Team Senior Lawyer - Planning

£55,609 to £60,047 per year, Competitive

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Full time

Disability Confident: Yes

Closing Date: 28/03/2026

About the role

Join a team where your expertise shapes the future of Staffordshire. Staffordshire County Council is a modern, forward thinking authority with big ambitions. We empower our people to be bold, innovative and to take pride in the work they do. Staffordshire Legal Services is one of the largest and most diverse in house legal teams in the region, providing high quality, high impact work across every Council function, the Staffordshire Pension Fund, and a wide range of external clients. Our caseload is consistently interesting, varied, and often high profile.

Benefits

• Generous holiday allowance, increasing with service, plus the option to purchase additional leave
• Agile, flexible and term time working arrangements
• Local Government Pension Scheme with generous (
  29.5%) employer contributions
• Employee discounts, staff parking discounts, and an optional car lease scheme
• Family friendly policies, including maternity, adoption, paternity and parental leave
• A collaborative, supportive team culture where your contribution truly matters

Responsibilities

• Advising on a full range of County Planning matters, including planning applications and enforcement
• Negotiating complex planning obligations on behalf of highways and education clients
• Providing expert advice on a broad range of Local Authority statutory planning functions
• Managing a varied and challenging caseload in line with Lexcel standards
• Supervising and supporting colleagues within the team

Ideal Candidate

You will be a qualified Solicitor, Barrister, or Chartered Legal Executive (with practice/advocacy rights) who brings:

• A strong understanding of Planning Law
• Insight into public sector work (local government experience welcomed but not essential)
• Excellent attention to detail and organisational abilities
• The capability to work under pressure and manage competing priorities
• A collaborative approach, including the ability to delegate effectively

If you are unsure whether your skills are the right fit, we encourage you to get in touch for an informal chat.

Contact & Application

Please contact John Rowe, Principal Lawyer at john.rowestaffordshire.gov.uk or Imran Razaq, Deputy Legal Services Manager at Imran.razaqstaffordshire.gov.uk . Interviews will take place during week commencing 23 March 2026.

Our Recruitment Process: We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered.

Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you'll bring to the role.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer.

We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities. As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers.

We offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme.