Urban Designer

Northern Beaches Council; Sydney; On-site; AUD 106,000 - 123,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Work from home

Flexible working arrangements

Wellness program

Career development

Job summary

Northern Beaches Council is seeking an Urban Designer for the Strategic & Place Planning unit. The role supports delivery of urban design, place planning, and strategic planning programs across diverse localities, from established urban areas to growth areas.

You will contribute to masterplans, public domain strategies and policy development. Reporting to the Manager and Principal Urban Designer, you will help deliver high-quality places and flexible work arrangements, including work-from-home

Qualifications

• Urban design experience in regeneration or development contexts.
• Experience contributing to place plans and masterplans.
• Familiarity with strategic land use planning and planning policy development.

Responsibilities

• Support delivery of Council’s urban design, place planning and strategic planning program.
• Contribute to a broad range of urban design projects, including development assessment and strategic planning initiatives, place plans, masterplans and public domain strategies.
• Prepare design documentation and provide technical support to deliver high-quality places for the Northern Beaches community.

Skills

Urban design

Place planning

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Urban Design or related field

Job description

Division: Planning & Place Business Unit: Strategic & Place Planning Title: Urban Designer, Permanent - Full-time Role, 35 hours per week Salary Range: $105,821.37 to $122,981.63 per annum + super (subject to skills and experience)

Who we are: Stretching from Palm Beach to Manly, the Northern Beaches boasts more than half of all the beaches in Sydney and a population of more than 270,000. Northern Beaches Council strives to deliver the highest quality services to our community. We are proud to be the winner of the Bluett Award 2022 and the 2022 Change Champion Award in the Enterprise Category. Join us and you’ll be part of an organisation committed to promoting sustainable growth, leading the community, protecting our environment, and creating a great future for the Northern Beaches.

Strategic and Place Planning: Strategic and Place Planning prepares sustainable land use and design strategies, policies and plans for Council’s diverse range of localities, including established urban areas, urban renewal activity centres, future growth areas, employment areas, rural lands, and environmentally significant areas. The Strategic and Place Planning Business Unit delivers the following services:

• Strategic Land-Use Planning and Planning Proposal assessment
• Land Use Policy Development
• Urban Land Release
• Heritage and Structure Planning
• Urban Design and Place Planning
• Infrastructure Contributions Planning and administration

Key projects our team are currently working on include Place Plan preparation, a Structure Plan for Brookvale, preparation of new comprehensive Local Environmental Plan and Development Control Plan, referral assessments for the Frenchs Forest Precinct, a Thematic Heritage Study, and a review of Council’s Affordable Housing Policy. Northern Beaches Council is committed to safeguarding children and young people. Council acknowledges that protecting the safety of children and young people is a whole of community responsibility and is everyone’s business.

Working with us: Northern Beaches Council provides a comprehensive range of benefits focused on our employees’ lifestyle, health and wellbeing, recognition and career development. In this role you’ll enjoy -

• A culture of supporting continuous professional development
• Work from home opportunities
• Genuine work-life balance and flexible working arrangements
• Employee wellness program and a range of lifestyle benefits
• High level of technological innovation and systems
• Values based culture and a teams-orientated working environment

Our opportunity: Reporting to the Manager, Strategic & Place Planning and under the guidance of the Principal Urban Designer, the role of the Urban Designer is to support the delivery of Council's urban design, place planning and strategic planning program. The role contributes to a broad range of urban design projects including development assessment and strategic planning initiatives, place plans, masterplans, public domain strategies, and planning policies. Working collaboratively within the Urban Design team and across Council, the position undertakes urban design analysis, prepares design documentation and provides technical support to help deliver high-quality places for the Northern Beaches community. The position supports the delivery of Council's Urban Design work program and contributes to creating sustainable, liveable and well-designed places across the Northern Beaches.

Additional Information:

• Position Description
• Applications close on: Friday 6 November 2026
• Expected Interview Date: Thursday 10 December 2026
• Questions? Please call the Hiring Manager: Phil Jemison [phone]

Northern Beaches Council is a diverse and inclusive employer and encourages applications from differently abled candidates. Reasonable adjustments to the workplace may be made where these are required. If you would like to contact us to discuss your specific circumstances, please contact the hiring manager for this role. If you do not feel comfortable to do so, please contact HR Services on [phone].