Principal Strategic Planning Officer
| Posting date: | 10 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £48,072 to £54,994 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 24 June 2026 |
| Location: | Crewe, Cheshire |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Cheshire East |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 3597 |
Summary
It is an exciting time for plan-making in Cheshire East as we begin delivery of our 'new style' Local Plan and an excellent opportunity has arisen to join us as a Principal Planning Policy Officer. This is a full-time role (37 hours) within the Strategic Planning Team, playing a significant part in preparing our strategy for sustainable development into the 2040s. In this role you will manage a small team of dedicated planning colleagues and take on a complex and varied workload. You will use your considerable professional experience and skills to enable the plan making process to move forward quickly and robustly.
Join us on a meaningful journey at Cheshire East Council
Join a team that’s compassionate, forward-thinking and deeply committed to making a difference. Our residents are at the heart of everything we do, and your role will be a key part of our transformation journey. This is your chance to be part of something meaningful where your ideas, energy and work can create real impact every day.
About the Role:
In this role you will:
Lead development of spatial planning policies to be included in the Local Plan
Lead co-ordination of research and intelligence on a wide range of national, subregional and local planning matters
Lead monitoring, statutory assessment and engagement activities
This is just a snapshot of some of the exciting things you’ll be doing in the role, to find out more about the other key responsibilities of the role please view the attached job description.
About you:
You will:
Have extensive experience in planning including in providing strategic planning policy advice
Have the ambition and drive to manage a critical area of work for the council
Have a degree in your specialist area and be a member of a relevant professional body
To find out more about the essential and desirable criteria for the role please view the attached job description specification document.
About us
At Cheshire East Council we are resident and partner focused with a vision to enable prosperity and wellbeing for all. People really are at the heart of everything we do and that starts with our incredible workforce. We promote a culture of high performance where people can aspire, thrive and flourish, where we strive to deliver best value in everything we do.
For us, success isn’t just about what we achieve but how we achieve it together. We promote curiosity, excellence, innovation and continuous improvement.
We are values led and committed to wellbeing and inclusion for all, where our employees co-created our values of drive, integrity, respect and collaboration which inform all that we do.
We are proud to work for Cheshire East Council and believe you would be too, so come and join us!
How to apply:
We’re delighted that you’re considering applying for this role!
As an equal opportunities’ and disability confident employer, we warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We believe that a diverse workforce helps us better reflect and serve our local communities, and together, we can build something truly special.
To join our team, simply click ‘Apply for this job’ at the bottom of the page. If you’d prefer an informal chat first or have any questions about the role, feel free to reach out to Tom Evans at: tom.evans@cheshireeast.gov.uk or Stewart House at: stewart.house@cheshireeast.gov.uk they’ll be happy to hear from you!
If you would like to get in touch with us regarding this role then please remember to include the job reference number so we can assist you accurately and in a timely manner.
Internet Explorer is no longer supported so please use a different browser when you submit your application - for example Google Chrome or Microsoft edge. You will also need to ensure pop ups are enabled.
Once you’ve applied for the position, please keep an eye on your email inbox (including your junk and spam folders), as we’ll send any correspondence there to stay in touch with updates about your application.
If you haven’t heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, it likely means we weren’t able to move forward with your application at this time but please don’t let this discourage you as your interest means a lot to us, as we’d truly love to hear from you again in the future!
For any technical enquiries please email sourcingteam@ecwip.co.uk
Please quote the job reference number in all correspondence.
Join us on a meaningful journey at Cheshire East Council
Join a team that’s compassionate, forward-thinking and deeply committed to making a difference. Our residents are at the heart of everything we do, and your role will be a key part of our transformation journey. This is your chance to be part of something meaningful where your ideas, energy and work can create real impact every day.
About the Role:
In this role you will:
Lead development of spatial planning policies to be included in the Local Plan
Lead co-ordination of research and intelligence on a wide range of national, subregional and local planning matters
Lead monitoring, statutory assessment and engagement activities
This is just a snapshot of some of the exciting things you’ll be doing in the role, to find out more about the other key responsibilities of the role please view the attached job description.
About you:
You will:
Have extensive experience in planning including in providing strategic planning policy advice
Have the ambition and drive to manage a critical area of work for the council
Have a degree in your specialist area and be a member of a relevant professional body
To find out more about the essential and desirable criteria for the role please view the attached job description specification document.
About us
At Cheshire East Council we are resident and partner focused with a vision to enable prosperity and wellbeing for all. People really are at the heart of everything we do and that starts with our incredible workforce. We promote a culture of high performance where people can aspire, thrive and flourish, where we strive to deliver best value in everything we do.
For us, success isn’t just about what we achieve but how we achieve it together. We promote curiosity, excellence, innovation and continuous improvement.
We are values led and committed to wellbeing and inclusion for all, where our employees co-created our values of drive, integrity, respect and collaboration which inform all that we do.
We are proud to work for Cheshire East Council and believe you would be too, so come and join us!
How to apply:
We’re delighted that you’re considering applying for this role!
As an equal opportunities’ and disability confident employer, we warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We believe that a diverse workforce helps us better reflect and serve our local communities, and together, we can build something truly special.
To join our team, simply click ‘Apply for this job’ at the bottom of the page. If you’d prefer an informal chat first or have any questions about the role, feel free to reach out to Tom Evans at: tom.evans@cheshireeast.gov.uk or Stewart House at: stewart.house@cheshireeast.gov.uk they’ll be happy to hear from you!
If you would like to get in touch with us regarding this role then please remember to include the job reference number so we can assist you accurately and in a timely manner.
Internet Explorer is no longer supported so please use a different browser when you submit your application - for example Google Chrome or Microsoft edge. You will also need to ensure pop ups are enabled.
Once you’ve applied for the position, please keep an eye on your email inbox (including your junk and spam folders), as we’ll send any correspondence there to stay in touch with updates about your application.
If you haven’t heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, it likely means we weren’t able to move forward with your application at this time but please don’t let this discourage you as your interest means a lot to us, as we’d truly love to hear from you again in the future!
For any technical enquiries please email sourcingteam@ecwip.co.uk
Please quote the job reference number in all correspondence.