Assistant Planning Technician

• 24 Hours a week. Flexible on number of days.
• Permanent position.
• 25 Days annual leave, plus bank holidays -pro rata for part time.

As an Assistant Planning Technician, you will support the Planning Directorate in delivering effective and high‑quality planning services across Somerset. You will contribute to planning policy development and day‑to‑day processes, helping the council achieve its goals for sustainable growth and strong community engagement.

We’re working to improve the lives of people in Somerset – and you’ll be a key part of that. Your day-to-day work will involve:

• Maintaining accurate records, and liaising with stakeholders, including developers, property owners and the public.
• Supporting the preparation and processing of planning applications whilst providing technical support to the team.
• Liaising with developers, property owners, and the public, providing information and guidance on planning matters.
• Reviewing and assessing planning applications for compliance.
• Ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations.

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be.But it will really help if you have:

• GCSEs in English, Maths & ICT or equivalent.
• Experience in preparing and processing planning applications or working within a similar prescribed process.
• Experience in providing administrative support to a team in planning or related technical support role.
• Good working knowledge of Office 365 and similar systems.
• Knowledge of data protection and confidentiality principles.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave.
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more.

The salary for this role is Grade 14, ranging from £16,336 to £16,857 per annum for 24 hours a week.

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Vicky Parsons, Team Manager at vicky.parsons@somerset.gov.uk

If you have everything you need, just hit the apply button. We can’t wait to hear from you.