Braintree District Council is seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Planning Development Manager to provide strategic leadership for our Development Management Service. This is a senior opportunity to shape an effective, accessible and high-performing service that supports sustainable development, delivers corporate priorities and provides clear, robust planning decisions for our communities. 

Working collaboratively with the Head of Planning, you will lead the delivery and continuous improvement of the Development Management Service. You will be responsible for service planning, performance, budgets and resources, ensuring statutory targets and legislative requirements are met while developing an entrepreneurial approach that makes effective use of fee income and capacity. 

Braintree District is an area of significant growth and this is set to continue over the coming years. We are embracing the challenge to deliver well-designed new homes, create jobs and improve and develop infrastructure for the benefit of existing and new communities. 

The Council has an emerging Local Plan which sets out an ambitious growth agenda for the District with over 19,000 new homes planned over the next 15 years, including strategic scale development at Kelvedon based on Garden City principles.  

About you

You will bring substantial development management expertise, sound judgement and the credibility to lead a complex public-facing service. You will be comfortable operating in a political environment, advising senior stakeholders and elected members, and balancing statutory responsibilities with customer needs and organisational priorities. 

You will be qualified with an appropriate degree relevant to the post and/or equivalent proven experience and knowledge in your career to date, along with an appropriate professional qualification. You also need to have an ongoing commitment to CPD relevant to the role. You will possess extensive knowledge of planning legislation, managing planning applications and ideally experience of working within Development Management. 

As a manager, you will have the ability to lead and inspire, influence, negotiate and manage conflict with your strong interpersonal skills. Experienced in a political environment, you should have a track record of working with senior management and ideally elected Members and partners. In addition, you will have a strong record of leading, motivating and developing teams. 

This role offers the opportunity to influence growth and place-making across the district while leading a broad, skilled service through continued improvement. You will have a visible role in shaping service standards, strengthening partnerships and delivering outcomes that matter to residents, businesses and communities. In return, you’ll receive a competitive salary, benefits and a commitment to your continuing development.

If you would like an informal chat about the post, please contact Sarah Ashton, Head of Planning on 01376 332310.

Why choose Braintree District Council? 

Braintree is an ambitious and dynamic Council and is becoming one of the fastest growing Districts in the East of England with three developing towns, London just 45 minutes away and the District located directly between the international transport centres of Stansted Airport and Harwich and Felixstowe International Ports. We have a deserved track record for delivering and a strong reputation within the business community. 

Braintree District Council is a great place to work. We pride ourselves on our creative, innovative and forward thinking approach which is led by our staff. We are committed to having an engaged workforce who understand our strategy and how they can help deliver it. 

We also offer some great benefits, including:

• ·Flexible working
• Hybrid working arrangements are available in this role (home/office based) subject to business need
• Local government pension scheme
• Learning and development for all employees
• Employee recognition schemes
• Extensive health and wellbeing programmes, including discounted gym membership 

The closing date for this opportunity is midnight on 15^th November 2026 

Interviews will be held w/c 30^th November 2026