Planner/Senior Planner

Overview

Our Story

Our small Canadian-born business was founded in 1978 and has become a global organization that now spans 120 locations across 20 countries. Our expansion has been rapid, but what matters most is the common belief that drives all 5,000 of our people to be a different type of real estate organization. We believe that the places in which we live, work and play have the power to make us happier and healthier, and we are united by a shared sense of purpose, to have a positive impact on people’s lives. In short, we are a global commercial real estate advisory firm with a simple aim: for real estate to play a leading role in creating vibrant buildings, cities and places that deliver long-lasting social value and economic impact.

Why Work for Us:

We believe that our industry is changing, and we want our business to be a melting pot of curious minds, passionate hearts and strategic intelligence. Your gender, religion and race are all highly respected, but are less important to us than your ability to step up and change the game. We provide you with a place where you can do just that, with like-minded people. Collaboration is embedded in the way we work – our people have the autonomy to collaborate on client relationships, engage teams across the business, lead operations, work collectively on projects, participate in strategy and are ultimately responsible for our growth. Our distinctive Principal-led, privately-owned model puts us in the enviable position of being able to offer every employee the opportunity to own a share of our business and inspires and allows anyone to become a Principal. This role carries voting rights, so our people have a very real say in the future direction and operation of our business. This means that we are able to attract, engage and retain the best talent from the industry.

Responsibilities

Our Birmingham planning team, part of the firm’s PLACE Business Group, is looking for ambitious chartered town planners who are keen to take the next step in their careers, with openings at Planner or Senior Planner levels, depending on experience. The Birmingham team acts for a very broad range of clients, including urban residential developers, housebuilders, affordable housing providers, land promoters, retail operators, industrial and commercial developers, asset managers, investors, universities, schools, Government agencies and Government departments, amongst many others. The team’s work for those clients primarily takes in the preparation, submission and management of planning applications and the promotion of sites for allocation in Local Plans, but also includes the preparation of planning appraisals and the provision of advice on compulsory purchase matters. Being part of a multi-disciplinary property consultancy, the team frequently collaborates with other parts of the business, and regularly provides town planning advice to support property valuations, disposals and acquisitions, and asset enhancement projects being led by other divisions. You will have the opportunity to get involved in all of these types of projects, and will play an important role in project teams working on fascinating, complex development proposals.

You will directly contribute to the Birmingham planning team’s work in delivering a first-class service to its clients, by helping to obtain optimum planning permissions and site allocations and by contributing to the provision of robust, commercially-astute advice on planning strategy.

You will work in a results-driven, but supportive, environment that blends professional planning expertise, local intelligence, and great working relationships with clients, planning authorities and other key stakeholders. In doing so, you will work to create economic, social, and environmental value for our clients and the communities in which we work.

Check out our website for details of the team and some of our current/recent projects:

• To undertake planning appraisals to advise clients on the likelihood of obtaining planning consent and the most appropriate strategy for achieving that.

• To carry out research and analytical tasks and produce client-facing reports.

• To support with the management of project teams (typically comprising of architects and other consultants).

• To prepare planning applications, including drafting sections of, or whole, Planning Statements and Statements of Community Involvement.

• To prepare representations to local plan and other policy consultations on behalf of clients.

• To research, prepare and submit appeals against refusals of planning consent.

• To research and assist in the preparation of proofs of evidence for senior staff standing as expert witness at planning inquiries.

• To generally meet targets for fee earning from the delivery of project work.

• To help write tender proposals to win new project work.

• To help with business generation ideas and client research.

• To work either as part of a team or independently as required.

Please note, this list is not exhaustive and there may be a requirement to perform other tasks / duties that would reasonably be expected to be undertaken in the performance of the role.

Qualifications

• Honours degree in relevant subject (. Town Planning, Geography, Economics)

• RTPI-accredited planning degree

• RTPI chartered membership

• More than 2 years of private or public sector planning experience

• An understanding of the development management process

• An understanding of planning policy (including the process of preparing Local Plans and other documents)

• Demonstrable evidence of good report writing

• Demonstrable evidence of good research and analytical skills

• Evidence of good project management, prioritisation and time-management skills

• Evidence of good people skills and an ability to negotiate the best outcome for clients

• Evidence of good presentation skills

Equal Opportunities

At Avison Young, we’ve always put people at the heart of what we do.
In the last few years, we’ve increased the diversity at our board, leadership and Principal levels. Avison Young stands out for our commitment to empowering women. In addition to increasing the number of women on our board and in our leadership ranks, our internal Women’s Network of more than 500 members come together for networking and learning, and advise the business on strategies for promoting access, opportunity and inclusion in our industry.
Our global DEI steering committee shapes our strategy to continue to increase industry access for underrepresented groups and accelerating initiatives led by our employee resource groups, including our Women’s Network, Black Professionals and LGBTQ+ groups. In addition to leading global initiatives, the steering committee’s work examines our policies and practices, creating accountability for results and communicating progress to our executive leadership, our clients and our communities.

Our culture is underpinned by our approach to diversity, inclusion, and well-being. We are committed to building an inclusive culture that:

empowers all our employees to thrive, reflects all backgrounds and talents, allows individuals to be successful and feel a sense of belonging, and foster a workplace that is supported, inclusive and has a strong sense of community between colleagues.

Avison Young is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to treating all its employees and job applicants equitably. This includes implementing deliberate strategies that advance underrepresented communities in commercial real estate careers.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to removing any obstacles to inclusion. If you need any adjustments to support your application or any part of the recruitment process, such as information in alternative formats or special requirements to access our buildings, or you are eligible under the Disability Confident Scheme please contact us at 

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