Manager Planning Services

Capstone Recruitment; Lane Cove; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Capstone Recruitment is assisting Lane Cove Council in appointing a Manager Planning Services to lead strategic and statutory planning functions on the Lower North Shore of Sydney.

The successful candidate will oversee development assessment, statutory planning reforms, and drive performance through multidisciplinary teams while engaging with Councillors, NSW Government agencies, developers and the community.

Qualifications

• Degree in town planning, urban planning or a related discipline.
• Experience leading a high-performing planning team.
• Experience planning complex urban environments with NSW local government is desirable.
• Postgraduate study in planning, urban design or public administration is desirable.
• A current NSW Class C driver licence is required.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership of Council’s planning functions.
• Lead development assessment and strategic planning teams.
• Oversee preparation of Local Environmental Plan, Development Control Plans and planning statements.
• Manage budgets, performance reporting, and stakeholder relations.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Degree in town planning or urban planning

Postgraduate study in planning/urban design/public administration

Job description

Manager Planning Services

Lane Cove is Australia’s most liveable community, named so in the 2025 Australian Liveability Census: a Lower North Shore community of close to 43,000 people, around ten kilometres from the CBD, with distinctive village neighbourhoods, a strong sense of community and a natural environment its residents value highly. Protecting that character while accommodating growth is one of the defining challenges for the area, and planning sits at the centre of it.

The Manager Planning Services leads that work. This is an opportunity for an accomplished planning leader who can hold strategy and statutory rigour in the same hand: shaping the long-term planning framework for Lane Cove while ensuring development assessment is timely, compliant and trusted by the community.

The Role

Reporting to the Director Planning and Sustainability, the Manager Planning Services provides strategic and operational leadership of Council’s planning functions, leading the development assessment and strategic planning teams. You will lead the preparation and review of Council’s Local Environmental Plan, Development Control Plans and Local Strategic Planning Statement, its housing and employment land strategies, and structure and master plans, and manage major strategic and precinct planning projects. On the statutory side, you will ensure the timely and compliant assessment of development applications, implement planning reforms as legislation changes, provide expert advice on complex matters, oversee planning panels and represent Council in negotiations, appeals and hearings.

The role carries accountability for the business unit budget, service standards and performance reporting, and for productive relationships with Councillors, State Government agencies, developers, consultants, community groups and residents, including leading consultation on planning strategies and presenting reports and recommendations to Council and its Committees.

About You

You hold a degree in town planning, urban planning or a related discipline and bring a track record of leading and developing a high-performing planning team. You have experience planning complex urban environments, sound judgement on difficult planning matters, and the capability to drive continuous improvement, including through technology and better process. Your written work is of a high standard and you communicate with authority across professional, industry, government and community audiences. NSW local government experience, experience presenting to Councillors and Executive Leadership Teams, and postgraduate study in planning, urban design or public administration are desirable. A current NSW Class C driver licence is required.

Just as important is how you lead. You motivate multi-disciplinary teams, set high standards of performance and safety, lead cultural change with care, and remain composed and flexible through periods of demanding workload and tight timeframes.

Why This Role

Lane Cove offers a rare combination: a council of a scale where a manager’s influence is direct and visible, an engaged community that cares deeply about its places, and a leadership team that prizes collaboration, integrity, professionalism and a willingness to have a go. For a planning leader who wants to shape how one of Australia’s most liveable communities grows over the coming decade, this is a defining appointment. An attractive remuneration package will be negotiated with the successful candidate.

Recruitment Timeline Closing Date: Midnight, Thursday 22 October 2026.