Senior Planner

About the Employer

Galway County Council administers County Galway outside of Galway City. The Council oversees the planning, design, and construction of infrastructure such as roads, drainage, housing, fire stations, libraries, and burial grounds. It maintains the county's environment by implementing planning and environmental policies aimed at enhancing and preserving its unique character. The Council also promotes industrial, economic, social, cultural, arts, heritage, and community development initiatives. It operates through a democratic system with an elected body of thirty-nine councillors representing five electoral areas following reforms implemented in 2014.

Position Overview

The Senior Planner role reports directly to the Director of Service and involves managing and developing the Planning department. This senior management position requires working within established parameters aligned with the Local Authority's goals and involves close collaboration with elected Councillors to deliver services and implement policies.

Key Service Areas

• Development Management
• Planning Enforcement
• Economic Development
• Forward Planning and Sustainable Development
• Community Development
• Regeneration

Responsibilities and Skills

• Leading and motivating multidisciplinary teams to achieve high performance.
• Possessing strong planning, operational, and project management capabilities.
• Exercising excellent communication, presentation, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrating leadership and personnel management expertise.
• Having or quickly gaining in-depth knowledge of local government functions related to planning and development.
• Maintaining excellent working knowledge of planning legislation and associated principles, practices, and construction techniques.
• Applying a solution-oriented mindset and working collaboratively with various council committees, municipal districts, public participation networks, and business organizations to foster cooperation and consensus.
• Ability to perform well under pressure, employing lateral thinking to resolve diverse challenges.
• Producing high-quality reports and utilizing strong IT skills effectively.
• Efficiently managing competing priorities and meeting deadlines.
• Upholding awareness and compliance with Health and Safety legislation and regulations applicable to the workplace.

Additional Information

The detailed list of essential requirements and duties is included in the role's Information Booklet. Galway County Council strongly supports equal opportunity employment and encourages applications across all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act. The application deadline is 3pm, Thursday, 6th August 2026. Starting salary is €93,698 per annum.