Assistant Planning Officer Salary and grade: £30,797 - £36,032 per year, Grade 4 Duration of role: Permanent Hours per week: 37 Location: Abingdon with flexible and hybrid working Closing Date: 21 February 2025 (midnight) About the role and what we’re looking for This is an entry level role to join our shared planning team at an exciting time in a busy and forward-looking planning service. This role provides an opportunity to gain experience and career progression in different areas of the service including enforcement, policy, appeals and development management. You’ll need to be enthusiastic, dedicated, have a strong customer service ethos and be driven to achieve targets. If that sounds like you then this is the job for you. Main duties and responsibilities: • respond to telephone enquiries and correspondence. • process more straight forward planning and associated applications. • provide professional advice face to face, on the telephone and in writing on behalf of the Council in respect of planning and related issues and this may include providing some pre-application advice. • deal with enforcement matters and carrying out associated duties as and when required. • undertake specific projects within the planning service (such as • participating in continuous development) • assisting the policy team. • write appeal statements in respect of written representation cases and contributing to hearing and public inquiry cases as and when required • present applications to planning committee • carry out any other duties appropriate to the grade The duties may vary from time to time without changing the nature of the post or the level of responsibility and the post holder may also be required to carry out any other duties appropriate to the grading of the post. About you Your essential skills, knowledge and experience • strong analytical and problem-solving skills • ability to research concepts and projects with minimal supervision • excellent interpersonal skills • good IT skills including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet and email • good oral and written communication skills • ability to interpret scale drawings and Ordnance Survey maps Your essential qualifications • Planning degree or an equivalent level of qualification or currently studying for a degree level qualification in planning • and/or at least 1 years’ experience in a planning related role • If you have the following experience or qualifications – it’s a bonus • experience of project management • advanced level MS word, excel and PowerPoint • student or associate membership of the RTPI The benefits we offer • A basic 25 day annual leave per annum, rising to 30 days after five years. You also have all the bank holidays to look forward to and time off between Christmas and New Year. • Flexible working and annualised hours – a flexible approach to work that our employees love • Salary pay awards – most jobs give scope for a pay increase after six months or the following April (depending on your start date) and we also review salaries each April. • A generous career average pension scheme which includes life insurance of three times your salary • The opportunity to purchase a bike through Cyclescheme (cheaper than directly through a store) so that you can cycle to work • Various schemes to keep you healthy (reduced gym membership, free swims, free eye tests for DSE users and more) • We give you two days per year to volunteer within the local community. • A range of resources, support, and activities to help you maintain your wellbeing including a monthly wellbeing hour in addition to annualised hours (the ability to work flexibly as long as, over the course of the year, you complete your contracted hours) and annual leave. We look forward to hearing from you. You may also have experience in the following: Planning Assistant, Administration Assistant, Administrator, Office Assistant, Planning Administrator, Town Planner, Local Authority, RTPI, Project Management, Planning Officer, Planner, Policy, Legislation, Royal Town Planning Institute etc REF-(Apply online only)