hear from you.