Your skills, transforming lives through technology.
Exciting new opportunities in Digital and Data
We are currently recruiting! Several new roles across Digital and Data have just dropped. The following roles are now available:
⦿ Senior Developer – 5 roles available – Apply by 21 April 2025
⦿ Interaction Designer – 4 roles available – Apply by 27 April 2025
Introducing Government Digital and Data
Unleash your potential in
Digital and Data
Although a strong technical background is important for a role in digital, you don’t need to be an expert in all areas. In Digital and Data, we apply our problem-solving skills across many different disciplines.
Not only do we have an excellent understanding of digital processes, we also work with stakeholders, communicating clearly and translating technical ideas to a common understanding that is clear to everyone, ensuring that all our digital services integrate seamlessly with one another.
Our work in Digital and Data has a direct impact on the way the Inspectorate works with its customers, now and in the future.
More about our current vacancy
What We Do
- build working-code prototypes to help us meet user needs and Planning Inspectorates’ strategic direction and goals
- stay on top of technology developments and look for opportunities to do things better
- plan and implement infrastructure improvements
- work closely with colleagues across teams, sharing skills and knowledge
Making a difference
Our team’s work directly impacts the efficiency and effectiveness of planning decisions across England. When you join us, you’ll:
- play a critical role in delivering the underpinning digital services to the Inspectorate, which ultimately improves how communities engage with the planning system
- help modernise this well-established government body by making the most of technology advancements
- improve the performance of systems and end user devices to enable staff to work effectively and efficiently
- be part of an organisation that values flexible working and work-life balance

Being an Interaction Designer
We ensure the effective day to day running of the Planning Inspectorate’s digital and data systems. We work in a multiskilled team to deliver changes to our citizen facing and internal services, helping to improve how Planning Inspectorate delivers services for our customers.
What We Do
- provide technical direction within the team to identify the best technology
- use industry standard Agile methodologies and embed and enhance practices such as TDD, continuous integration, continuous delivery, and DevOps
- plan and implement infrastructure improvements
- keep up to date with the latest technologies and trends
- deliver working software early and often, learning new languages and frameworks and picking the right solutions
Making a difference
Our team’s work directly impacts the efficiency and effectiveness of planning decisions across England. When you join us, you’ll:
- play a critical role in delivering the underpinning digital services to the Inspectorate, which ultimately improves how communities engage with the planning system
- help modernise this well-established government body by making the most of technology advancements
- improve the performance of systems and end user devices to enable staff to work effectively and efficiently
- be part of an organisation that values flexible working and work-life balance

Be a Senior Developer
You will be a member of a multidisciplinary team, writing code and providing technical expertise as part of our digital service teams. This will involve potentially working across multiple products including our casework management system, public facing websites and internal tools, as well as supporting our ongoing digital transformation work to create a more modern Inspectorate.
Work at the forefront of a digital planning system
At the Planning Inspectorate, we’re at the forefront of exciting digital projects that are revolutionising the planning and appeals process. Our team of skilled professionals are working to improve and streamline the appeals and applications services, making the process quicker, easier, and more transparent than ever before.
Here are some of the exciting digital transformation projects you could be part of:
Making appeals simpler, faster and more cost effective
We’re making it easier for our users, such as appellants, planning agents, councils and citizens, to engage with the appeals process whether they are appealing a planning decision for the first time or submitting case evidence.
Behind this work is a dedicated digital project team working in an agile way to bring these improvements to a live service. They consist of business analysts, programmers, content designers, user researchers and many others types of roles.
Find a National Infrastructure Project
Supporting a key area of the Planning Inspectorate’s work is a digital project team focused on the delivery of a new online hub. ‘Find a National Infrastructure Project’ serves as an essential online resource for the planning process of projects such as large power stations, motorway alterations and power lines.
Following it’s successful launch in March 2024, the project team continue to develop new features following the ‘Service Standard’ of the Government Digital Service.
Driving innovation through enhanced management
An innovative data engineering project at the Planning Inspectorate will see enhanced data management and implementation of the Government Shared Services strategy. The project involves developing data products and services, integrating them into our systems, and producing valuable management information.
This project is a crucial part of our strategic plan and reflects our commitment to continuous improvement and innovation.

Chris Tones, Lead Technical Architect
“Working in Digital means constant change, and I’m always learning. I have a fair workload and am empowered to manage myself. My colleagues are friendly, and we all work towards the same outcomes. The Planning Inspectorate has given me opportunities to develop and progress based on my contributions.”

Paul Lear, Business Analyst
“My time as a Business Analyst within The Planning Inspectorate has enabled me to gain a comprehensive knowledge of the organisation and how it works to deliver the Governments priorities. The Inspectorate is an inclusive employer and great place to work with individuals that are dedicated to serving our customers.”

‘Find a National Infrastructure Project’, a new online hub for large-scale projects, has been launched by the Planning Inspectorate.

Appealing a planning decision has become simpler, faster, and more cost-effective with the launch of our newly introduced service.

The Shared Services for Government Design Principles provide a framework of what good looks like, when implementing shared services programmes.
Find out more about what it’s like to work for the Planning Inspectorate.
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