Chief Planner and Head of Planning Service

Full Time, Permanent

Shape the Future of Bristol

Bristol is one of the UK's most dynamic and ambitious cities.

As the Core City at the heart of the West of England (one of the country's fastest-growing regional economies), Bristol has a critical role to play in supporting sustainable and inclusive growth, housing delivery, inward investment and infrastructure investment across the region.

The opportunities and challenges we face do not stop at the city boundary. The decisions we make today about growth, placemaking, transport, infrastructure and the natural environment will help shape the future of Bristol and the wider region for decades to come, meeting our Corporate Strategy objectives and One City commitments.

Planning has a central role to play in responding to those opportunities and challenges. We are seeking an outstanding planning leader to become Bristol's next Chief Planner and Head of Planning Service, building on a strong platform of improvement and helping to shape the next chapter for one of the country's most influential planning authorities.

The Role

Reporting to the Director of Economy of Place, you will provide strategic leadership for Bristol's Planning Service, overseeing Development Management, Planning Policy, Building Control, Consultees and Planning Enforcement.

You will lead the service at an important moment for both Bristol and the wider region and work collaboratively with neighbouring authorities and the Mayoral Combined Authority.

With Bristol's new Local Plan approaching adoption, the focus will increasingly turn to implementation, ensuring planning supports the delivery of homes, infrastructure, employment space and sustainable growth. At the same time, you will help shape the next Local Plan, for which we've completed Scoping Consultation.

Bristol is also working closely with partners across the region on a Spatial Development Strategy, creating a new framework for planning at a strategic scale. You will play a leading role in ensuring Bristol's interests are reflected within that work, while helping strengthen collaboration across the wider city region.

The role sits within Bristol's Economy of Place division, bringing together Planning, Transport, Regeneration, Economic Development, Culture and Creative Industries, Sustainable City and Climate Change and The Avon Riversides 2100 project. As a member of the senior leadership team, you will work closely with colleagues across these disciplines to help shape a joined-up approach to growth, placemaking, infrastructure, investment and environmental sustainability.

The role also extends well beyond the Planning Service and Economy of Place. As Chief Planner, you will work collaboratively with senior colleagues across the organisation, helping to align planning with wider council ambitions and ensuring the service plays a proactive role in unlocking and enabling delivery.

The role requires someone who can operate confidently at both a professional and corporate level; leading a major statutory service whilst also contributing to wider organisational priorities, influencing strategic decisions and helping create the conditions for successful delivery across the Council.

This is not simply a planning leadership role.

We are looking for someone who can build on recent improvements and continue to modernise and improve the Planning Service, ensuring it remains ambitious, customer-focused, high-performing and fit for the future.

You will continue the service's journey of transformation and improvement, driving innovation in systems, processes and ways of working, whilst ensuring the service remains focused on performance, customer experience and delivering high-quality outcomes.

The role therefore requires someone who can lead beyond their profession; someone able to build strong relationships across services, sectors and organisations, align planning with wider ambitions for housing delivery, inclusive growth, transport, climate resilience and placemaking, and create the conditions for others to succeed.

About You

You will be an experienced planning leader with a strong professional reputation and a track record of operating successfully in a complex political environment.

You will bring:

• Significant leadership experience within planning or a related place-shaping discipline.
• Strong technical and professional credibility.
• Experience of leading organisational change, service improvement and transformation.
• A commitment to continuous improvement and high performance.
• Experience of working effectively with elected members, communities, built environment practitioners, investors and developers and partner organisations.
• Experience of working collaboratively across a large and complex organisation, building productive relationships and using planning as an enabler of wider organisational objectives.
• A collaborative leadership style and the ability to build trust across organisational boundaries.
• The ability to balance strategic thinking with a relentless focus on delivery and outcomes.

Most importantly, you will recognise that planning is about more than managing applications and producing policy. It is about shaping the future of Bristol; creating great places, enabling sustainable and inclusive growth, delivering the homes and infrastructure the city and region need, and ensuring today's decisions leave a positive legacy for future generations.

Why Bristol City Council?

This is a rare opportunity to influence the future of one of the UK's most dynamic and distinctive cities.

You'll join an ambitious and collaborative leadership team at a time of significant opportunity and major complexity that will define Bristol's future for decades to come. You'll play a central role in shaping the future of the city and supporting its role within a growing and increasingly interconnected region.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, flexible and agile working arrangements, and the opportunity to make a genuine impact on the future of Bristol.

Most importantly, you'll have the chance to lead a talented and committed planning service and help shape opportunities that future generations of Bristol residents will inherit.

Find Out More and Apply

For an informal discussion, please contact Alex Hearn, Director of Economy of Place on Alex.Hearn@bristol.gov.uk

Please see the Job Description and Person Specification for full details.

To apply, please click on apply and submit your CV together with a supporting statement detailing how you meet criteria within the Person Specification.

No agencies please.

Closing date: midnight 16th November 2026

Interviews: Week commencing 7th December 2026

At Bristol City Council, we value having a workforce as diverse as the city we serve. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive working environment where everyone can thrive.

Appointments will be made on merit.