Airfield Planning Manager

Australia Pacific Airports (Melbourne); Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid flexible working arrangements

Career development opportunities

Staff travel benefits

Job summary

Melbourne Airport, operated by Australia Pacific Airports Corporation, seeks an experienced Airfield Planning Manager to shape the long-term airfield development strategy. You will maintain and review infrastructure plans and capacity forecasts over a 5–20 year horizon, guiding major capital programs.

You will work closely with Aviation Operations, planners and project teams to deliver technically sound planning input from concept through delivery, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities.

Qualifications

• Experience in airfield planning, aviation infrastructure planning or complex transport infrastructure environments.
• Strong understanding of airport operations and long-term development requirements.
• Experience developing planning forecasts and capacity assessments.

Responsibilities

• Lead airfield planning activities to support future aviation growth, capacity requirements and infrastructure development.
• Develop and maintain planning assumptions, demand forecasts, capacity assessments and staged development strategies.
• Provide specialist planning input into Airport Master Plan, Major Development Plans, precinct plans and business cases.
• Prepare and review strategic briefs, functional requirements and feasibility studies to support investment decisions.
• Collaborate with project and design teams to ensure developments meet operational requirements and long-term capacity needs.
• Provide technical advice on airport planning standards and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Airfield planning

Capacity forecasting

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical thinking

Regulatory compliance

Education

Tertiary qualifications in aviation/planning/engineering/architecture/transport/operations

Tools

CAD

GIS

Capacity modelling

Simulation tools

Job description

We currently have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Airfield Planning Manager to join our Planning team at Melbourne Airport.

As Melbourne Airport continues to grow, long-term airfield planning is essential to ensuring our infrastructure can support future aviation demand.

In this role, you'll help shape our airfield development strategy, maintaining and reviewing long-term infrastructure plans and future capacity requirements over a 5-20-year planning horizon.

Working closely with Aviation Operations, airport planners and major project teams, you'll provide specialist planning advice, assess development options and ensure infrastructure decisions made today support the airport's future growth.

You'll also contribute to major capital developments, including the Third Runway and International Terminal Expansion, providing technical planning input from early concept development through to design and delivery.

This is an opportunity to influence Melbourne Airport's long-term infrastructure strategy and play a key role in shaping the future of one of Australia's most important aviation gateways.

Explore how we are thinking big with exciting projects like the Third Runway, state-of-the-art terminals, and thriving business park developments. You can also learn more about life at Melbourne Airport – our culture, values, and what makes us unique at https://www.melbourneairport.com.au/corporate/our-culture-and-values. Join us in shaping the future of aviation as we propel Melbourne Airport towards becoming Australia's favourite Airport destination.

Key responsibilities:

The role's duties and accountabilities include, but are not limited to:

• Lead airfield planning activities to support future aviation growth, capacity requirements and infrastructure development.
• Develop and maintain planning assumptions, demand forecasts, capacity assessments and staged development strategies.
• Provide specialist airfield planning input into the Airport Master Plan, Major Development Plans, precinct plans and business cases.
• Prepare and review strategic briefs, functional requirements, feasibility studies and development options to support investment decisions.
• Work closely with project and design teams to ensure proposed developments meet operational requirements, planning principles and long-term capacity needs.
• Provide technical advice on airport planning standards, aviation regulations and airfield design requirements.
• Build effective relationships with internal stakeholders, airlines, Airservices Australia, CASA, consultants and delivery partners.
• Manage specialist planning studies and consultancy inputs, ensuring outcomes are commercially sound and aligned with strategic priorities.

The successful candidate will have:

• Lead airfield planning activities to support future aviation growth, capacity requirements and infrastructure development.
• Develop and maintain planning assumptions, demand forecasts, capacity assessments and staged development strategies.
• Provide specialist airfield planning input into the Airport Master Plan, Major Development Plans, precinct plans and business cases.
• Prepare and review strategic briefs, functional requirements, feasibility studies and development options to support investment decisions.
• Work closely with project and design teams to ensure proposed developments meet operational requirements, planning principles and long-term capacity needs.
• Provide technical advice on airport planning standards, aviation regulations and airfield design requirements.
• Build effective relationships with internal stakeholders, airlines, Airservices Australia, CASA, consultants and delivery partners.
• Manage specialist planning studies and consultancy inputs, ensuring outcomes are commercially sound and aligned with strategic priorities.

The successful candidate will have:

• Tertiary qualifications in aviation, planning, engineering, architecture, transport, operations or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience in airfield planning, aviation infrastructure planning or complex transport infrastructure environments.
• Strong understanding of airport operations, infrastructure capacity planning and long-term development requirements.
• Experience developing planning forecasts, capacity assessments, functional briefs and infrastructure development options.
• Working knowledge of relevant aviation regulatory requirements, airport planning standards and design principles.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to interpret complex information and provide clear, commercially informed recommendations.
• Familiarity with capacity modelling, simulation tools, CAD, GIS or similar planning and analytical platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders and collaborate across multidisciplinary technical, operational and project teams.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear recommendations for senior stakeholders.

We understand that not everyone will feel they meet all of these 100%. However, if you feel you have the attitude and aptitude to grow within our team, we invite you to apply and have a conversation with us about this position.

About the Company:

Melbourne Airport (Australia Pacific Airports Corporation) is proud to be one of Australia's premier transport hubs and Victoria's gateway to the world, connecting us to the global marketplace. We are committed to creating connections that matter and enhancing the traveller experience across every aspect of our organisation to deliver our vision of becoming Australia's favourite Airport destination. Currently, in an exciting phase of change, we are delivering rewarding career opportunities, making Melbourne Airport a dynamic and fast-paced place to work for our people.

APAC is a majority Australian-owned private company that also operates Launceston Airport, the tourism gateway to Tasmania and an industry multi-award-winning airport.

Culture and Values:

By joining the team at Melbourne Airport, you will work within a friendly, high-performance culture with a focus on our people and their development.

Our vision is to become Australia's favourite Airport destination and our people are paramount to achieving this success. We provide a supportive environment, with values that encourage all of our employees to Be You, Think Big, Own it and Work Together.

Benefits:

• Free access to Higher State, our state-of-the-art Fitness Club & Wellness Hub at Novotel & ibis Styles Airport hotel.
• Airport car parking 24 hours/365 days a year for both business and personal use
• Hybrid flexible working arrangements
• Airport Holiday, an additional day of leave
• Wellness Day, a further additional day of leave
• Discounted onsite childcare at Creative Garden Early Learning
• Mental health and well-being initiatives, including Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Long-term career and professional development opportunities
• Active social culture and participation in a range of social impact days and activities
• Signature Experiences including an airfield family day
• Access to an employee benefits scheme including access to corporate rates and airport retailer discounts (including SkyBus)

APAC is committed to weaving Diversity into our DNA. We believe that Diversity and Inclusion will help us realise our greatest potential as a company, and maximise the potential of all our team members. We strive to create a culture where our team members understand that each individual is unique and that embracing diversity makes us more flexible, productive, and creative.

APAC provides equal opportunity and advancement in employment regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, cultural background, caring responsibilities, disability or socioeconomic background. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds who share our workplace values of Being You, Thinking Big, Owning It and Working Together.