what is a planning officer?
As a planning officer, you are responsible for developing and designing urban areas. You need to balance modern amenities like houses and conserving natural heritage to create a diverse and vibrant environment for communities to live and work. You shape the way cities are developed and play a role in preserving biodiversity and architectural heritage.
Your primary role is to identify community needs and develop short-term and long-term strategic plans to grow and revitalise the area. You may examine plans for proposed schools or facilities and determine if they meet the needs of a changing population. As an area grows, your responsibility is to ensure the community can manage social, economic and environmental issues. For instance, you propose the development of parks or shelters for the homeless and make the community attractive to businesses.
As a planning officer, you can work on broad community programmes or focus on specific issues affecting a population. Ultimately, your projects should promote the best use of community land and resources. Planning officers often work with public officials to formulate strategies that address issues in various communities. Since you are familiar with legislation procedures, you speed up the approval process of various projects.
A planning officer uses multiple tools in their work. For instance, you need geographic information system tools and statistical, visualisation and presentation programs.
Would working as a planning officer in construction suit your passion for community development? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a planning officer role.
average salary of a planning officer
According to National Careers, planning officers’ average entry-level salary is £18,000 per year. When you have additional qualifications and a few years of experience, your compensation package increases to £45,000 per year. Planning officers work for government agencies and receive employment benefits like medical allowances and pension contributions. If you work for a not-for-profit organisation, you will likely receive extra benefits like end-year bonuses.
what factors affect the salary of a planning officer?
As a planning officer, your salary fluctuates depending on the scope of your role and the employer. Planning officers working for private organisations like not-for-profit corporations take home better salaries than those working for local authorities. The company size influences your pay structure. Large non-governmental organisations have unlimited resources and pay more than smaller NGOs. The scope of your role also determines your responsibilities and your earnings. If your job involves developing planning projects and seeking approval only, you earn less compared to a planning officer tasked with supervising development projects from planning to execution. Planning officers in large towns have more responsibilities due to regular development projects. Smaller towns pay planning officers less since the projects are less complex.
types of planning officers
The types of planning officers depend on the specific duties and roles. Some common planning officers include:
- town planners: your job is to plan and design facilities and buildings in an urban setting to make them attractive and improve convenience. Some of the projects you design include roads and public parks to add aesthetic appeal to an area.
- urban designers: as a planning officer in charge of urban design, you guide development designs that improve an area's visual appeal. You develop regeneration schemes and create practical open spaces and landscapes.
working as a planning officer
As a planning officer, you bring viable developments to life and protect the environment in urban spaces. You also develop useful ways to utilise community lands. Check out the daily activities of a planning officer and their work schedules.
-
planning officer job description
Some of the duties of a planning officer include:
- planning projects: as a planning officer, you assist in developing housing projects and other infrastructures. You determine the structure and design and decide on the best contractor to accomplish the development project. You also budget for the project based on the materials and seek funding. When the project commences, you have to supervise the progress and regularly make site visits to ensure everything works as planned.
- managing policies and legislation: as a planning officer, you seek approval for development projects and ensure all stakeholders commit to the project requirements. You also ensure the legislation is adhered to during execution to avoid delays and possible lawsuits. Planning officers are experts in getting faster approvals for development permissions since they understand the requirements of the local authorities.
- conducting site visits: apart from visiting sites during construction, a planning officer follows up on the projects after completion. You conduct site visits to evaluate performance and ensure the projects meet their goals. You also examine the facilities to check if they need maintenance work or repairs.
- negotiating misunderstandings: when stakeholders breach the requirements of project permissions, you negotiate and resolve the differences to prevent cancellation. For instance, if there is dissatisfaction or disagreement by various parties, you have to settle the differences and negotiate a solution. If negotiation fails, you can collect evidence and present it to the planning committee to find alternative solutions to the problems.
- staying up to date with changes in urban planning legislation: as a planning officer, you gather paperwork and write reports for development proposals. To ensure the proposals meet all requirements, you must stay up-to-date with building ordinances and codes. You also have to stay on top of industry changes through networking.
-
work environment
A planning officer is based in an office environment completing development projects and seeking planning permissions. You will spend hours in a climate-controlled and well-lit indoor environment going through documents. Your job also involves working outdoors to supervise development projects or inspect infrastructure sites.
-
who are your colleagues?
Depending on your employer, your colleagues are likely to include urban designers, architects, transport planners and town planning assistants. You may also work in close proximity to economic development officers and building control officers, as well as other specialists that could include, but not limited to, construction project managers, project managers, industrial designer and environmental consultants and ecologists.
-
work schedule
A planning officer works between 38 to 40 hours a week in a full-time position. That means you work the regular office hours from 9 am to 5 pm. Part-time positions are available, and you can work half days for up to 30 hours a week or take on short-term contracts to complete development projects. Planning officers also work evenings and weekends to complete projects on time or speed up the approval process for permissions.
-
job outlook
A career as a planning officer allows you to grow and explore opportunities in other professions. For instance, you can specialise in urban design or town planning and become a chartered town planner. Alternatively, progress to senior roles like planning consultant or construction manager. Some planning officers join careers in property development and environmental management.
-
advantages of finding a planning officer job through randstad
Finding your planning officer job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:
- a wide variety of training and development opportunities
- an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
- a range of opportunities in your area
- get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
- temporary and permanent contracts
Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a planning officer is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!
education and skills
Some of the routes of becoming a planning officer include:
- university degree: you need a university degree in planning, environment and development or urban planning and property development. You can also find courses in the city and regional planning. If you have a degree in an unrelated subject, complete a postgraduate transition course in a related field. The Royal Town Planning Institute should accredit your degree.
- apprenticeship: to become a planning officer, you can complete a chartered town planner degree apprenticeship. You can become a planning technician or town planning assistant with the apprenticeship.
skills and competencies
As a planning officer, you need the following skills and competencies:
- communication skills: as a planning officer, you have to be well-versed with different types of communications. For instance, you need written communication skills to write reports and technical write-ups. During negotiations, you need excellent communication skills to articulate your arguments and communicate clearly.
- strategic thinking skills: as a planning officer, you need to develop practical solutions for improving development projects. Strategic skills help you find loopholes in proposals and improve them to speed up approval.
- leadership skills: planning officers need leadership skills to lead discussions for developing better city plans or initiate community development projects. You also need to motivate your team members.
- project management skills: as a planning officer, you are responsible for supervising your development projects. Project management skills help you plan the entire project budget and timeline.
- organisational skills: planning officers handle multiple projects simultaneously. You have to keep the documentation for every project and organise reports. Organisational skills help you with maintaining accurate records.
FAQs
FAQs about working as a planning officer
-
what is the job of a planning officer?
As a planning officer, you develop designs for community development projects. For instance, you can introduce public parks and new transport systems to improve the appeal of an urban centre. You also seek approval from the local authorities to commence construction projects.
-
how much does a planning officer earn?
A planning officer earns between £18,000 and £45,000 per year. The earnings depend on experience, skills and educational qualifications. You also receive additional benefits like overtime pay and various allowances.
-
what are the responsibilities in planning?
When you are a planning officer, your responsibility is to improve the aesthetic appeal of towns and monitor the proper utilisation of community land. For instance, you can propose the introduction of homeless shelters and other community projects.
-
what happens when a planning officer visits?
A planning officer visits a development site to monitor the progress of a project or check for maintenance and repair needs.
-
what qualifications do I need to be a planning officer?
A planning officer needs a degree in town planning or any relevant subject. You can also explore apprenticeships to join the profession.
-
how do I apply for a planning officer vacancy?
Applying for a planning officer job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search and interview tips here!
