Principal Development Management Officer

Job Description

Position: Principal Development Management Officer
Location: South Downs Centre Midhurst (Hybrid Working)
Closing Date: 22 November 2026
Interview Date: 4 December 2026
Salary: £49,688 to £52,929
Hours: 37 hours per week
Type of post: Permanent

\n The South Downs National Park Authority is looking for experienced planners with a passion for achieving high-quality development in a beautiful, protected Landscape.

\n This exciting role offers a unique and fulfilling environment in which to further develop your planning career. The park covers an area of over 100 miles from the edge of Winchester to Eastbourne, with over 5,000 applications a year. We are one of the largest planning authorities in the country, both in terms of area covered and the number of applications we process.

\n In addition to the size and scale of the Park, we have a mix of work being carried out in-house by our South Downs Planning Teams or through host authorities on our behalf. In this role, there is the opportunity to deal with a varied and complex caseload, including major applications for residential, employment and tourism development, to name but a few. You can expect a number of exciting, challenging and varied cases, including National Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) and our own corporate developments across the Park. We are an ambitious Authority and our Planning Team work closely across the organisation to deliver the purposes of the Park.

\n The South Downs is a truly distinct National Park by virtue of the number of large settlements within its boundaries (including Petersfield and Lewes), and the opportunity for a wide variety of applications, including a significant number of major schemes, is a key element of the role.

\n The work also involves focusing on different areas for delivery, including liaising with and supporting host authorities. Being a relatively young Planning Authority, you will also have the chance to shape the delivery of the service too, as we continually strive to do better. As a Principal Officer with considerable experience, you will also be able to hone your supervision/management skills when deputising for your manager in their absence.

\n This position offers an ideal career opportunity to continue to gain valuable experience of a wide cross-section of rural and urban planning schemes, all within the unique context of a National Park.

\n If this sounds like something that interests you and you think you can really add value to the role and meet the person specification, then this could be the right next step for your planning career.

\n To apply: Please apply via the button shown to upload your CV and complete our application, referring to the person specification.

\n SDNPA is an inclusive organisation, and we welcome applications from everyone irrespective of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, faith and religion, disability and age.

\n We operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) for disabled applicants.

\n In all circumstances, the SDNPA appoints on merit based on evidence the applicant supplies in meeting the essential criteria for the post. Further information on our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion can be found on our website.

SDNPA Enhanced Benefits

\n - Flexible working (this is available for the majority of our roles. However, some positions may require on-site presence and/or specific hours due to business needs)
\n - Local government pension scheme
\n - Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme
\n - Heat Scheme (capped interest-free green home improvement loan, available on a first-come, first-served basis)
\n - Healthcare - includes cash plan, counselling and wellbeing discounts
\n - Access to Health and Wellbeing portal and webinars
\n - 28 days' annual leave, increasing to 31 days, plus bank holidays
\n - Professional development support
\n - Cycle to work scheme
\n - Car sharing
\n - Use of pool cars
\n - Regular staff events/activities, which support the SDNPA’s Purposes and Duty