Planning Assistant (Career Grade)
| Posting date: | 23 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £31,537 to £34,434 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 12 July 2026 |
| Location: | Crewe, Cheshire |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Cheshire East |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 3651 |
Summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a career graded Planning Assistant post within our thriving Development Management team. This role provides a structured career pathway to becoming a chartered town planner and progression to Senior Planning Officer.
You will have responsibility for a varied caseload of planning applications and will gain unrivalled experience for your continued professional development. We operate a mentoring system, and you will be part of a supportive team whilst maintaining individual responsibility for your work. You will be joining at an exciting time, with wide-ranging development proposals providing plenty of opportunities to develop and progress in a structured team environment. As well as core planning work, as a large rural and urban unitary planning authority you will enjoy the support of, and collaboration with, a wide range of planning specialists including professionals in urban design, landscape design, transport and highways, ecology, built heritage, archaeology and more. We are a friendly and professional team seeking enthusiastic new members to join us on our mission of sustainable place-making in Cheshire East.
About the Role
This is a career graded role providing a clear pathway up to Senior Planning Officer level. The post advertised begins at the level of Planning Assistant, which is the initial salary band indicated. Future progression to Planning Officer and Senior Planning Officer level is linked to reaching milestones set within your professional development plan. This has proved to be a successful pathway for existing members of the team, so you will be following a well-established pathway to achieve professional progression based on your own performance and development. You will have responsibility for managing a varied caseload of planning applications. This will range from householder planning applications to small scale residential and commercial developments. You will also enjoy responsibility for the lifecycle of the planning process including discharge of conditions and appeals. You will have opportunity to develop your experience in Development Management with the opportunity to learn from more senior planners dealing with major developments and appeals. You will collaborate with other planning specialists including professionals in urban design, landscape design, transport and highways, ecology, built heritage, archaeology and more to ensure positive outcomes.
This is just a snapshot of some of the exciting things you’ll be doing in role, to find out more about the other key responsibilities of the role please view the attached job description.
About you
• We are looking someone with a keen interest in Planning, with the education and aptitude to develop into this role.
• You must have excellent interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate with all stakeholders in the planning process.
• You must be organised with an eye for detail and possess excellent report writing and IT skills.
• You should enjoy problem solving and working to deadlines.
• You must be customer focused and be driven to develop yourself as a professional planning officer.
• A degree in Planning or related discipline is desirable, but there are alternative entry points available, please see the job description for details.
• Above all you must demonstrate a passion and commitment to a career in sustainable place-making.
To find out more about the essential and desirable criteria for the role please view the attached job description specification document.
What we offer in return:
• A competitive salary - Between £31,537 per annum - £34,434 per annum with guaranteed yearly pay increases!
• Enhanced annual leave - Start with an impressive 34 days of annual leave (including bank holidays) from day one, and watch it grow to 39 days after just five years of service
• Purchase of annual leave – Want more time off? You can purchase up to 10 extra days of annual leave each year, giving you the flexibility to balance work and life just the way you want (Pro-rata for part-time staff)
• Enhanced public pension - Secure your future with our career average pension, where contributions are built at a rate of 1/49th of your yearly pensionable pay
• Employee assistance programme - Access a completely free and confidential assistance service to help manage, reduce, and overcome life’s challenges, both at work and in your personal life
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 Peter Hooley at: peter.hooley@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.
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 job reference number in all correspondence.
You will have responsibility for a varied caseload of planning applications and will gain unrivalled experience for your continued professional development. We operate a mentoring system, and you will be part of a supportive team whilst maintaining individual responsibility for your work. You will be joining at an exciting time, with wide-ranging development proposals providing plenty of opportunities to develop and progress in a structured team environment. As well as core planning work, as a large rural and urban unitary planning authority you will enjoy the support of, and collaboration with, a wide range of planning specialists including professionals in urban design, landscape design, transport and highways, ecology, built heritage, archaeology and more. We are a friendly and professional team seeking enthusiastic new members to join us on our mission of sustainable place-making in Cheshire East.
About the Role
This is a career graded role providing a clear pathway up to Senior Planning Officer level. The post advertised begins at the level of Planning Assistant, which is the initial salary band indicated. Future progression to Planning Officer and Senior Planning Officer level is linked to reaching milestones set within your professional development plan. This has proved to be a successful pathway for existing members of the team, so you will be following a well-established pathway to achieve professional progression based on your own performance and development. You will have responsibility for managing a varied caseload of planning applications. This will range from householder planning applications to small scale residential and commercial developments. You will also enjoy responsibility for the lifecycle of the planning process including discharge of conditions and appeals. You will have opportunity to develop your experience in Development Management with the opportunity to learn from more senior planners dealing with major developments and appeals. You will collaborate with other planning specialists including professionals in urban design, landscape design, transport and highways, ecology, built heritage, archaeology and more to ensure positive outcomes.
This is just a snapshot of some of the exciting things you’ll be doing in role, to find out more about the other key responsibilities of the role please view the attached job description.
About you
• We are looking someone with a keen interest in Planning, with the education and aptitude to develop into this role.
• You must have excellent interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate with all stakeholders in the planning process.
• You must be organised with an eye for detail and possess excellent report writing and IT skills.
• You should enjoy problem solving and working to deadlines.
• You must be customer focused and be driven to develop yourself as a professional planning officer.
• A degree in Planning or related discipline is desirable, but there are alternative entry points available, please see the job description for details.
• Above all you must demonstrate a passion and commitment to a career in sustainable place-making.
To find out more about the essential and desirable criteria for the role please view the attached job description specification document.
What we offer in return:
• A competitive salary - Between £31,537 per annum - £34,434 per annum with guaranteed yearly pay increases!
• Enhanced annual leave - Start with an impressive 34 days of annual leave (including bank holidays) from day one, and watch it grow to 39 days after just five years of service
• Purchase of annual leave – Want more time off? You can purchase up to 10 extra days of annual leave each year, giving you the flexibility to balance work and life just the way you want (Pro-rata for part-time staff)
• Enhanced public pension - Secure your future with our career average pension, where contributions are built at a rate of 1/49th of your yearly pensionable pay
• Employee assistance programme - Access a completely free and confidential assistance service to help manage, reduce, and overcome life’s challenges, both at work and in your personal life
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 Peter Hooley at: peter.hooley@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.
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 job reference number in all correspondence.