Senior Town Planner

Planna; Sydney; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive remuneration

Employee Share Option Plan

Phone expenses covered

Career progression opportunities

Job summary

Planna is a technology-driven town planning consultancy delivering practical planning advice across Australia. We are expanding and seek a Senior Town Planner to lead planning projects, oversee technical quality and help grow our planning team.

You will oversee preparation and delivery of planning documentation across residential, commercial, industrial and mixed-use developments, ensuring compliance with legislation.

Qualifications

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Town Planning or related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years' experience in statutory planning or private consultancy.
• Strong knowledge of NSW planning legislation, LEPs, DCPs & SPPS.
• Experience preparing planning reports and managing DAs to determination.
• Excellent technical writing, communication & stakeholder management.
• Experience mentoring junior planners or reviewing planning work.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and review SEEs, PPRs, DAs and other statutory planning documentation.
• Provide technical advice on planning controls, feasibility and approval pathways.
• Manage projects, coordinate consultants and liaise with councils to resolve issues.
• Conduct QA reviews to ensure accuracy and submission readiness.
• Mentor junior planners and support workload coordination.
• Manage client relationships, assist with fee proposals and improve processes with tech and AI tools.

Skills

Statutory planning

Development assessment

Project management

Leadership

Client relationship management

Technical writing

Mentoring

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Town Planning or related discipline

Tools

Digital planning tools

AI-assisted planning tools

Job description

Planna is an innovative, technology-driven town planning consultancy delivering practical and efficient planning advice across Australia.

Operating across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, we specialise in Pre-Purchase Planning Reports (PPRs), Statements of Environmental Effects (SEEs), Development Applications (DAs) and strategic planning advice for homeowners, developers, builders, architects and property investors. As our business continues to grow, we are seeking an experienced Senior Town Planner to lead planning projects, oversee technical quality and support the development of our planning team.

This role combines statutory planning, technical quality assurance, project management, team leadership and client engagement.

You will oversee the preparation and delivery of planning documentation across residential, commercial, industrial and mixed-use developments, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and planning controls. Working closely with our planning team, project managers and external consultants, you will manage development applications from initial assessment through to Council determination.

Key responsibilities include

• Preparing and reviewing SEEs, PPRs, DAs and other statutory planning documentation.
• Providing technical advice on planning controls, development feasibility, approval pathways and complex planning matters.
• Managing projects, coordinating consultants and liaising with councils to resolve assessment issues and RFIs.
• Undertaking quality assurance reviews to ensure reports and supporting documentation are accurate, consistent and submission-ready.
• Mentoring junior planners and supporting workload coordination and technical development.
• Managing client relationships, assisting with fee proposals and improving internal processes through innovative technology and AI-assisted tools.

We are seeking a technically capable, commercially aware and organised planning professional with strong statutory planning experience and the confidence to manage projects independently.

Essential qualifications and experience

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Town Planning, Urban Planning or a related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years' experience in statutory planning, development assessment or private consultancy.
• Strong knowledge of NSW planning legislation, LEPs, DCPs and State Environmental Planning Policies.
• Demonstrated experience preparing and reviewing planning reports and managing DAs through to determination.
• Excellent technical writing, communication, organisational and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience mentoring junior planners or reviewing technical planning work.

Experience across multiple Australian planning jurisdictions, complex development applications, project leadership, commercial scoping and digital planning tools will be highly regarded.

You will work across diverse planning projects and jurisdictions, develop your technical expertise and contribute directly to the growth of a technology-driven national consultancy.

This is an opportunity to take ownership of planning operations, influence internal processes and work closely with management in shaping the future of Planna.

• competitive remuneration
• Employee Share Option Plan
• company-supported phone expenses
• genuine opportunities for career progression