Corporate Director - Planning

About the role

Do you share our ambition for Dorset?

Our planning service is one of the largest in the country and already performs very well against the Government’s performance indicators, but we have real ambition to perform better, make swifter planning decisions, reflect the needs of our customers, and seize the opportunities presented by new technology and Artificial Intelligence.

We think you will have a very sound starting point.  Our performance is already strong and we have many professional and committed employees in our planning department.  You can rely on where we already are, to reimagine where we want to be in the future.  The near future.

You will also have the opportunity to help Dorset become a modern, sustainable unitary council where planning actively enables our corporate priorities rather than simply managing them.

You will be joining the Leadership Team of our Economy and Environment directorate, reporting to the Executive Director, alongside colleagues responsible for economic development, highways and engineering, sustainable waste and resource management, and assets and property.  

The scope is significant, and the opportunity is clear: firm foundations, strong ambition and support from the wider team.  Are you up for the challenge? 

Find out more about the role here: Corporate Director - Planning - Dorset Council

What you’ll be doing

You will lead Dorset’s planning function from the front, setting direction, driving delivery and ensuring planning becomes a stronger engine for economic development, regeneration and modernisation.

That means:

• Leading the production and delivery of the Dorset Local Plan, ensuring it is economically viable and aligned with corporate priorities. We will ask you about the Council’s corporate priorities at interview.
• Gearing planning to actively support economic growth, including regeneration and investment opportunities across the county.
• Driving forward strategic opportunities such as regeneration in Weymouth, Portland and Chickerell; clean energy and offshore wind, and the Dorset Innovation Park.
• Modernising planning services, improving pace, consistency, customer experience and digital capability.
• Working closely with elected members, providing clear, confident advice and ensuring strong governance and decision-making.
• Building a culture that is unafraid to challenge “how we’ve always done things”.
• Overseeing significant budgets and resources with clear accountability and discipline.

About you

You will have led at scale before and understand the reality of delivering through complexity, politics and competing priorities.

You know planning can be more than regulation, and you have the drive and credibility to make that happen.

You will also bring a track record of delivery through planning.  You may well have already led the process of producing and adopting a Local Plan.

Further Information

If you'd like an informal conversation with the Executive Director for  Economy & Environment, please contact Karen Gondelle, Executive Assistant, [email protected], or [phone removed].

Salary: £97,966 to £126,181 (Corporate Directors are appointed on a spot salary which periodically may be subject to change within the salary range.  Spot salaries are increased annually in line with nationally agreed pay awards).

We offer a generous relocation package of up to £8,000 (of HMRC eligible elements) free of tax, including an initial advance of up to £2,500 on your start date, help towards buying or selling costs (up to £6,500), and support towards rent or mortgage costs in your first two years.

About Us

At Dorset Council, it's not just about the work we do, it's about how we do it. Hear directly from our employees about what makes Dorset Council special in this short video:

Dorset is a place of genuine beauty and strong communities. Our vision is straightforward: working together to create a fairer, more prosperous and more sustainable Dorset for people now and in the future. We're looking for leaders who share that ambition and have the capability to turn it into something real.

We're actively working to become a more diverse and inclusive organisation, and we know that bringing in people with different perspectives and backgrounds makes us better. We welcome applications from everyone.

We're a Disability Confident Employer. We offer an interview to everyone who declares a disability and meets the essential criteria for the role, and we're committed to making our interviews accessible. Let us know on your application if you need any reasonable adjustments.