Managing Consultant - Environmental Planning

Environmental Resources Management Australia Pty Limited; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

ERM seeks a senior planning & approvals professional to lead end-to-end planning, permitting and environmental approvals projects in Australia. You will coordinate cross-disciplinary teams across ecology, heritage, air and water, risk management and client advisory services to deliver integrated outcomes.

You will shape approvals strategy, liaise with regulators, review EIA materials, manage budgets and grow key client accounts while mentoring junior staff.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Environmental Science, Environmental Management or a related discipline.
• 7+ years' experience in statutory planning, environmental permitting and licensing, environmental approvals or impact assessment, ideally in consulting.
• Proven project management and coordination skills, including managing programmes, budgets, deliverables and multidisciplinary inputs.
• Confident client liaison and stakeholder engagement skills, with experience working with regulators and government agencies.
• Experience contributing to or leading proposals and client development.
• Sound working knowledge of South Australian and Commonwealth planning and environmental legislation (or demonstrated capacity to learn).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to prepare and review clear, persuasive technical documents.
• A proactive, organised and solutions-focused approach, and the ability to juggle competing priorities with energy and good humour.
• Authorisation to work in Australia.

Responsibilities

• Lead and take accountability for planning, permitting and approvals projects from start to finish, owning scope, programme, budget and project risk.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams and provide technical direction and quality review of outputs, bringing together ERM's ecology, heritage, noise, air quality, contaminated land, hydrogeology, and climate change and sustainability specialists to deliver integrated, high-quality outcomes.
• Act as a trusted adviser to clients, shaping approvals strategy and translating complex regulatory requirements into clear, practical advice.
• Build and maintain senior-level relationships with regulators and agencies, and negotiate approval pathways to keep projects moving.
• Review and sign off planning reports, permit and licence applications and EIA documentation, while still contributing technically where needed.
• Lead proposals and scopes, set fees and grow key client accounts alongside the Partner group.
• Supervise, mentor and develop junior staff, including allocating work and contributing to their performance and career growth.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Regulatory compliance

Client development

Team leadership

Budget management

Education

Bachelor's degree in urban planning

Job description

What you'll do:

• Lead and take accountability for planning, permitting and approvals projects from start to finish, owning scope, programme, budget and project risk.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams and provide technical direction and quality review of outputs, bringing together ERM's ecology, heritage, noise, air quality, contaminated land, hydrogeology, and climate change and sustainability specialists to deliver integrated, high-quality outcomes.
• Act as a trusted adviser to clients, shaping approvals strategy and translating complex regulatory requirements into clear, practical advice.
• Build and maintain senior-level relationships with regulators and agencies, and negotiate approval pathways to keep projects moving.
• Review and sign off planning reports, permit and licence applications and EIA documentation, while still contributing technically where needed.
• Lead proposals and scopes, set fees and grow key client accounts alongside the Partner group.
• Supervise, mentor and develop junior staff, including allocating work and contributing to their performance and career growth.

What you'll bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Environmental Science, Environmental Management or a related discipline.
• 7+ years' experience in statutory planning, environmental permitting and licensing, environmental approvals or impact assessment, ideally in consulting.
• Proven project management and coordination skills, including managing programmes, budgets, deliverables and multidisciplinary inputs.
• Confident client liaison and stakeholder engagement skills, with experience working with regulators and government agencies.
• Experience contributing to or leading proposals and client development.
• Sound working knowledge of South Australian and Commonwealth planning and environmental legislation (or demonstrated capacity to learn).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to prepare and review clear, persuasive technical documents.
• A proactive, organised and solutions-focused approach, and the ability to juggle competing priorities with energy and good humour.
• Authorisation to work in Australia.

Who We Are:

As the world’s leading sustainability consulting firm, ERM is uniquely positioned to contribute to the environment and society through the expertise and energy of our employees worldwide. Sustainability is what we do and is at the heart of both our service offerings and how we operate our business. For our people, our vision means attracting, inspiring, developing and rewarding our people to work with the best clients and on the biggest challenges, thus creating valuable careers. We achieve our vision in a sustainable manner by maintaining and living our ERM beliefs that include Together we Challenge, Expertise is our Superpower, and Impact Ignites us.

At ERM, sustainability is our business. We are the world’s largest advisory firm focused solely on sustainability, offering unparalleled expertise across business and finance. ERM partners with clients to operationalize sustainability at pace and scale, through our unique combination of strategic transformation and technical delivery capabilities. Our diverse global team of experts works with the world’s leading organizations to help them set clear sustainability targets, measure progress and operationalize strategy through deep implementation and business transformation. With more than 50 years of experience, our ability to integrate sustainability solutions and our depth and breadth of technical knowledge are why organizations choose to partner with us as their trusted advisor. Every one of us firmly believes in the potential to create value for our clients through an integrated approach to sustainability (because we have personally seen it and professionally achieved it). Our team members are passionate about client service. We work closely with our clients to help them operationalize their sustainability goals and meet their environmental, health and safety objectives while advancing ERM’s purpose through delivering tangible progress in what the United Nations coined The Decade of Action. Organizing our people across globally integrated communities of technical and strategic talent positions ERM to be a “boots to boardroom” leader in bringing that value creation to our clients, partners, and the world. We recruit exceptional professionals with a personal and professional passion for sustainability and nurture them to even greater success as specialists. We prepare our consultants to bring integrated, innovative and sustainable solutions to our clients and provide opportunities for ongoing development across a variety of subject areas related to technical, business, and personal growth. At ERM, effort pays off and becomes career defining work that leaves a positive imprint on our planet.