Planning Coordinator

JOYN; Auckland; On-site; NZD 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Fitness subsidy

Flexible start/finish times

Job summary

Lightyears is a New Zealand-owned solar energy company on an exciting growth journey. You will help move solar farm projects from early opportunities through RTB and FID, coordinating consents, land agreements, site investigations and more in a dynamic Development team.

With around 15 active projects, you’ll be the go-to person for what’s happening and what’s coming up, communicating with landowners, consultants and councils to keep information flowing and deadlines met.

Qualifications

• You are in your first (or maybe second) role with a couple of years' experience and are starting to think about what's next.
• Planning or resource consenting experience is preferred, but adjacent property, infrastructure or project coordination experience is also welcome.
• You're naturally organised and enjoy having lots of moving parts to manage.
• You have a clear, professional communication style and can build trust with landowners, consultants and councils.
• You understand New Zealand's resource consenting process.
• You can juggle multiple projects and deadlines without dropping the ball.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate resource consents with planning consultants, councils and external parties.
• Stay on top of consent milestones, deadlines and outstanding actions.
• Coordinate land options, leases and access agreements with landowners and the legal team.
• Arrange site access and coordinate surveys, environmental assessments and other investigations.
• Build and maintain development trackers and registers and inform the team of progress.
• Prepare development information for investment approvals and handover to delivery and commercial teams.

Skills

Organised

Coordination skills

Project coordination

Attention to detail

Tools

Spreadsheets

Project trackers

Document management

Job description

$75,000 - $85,000 + Medical + Fitness Subsidy

Love being organised, making things happen and finding better ways to do things? Lightyears Solar is continuing its impressive growth and have another newly created role. We're looking for someone who's ambitious, full of initiative and ready to take the next step in their career.

About Lightyears

Lightyears is a New Zealand-owned solar energy company on an exciting growth journey. What started as a small development venture has grown into a business covering everything from development and design through to construction, maintenance and power generation.

Still founder-led, Lightyears has kept its down-to-earth, collaborative culture. It's a place where good ideas are welcomed, people roll up their sleeves and no one is too precious about doing things differently.

Currently in Eden Terrace, they've outgrown that space and will be moving to new premises in Newmarket in February 2027.

The opportunity

Working closely with the Development team, you'll help get new solar farm projects from early-stage opportunity through to ready-to-build (RTB) and final investment decision (FID). That means coordinating resource consents, land agreements, site investigations and the many moving parts in between.

With around 15 projects at different stages of development, there's plenty to keep you busy. You'll be the person who knows what's happening, what's coming up and what needs chasing before anyone else has to ask.

You'll also be regularly communicating with landowners, consultants and councils, keeping everyone informed and ensuring information flows smoothly.

Some of what you'll be doing:

• Keeping resource consent applications moving, working with planning consultants, councils and other external parties.
• Staying on top of consent milestones, council queries, deadlines and outstanding actions, ensuring conditions and obligations are captured for handover.
• Coordinating land options, leases and access agreements, liaising with landowners and working with the legal team on anything non-standard.
• Arranging site access and coordinating consultants carrying out surveys, environmental assessments and other development-stage investigations.
• Building and maintaining development trackers and registers, keeping the team informed and spotting potential delays before they become issues.
• Pulling together development information and documentation for investment approvals, due diligence and handover to the delivery and commercial teams.
• Finding smarter ways to do things, developing better tools, checklists and processes as the business grows.

About you

You're in your first (or maybe second) role, with a couple of years' experience, and you're starting to think about what's next. Planning or resource consenting experience is preferred, but we'd also love to hear from people with adjacent property, infrastructure or project coordination experience.

You're naturally organised and enjoy having lots of moving parts to manage. You're the person who follows things up, asks questions and gets things sorted without waiting to be told.

You also have:

• A clear, professional communication style. You can build trust with landowners, hold your own with consultants and councils, and write emails people actually respond to.
• An eye for the small things: the missing signature, the slipped deadline, the consent condition that needs to be carried through to the next team.
• A good understanding of New Zealand's resource consenting process.
• The ability to juggle multiple projects and deadlines without dropping the ball.
• Good judgement about what you can resolve yourself and when to bring in a specialist or your manager.
• Confidence with spreadsheets, project trackers and document management, plus curiosity about how AI tools can make routine work faster.

Most importantly, you're keen to learn, happy to share your ideas and excited by the thought of growing with a business that's really going places.

Why Lightyears?

You'll be joining a scaling business with a flat structure, where you'll have access to experienced leaders, your ideas will be heard and you'll have the freedom to take ownership and make this role your own.

There's plenty happening at Lightyears, and as the business grows, so does the opportunity to broaden your experience, develop new skills and build a great career.

Add funded health insurance, subsidised fitness, flexible start/finish times, and a genuinely supportive and engaged team - there's a lot to like!

To apply for this opportunity, you must be a New Zealand Citizen, Resident, or have already secured the right to work in New Zealand and therefore hold a valid Work Visa.