Principal Planner

SLR Consulting; Wellington; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

SLR Consulting is seeking a Principal Planner/Team Leader based in Wellington. You will provide inspirational leadership to the national Planning team, coach senior staff, and drive business development while delivering technically excellent planning work for clients across diverse sectors.

Based in our Wellington office, the role focuses on growing the team, maintaining high utilisation, and upholding excellence in project delivery.

Qualifications

• 10+ years experience in planning and resource management.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in resource management planning.
• Experienced leader capable of guiding senior staff.
• Commercially savvy with a record of repeat/new business.
• Strong relationship-building and industry credibility.
• Consistent target achievement and professional development.
• Detail-focused with on-time, on-budget delivery.
• Analytical assessment and reporting skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Wellington Planning Team; manage 4 direct reports.
• Provide technical leadership and coaching to Directors and Team Leaders.
• Lead client-facing project workstreams and ensure on-time delivery.
• Oversee budget, utilisation targets and cross-discipline collaboration.
• Contribute to growth of Planning services aligned with SLR values.

Skills

10+ years planning experience

Leadership of leaders

Commercially savvy

Relationship building

Target achievement

Detail oriented

Analytical reporting

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in resource management planning

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 16th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

Do you believe you can make the world a better place?

SLR's purpose is Making Sustainability Happen, which we achieve by having a team of expert advisors and technicians, who partner with our clients to tackle some of the world's most complex sustainability challenges.

SLR is an international environmental consultancy with a globally recognised reputation for providing high quality tailored services.With close to 200 staff spanning the length of Aotearoa and an additional 800+ staff across Asia Pacific, we provide consultancy advice and support on a wide range of strategic and site-specific issues to a diverse and growing base of business, regulatory and governmental clients. We celebrate a 'One Team Culture', where bringing together diversity of thought and expression is key to building the best team to deliver excellent results.

A rare opportunity has come up for a Principal Planner/Team Leader to join our national Planning team. Based in the Wellington office, you will provide inspirational and empowering leadership to our people. Key focuses will be the development and coaching of senior employees, building a high performing team; business development to ensure our business and team continue to grow and thrive; as well as technical excellence to ensure our team delivers technically excellent work to our clients.

Responsibilities

As a Principal Planner/Team Leader, you will be responsible for the following:

• Manage and lead 4 direct reports in the Wellington Planning Team
• Provide technical leadership, training and actively coach Technical Directors and Team Leaders
• Lead on client facing project workstreams
• Lead the delivery of projects to time and budget
• Proactively work across disciplines to maintain utilisation targets. In the Wellington office we have a number of specialist disciplines including Ecology & Marine Science, Environmental Services, Acoustics & Vibration, Hydrology & Hydrogeology and Landscape Architecture to name a few.
• Contribute to the growth and development of the Planning Service in line with SLR's purpose and values
• Manage SLR's commercial risk through review of project work and maintaining standards of excellence
• Role models building personal professional knowledge by keeping up to date with specialist area trends and best practice, participating in technical and professional associations

Skills and experience

You will also possess the following skills:

• 10+ years experience in planning and resource management
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in resource management planning
• Experienced leader, leading leaders and a high performing team
• Commercially savvy and has a following in the industry that consistently leads to significant repeat, advocacy or new business
• Ability to build long lasting, trusted relationships
• Consistently achieves targets and supports professional development
• Detail focused and completes tasks on time and on budget
• Competent in analytical assessment and reporting

We are proud of our unique culture where we work together to collaborate on projects to get the best possible outcome for our clients. SLR supports flexible working arrangements as we recognise that every person is different, and our benefits aim to ensure that we cater for all.

You can find a comprehensive list here.

Next Steps

We make hiring decisions based on your experience, skills and passion. Please note that interviews are conducted with gender diverse interview panels to the best of our ability. When you apply, please tell us the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process.

Unsolicited resumes from recruitment consultants will not be accepted. You must be part of the preferred supplier agreement list which is coordinated through our Talent Acquisition team.