Closing Date 2026-01-02 Job Title: Senior Town and Country Planner Hybrid working - Falmer office (2 days a week)/Site visits Salary: up to £60,000 depending on experience Job Summary: Working within the Enabling Team in Capital Delivery, this role is to support the Town and Country Planning Lead in fulfilling SWs requirements on Capital (and other) projects, ensuring that we make best use of our permitted development rights and deliver planning consents in accordance with our requirements under Town and Country Planning legislation. The successful candidate will work closely with the Team to help drive forward improvements across all aspects of the development and consent process, including pre-application engagement, Section 106 agreements, discharge of conditions and commencement notices. Responsibilities: Providing expert advice to internal colleagues on all aspects of the development and consent process; Preparing reports and presentations for both internal and external audiences; Liaising with internal stakeholders (including Asset Strategy, Legal, Engineering, Finance, Health & Safety etc.) as well as external parties such as local authorities, developers, landowners, environmental groups and statutory consultees; Managing complex development proposals through to completion, including the negotiation of s106 agreements, discharging of conditions and commencement notices; Ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, policies and procedures relating to the development and consent process; Assisting with the production of guidance notes, standard operating procedures and other support materials to aid effective performance across the wider team. Qualifications: 5 yrs (plus) experience working in a planning Team, preferably with a proportion of that time spent in work supporting the UK Water Industry or related industry. A degree or equivalent qualification in town and country planning or related discipline; Experience working in a local authority planning department or private sector consultancy environment; Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI) qualified or working towards chartership; Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal; Proven ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines; Demonstrated ability to take ownership of projects and deliver them to a high standard; Comfortable working independently but also able to contribute effectively as part of a team; Package This role will be full time Monday to Friday with a hybrid approach to working between home and office. Generous pension with up to 11% company contribution Life assurance payment equal to four times your annual salary Health benefits through a Cash Plan Two paid community volunteering days a year 25 days annual holiday Join our team and see how far your career could progress with a company committed to career progression, training and development opportunities, our customers and the environment. Our purpose is big. Our impact is huge. And we know that every single one of us has the power, through our actions, to positively change society and the environment for good. It’s why careers with us have real meaning. Because, if you’re driven and ambitious, we can offer you huge opportunities for personal growth, professional development and constant innovation. Forever evolving. Forever focused on doing the right thing, we empower and encourage everyone to play to their strengths and to help us shape a fair and positive future for all. We believe in Water for Life. If you do too, Dive Right In. Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, because delivering water for life is our core purpose. To achieve this, we need 24/7 support in place to resolve incidents quickly and efficiently. All our employees understand the importance of out-of-hours incident support – because when problems appear, fixing them is our top priority. That’s why our people join together and support when and however needed to make sure our customers get the service they deserve. Joining the Southern Water family means you’ll become part of our incident support team. During your interview, your manager will speak to you about any incident support rotas that apply to your position. Does this opportunity excite you but you’re not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that ‘normal’ office hours aren’t possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’ll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role?