Strategic Planning Lead

City of Gold Coast; Gold Coast City; Hybrid; AUD 111,000 - 118,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9-day fortnight

Hybrid/work from home options

Personal and professional development

Fitness Passport access

Counselling sessions

Nutritionist and financial advice

Free parking

Job summary

City of Gold Coast seeks an experienced Strategic Planning Lead within the Regional Planning team. The role delivers citywide strategic projects, mentoring staff, and coordinating engagement with stakeholders to support growth and sustainable development.

You will provide expert input on planning schemes, respond to state initiatives, and drive long-term strategies while balancing community needs and environments. Hybrid work options and a strong focus on outcomes are offered.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree required in urban/regional planning or equivalent knowledge and experience.
• Proven experience delivering complex strategic planning projects from concept to implementation.
• Strong knowledge of planning legislation and regional planning frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of major strategic planning projects.
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring and day-to-day guidance to team members.
• Lead and manage community and stakeholder engagement activities.
• Contribute to development of the new planning scheme and long-term strategies.
• Undertake research, analysis and policy development for land use planning.
• Collaborate across teams to deliver high-quality planning outcomes.
• Prepare technical reports and communications for diverse audiences.

Skills

Strategic planning

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Policy development

Growth management

Project management

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor Degree in Urban, Regional or Town Planning

Job description

• Fixed term Full Time until October 2027- 9-Day Fortnight, 36 hours per week
• Fixed term Part Time until June 2028 18 hours per week
• Salary: $111, 401 to $117,924 plus Superannuation (pro-rated for part time)

About the team:

Within the City Planning branch, theStrategic Urban and Regional Planning unitleads the future growth and strategic planning for one of Australia’s fastest growing cities.

TheRegional Planning team is one of three teams in this unit and is known for its commitment to flexible work practices and delivering impactful strategic planning outcomes. This includes delivering comprehensive long-term planning at a citywide and regional scale with a focus on employment and housing, as well as the delivery of localised projects to ensure sustainable growth and community needs are met

Working on complex citywide and regional planning initiatives, the team leads the development of growth strategies, implementation plans and statutory planning frameworks that influence where people live, work and connect, while helping to balance growth, infrastructure, environmental values and community aspirations. Collaborating closely with internal stakeholders, State Government agencies and regional partners, the team helps shape planning outcomes that respond to growth pressures and emerging challenges while protecting and enhancing the Gold Coast's unique character, lifestyle and natural environment.

About the role:

We’re looking for experienced and motivated Strategic Planning Leads to join our Regional Planning team. With fixed-term, full-time and part-time positions available, this is an exciting opportunity to contribute to high-impact projects while enjoying a flexible approach to work.

As a Strategic Planning Lead, you will play a key role in delivering strategic planning projects and initiatives that support the city's long-term growth and sustainability objectives. You will provide supervision, technical guidance and mentoring to planning staff, coordinate project delivery and contribute specialist planning expertise to a range of city planning projects.

As a highly experienced planning specialist, you will:

• Lead the development and implementation of major strategic planning projects.
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring and day-to-day guidance to team members.
• Lead and manage community and stakeholder engagement activities.
• Provide strategic planning expertise and input into the development of the new planning scheme.
• Undertake research, analysis and policy development to inform land use planning and respond to State and regional planning initiatives.
• Contribute to the implementation and review of long-term planning strategies.
• Work collaboratively across teams and disciplines to deliver high-quality strategic planning outcomes.
• Demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills through the preparation of technical reports, briefing notes, presentations and stakeholder communications on complex planning matters.

About you:

You’re an experienced strategic planner who can bring together big-picture thinking, sound technical expertise and strong leadership skills.

You will have:

• Extensive experience in developing and implementing growth management strategies including planning for population growth, housing supply and employment land.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex strategic planning projects from concept through to implementation.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, including the ability to interpret demographic, employment, housing and land use trends to inform growth management and city shaping decisions.
• Strong knowledge of Queensland planning legislation, regional planning frameworks and contemporary growth management principles.
• Demonstrated people leadership skills, including the ability to lead, mentor team members and foster positive and collaborative workplace environment.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships, collaborate effectively and manage diverse stakeholder interests.
• Highly developed interpersonal, oral and written communication skills, including the ability to present complex technical matters to stakeholders, management, elected representatives and community audiences.
• Proven project management, governance and budget management capabilities.
• The ability to work strategically while managing competing priorities, complex issues and tight deadlines.
• A Bachelor Degree in Urban, Regional or Town Planning, or equivalent knowledge and experience.

Be part of shaping the Gold Coast’s future

The Gold Coast is inspired by lifestyle and driven by opportunity. We are the second largest Council in Australia.

We care about being the most flexible government organisation in Australia. We have a range of benefits to help you create the right balance:

• 9-day fortnight
• Flexible work arrangements to suit your lifestyle, including hybrid/work from home options, flexible working hours and locations
• Personal and professional development courses
• Access to 350+ fitness facilities through Fitness Passport
• 4 free confidential counselling sessions a year for you or an immediate family member
• 1 free nutritionist and financial advice session per year
• Free parking

We pride ourselves on our shared mission of being a high-performing, customer-focused organisation which delivers value-for-money services to the community.

Contact Person:Wing Chiu

Closing Date:Tuesday 6th October 11:59pm AEDT

Our selection process may include a one-way video interview via Criteria, a face-to-face or virtual interview via Microsoft Teams, reference checks via Xref and additional checks including police checks, employment history checks, qualification checks, pre-employment medical reviews and drug and alcohol testing.

We’re committed to creating a diverse workplace and inclusive culture. We take pride in people who align with our high-performance principles. We believe that the diverse makeup of our workforce reflects the community we serve. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences and identities, and encourage candidates to discuss any support or adjustments they may need throughout the recruitment process.