Coventry City Council
Assistant Director - Planning
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Assistant Director - Planning
Salary: £98,600 - £108,855
Coventry is a city with ambition, innovation, and a proud record of delivering transformational change. We are seeking an exceptional planning professional to lead our Planning Service at a pivotal moment for the city and the wider region.
As Coventry's Chief Planning Officer, you will provide strategic leadership across planning policy, development management, enforcement, ecology, urban design, and heritage, shaping the future growth and prosperity of a city of almost 400,000 residents. You will play a critical role in driving sustainable development, delivering housing and regeneration ambitions, supporting inward investment, and ensuring planning is a key enabler of economic growth.
This is a career-defining opportunity to lead the adoption of Coventry's Local Plan review, help shape emerging regional planning arrangements, and use planning as a catalyst for place-making, infrastructure delivery, and decarbonisation. Working closely with senior leaders, elected members, developers, investors, and regional partners, you will navigate complex political and strategic challenges while championing innovative approaches, technology, and service improvement.
We are looking for a visible, collaborative, and influential leader with deep planning expertise, strong political awareness, and a track record of delivering results in complex environments. In return, you will have the opportunity to make a tangible impact on one of the UK's most forward-thinking and ambitious cities, helping to shape Coventry's future for generations to come.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
To help you gain a deeper understanding of the role, we encourage you to review the One Coventry Plan and the Local Plan Review. These documents provide valuable insight into the Council’s vision, strategic priorities, and future planning ambitions, which will be central to the Assistant Director of Planning position.
If you would like to discuss the role in more detail, please contact our recruitment partners at Faerfield: Dawn Faulkner or Rob Naylor on 0121 312 3755.
What We Can Offer You
We offer a number of benefits that you can opt into so that you can have benefits that are important to you. We value and reward the hard work, commitment, and brilliant job you do, which goes beyond more than just the salary you receive for a job well done. We offer a range of employee benefits from our health and wellbeing partner Vivup, designed to improve your physical, financial, and mental health wellbeing.
Explore the full range of benefits at #MyRewards – Coventry City Council.
Our Values
At Coventry, we're building a workforce that reflects our diverse communities. Guided by our One Coventry Values, we celebrate inclusion, diversity of thought, and lived experience. We especially welcome applicants from minority ethnic/global majority, LGBT+, those with a disability, and neurodiverse backgrounds – your voice can help shape a fairer future for our residents.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
All candidates must have the Right to Work in the UK. We are currently not offering sponsorship for this role.
This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and as such, appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:
- Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
- Are currently in care or have previously been in care
- If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition
We recognise that you might use AI tools to help with your application. While these tools can be useful, please make sure that all information you provide about your experience, skills, and qualifications is accurate. What matters most to us is hearing about your experience and the achievements that truly reflect you!
Coventry City Council
Attached documents:
- Job Description
- Person Specification
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London