Job Description

Salary

UH8 46,049pa (pro rata) to 58,225pa (pro rata) by annual increments on achieving designated skills and experience

Contractual hours

22.2

Basis

Part Time

Job category/type

Academic/Research

Job reference

REQ000437

Post Title:

Senior Lecturer in Planning

SBU/Department:

School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences / Department of Psychology, Sport and Geography

FTE:

0.6 fte (working 22.2 hours per week)

Duration of Contract:

Fixed term for 1 year

Annual Leave:

35 days pro rata plus standard public holidays and an additional 4 days including the closure of our office between Christmas and New Year

Location:

College Lane Campus, Hatfield

The University of Hertfordshire's Ebenezer Howard School of Planning is an ambitious and dynamic team in the Geography, Environment and Planning subject group, achieving an overall satisfaction score of 91% in the UK Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey, 2025. We have a strong focus on contemporary planning practice, research-informed teaching and graduate employability. We offer MSc degrees in Sustainable Planning and Practice, Sustainable Planning and Environmental Management and Sustainable Planning and Transport, which are accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute. Our related, BSc Geography programme is ranked 2nd in the UK for overall student satisfaction (National Student Survey, 2025). Applications are invited for the post of Senior Lecturer in Planning. The post is based in situated on a leafy campus in Hatfield, a peri-urban town within commuting distance from London.

Main duties and responsibilities

The Senior Lecturer in planning will contribute to the design, delivery and assessment of high quality teaching and learning activities within the Geography, Environment and Planning subject area, primarily across the MSc Sustainable Planning degrees.

They will design engaging teaching activities across appropriate areas of planning (including in planning law and policy, planning practice, planning assessments, and in planning theories and concepts), and identify areas where current provision is in need of revision or improvement and design and develop new teaching materials. The role includes provision of academic and pastoral support to students as a personal tutor and dissertation supervisor.

The Senior Lecturer will also be expected to undertake Module Leader and other administrative responsibilities, and provide advice on strategic issues relating to the relevant programmes. They will undertake research and scholarly activities, generating external income through innovative research and/or commercial partnerships, and will proactively seek opportunities for interdisciplinary research, teaching and collaboration within the School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences.

Skills and experience required

The successful candidate will possess excellent teaching skills and specialist knowledge of core areas of teaching and training in Planning (specifically in planning law and policy, planning practice, planning assessments, and in planning theories and concepts), able to lead and contribute to a range of teaching across our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

You will have excellent teaching skills with established experience of lecturing or training in a professional setting, the setting and marking of assessments, and research supervision.

The post-holder will also have a proven track record of leading and publishing internationally excellent research in Planning, and applying for and generating external research and/or commercial project funding. They will have excellent communication and good interpersonal skills, consistent with the highest quality of teaching and learning, along with evidence of successful teamwork and a caring, collaborative and collegial approach. Proficiency in English is essential.

Qualifications required

The post-holder will hold an undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline and a postgraduate qualification either a PhD (completed or submitted) in a Planning field or equivalent demonstrable practitioner experience.

They will have a recognised teaching qualification or be willing to undertake a course to gain a teaching qualification, and will preferably be a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and a Fellow of Advance HE.

Please view the job description and person specification for a full list of the duties and essential criteria. Please attach a personal statement showing clearly how your skills and experience match the Person Specification.

Internal applicants- please ensure you apply via your employee self service portal. An appointment to this role may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

Please note, this post cannot be visa sponsored unless you can evidence a good honours first degree plus a PhD / Doctorate. A criminal record check may also be required.

Contact Details/Informal Enquiries:

Andrew Smith, MSc Programme Lead (Sustainable Planning); a.smith34@herts.ac.uk

Closing Date

: 12 January 2026

Interview Date:

To be confirmed

Reference Number:

REQ000437

Date advert placed:

15 December 2025

Our vision is to transform lives: UH is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and building a diverse community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of their protected characteristics, and recognise there are different ways applicants may achieve the criteria in this document. We offer a range of employee benefits including generous annual leave, flexible location opportunities within the UK, discounted Sports Village memberships and free Active Staff sessions, personal and professional development and family-friendly policies. #GoHerts