Principal Urban Designer

Title: Principal Urban Designer

Requisition ID: 8621

Work Type: Fixed Term Full Time

Fixed Term Period: Fixed term until 6 December 2026

Location: Melbourne - CBD

Date Posted: 14 Oct 2025

About Us
We create thriving places and connected communities. We bring together transport, planning, land use, precinct and policy functions in a single department to deliver the best outcomes for Victorians.

Together with our portfolio agencies, we are responsible for planning, building, operating and maintaining Victoria's transport, planning and land services for use by all.

We foster a safe, inclusive and constructive place to work.

About The Group
Planning and Land Services
delivers responsive, customer focussed, high quality planning, land administration and property services that support thriving places and connected communities.

About The Role
This is a Full TIME FIXED TERM position until 6/12/2026
The Principal Urban Designer is responsible for providing facilitative and constructive urban design advice to support the decision-making functions of the State Planning division, in relation to projects where the Minister for Planning is the responsible authority. This includes a range of complex projects through the Development Facilitation Program and other Ministerial pathways. The Principal Urban Designer works collaboratively with the Senior Urban Designers, managers and planners to ensure the timely delivery of design review advice to assist with decision making.

The successful candidate will be a passionate and motivated design professional with enthusiasm and a focus on delivering quality planning outcomes across Victoria.

To access the Position Description, please click here
We are seeking a collaborative and strategic professional who fosters a positive, inclusive, and culturally safe workplace while supporting team effectiveness and continuous knowledge development. The role requires strong leadership in collaboration, communication, and problem-solving, with the ability to navigate complex organisational and political contexts to deliver exceptional customer-focused outcomes.

Position Accountabilities
– Support State Planning teams through the provision of facilitative and constructive design advice (both verbal and written) to assist with planning decision-making.

– Ensure advice reflects an expert understanding of the Victoria Planning Provisions and relevant strategic, statutory and policy frameworks.

– Contribute to stakeholder meetings, and coordinate and chair design workshops when appropriate and required.

– Mentor, coach and provide urban design guidance to team members, where appropriate.

– Work flexibly and collaboratively across the division to support departmental priorities and contribute to broader policy, reform and project initiatives.

– Identify and respond to new and emerging best practice, planning reforms and design issues.

– Monitor, record and evaluate the effectiveness of the design review function, implementing improvements to business operations.

– Pro-actively manage urban design referrals to ensure advice is provided within key timeframes, and assist managers in allocations where appropriate.

– Establish and maintain effective working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, gain cooperation, influence views and negotiate for the department on complex, contentious and sensitive matters within established parameters.

– Represent State Planning and the department at high level working groups, meetings, conferences and forums to ensure department interests are effectively represented.

– Provide timely high-level advice to senior management on program and project-related issues that demonstrate an understanding of the policy, political and legal context.

Qualifications And Experience
– Tertiary qualification in urban design, architecture or related field (mandatory)

– Significant experience in urban design and/or planning (mandatory)

Culture Value
We welcome applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds representing the community that we serve, including veterans, parents, carers, First Peoples, people with disability, multicultural, multifaith and LGBTIQA+ individuals.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and high-performance culture. Through shared actions and behaviours aligned with our strategy and direction, we empower our people to thrive and meaningfully contribute to the department's goals.

What We Offer
Working at the Department of Transport and Planning provides people with the opportunity to contribute to creating thriving places and connected communities for all Victorians.

For further details please refer to Careers at the Department of Transport and Planning.

Pre-employment checks and employment conditions

All new appointments to the department will be subject to a National Criminal Records Check, Misconduct Screening, and a Qualification Check where there is a requirement for a mandatory qualification. Information provided to the Department of Transport and Planning will be treated in the strictest confidence consistent with the requirements of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014.

Applicants must be an Australian Citizen, Permanent Resident or hold a valid work permit or visa necessary for the nature of the position.

Recipients of Victorian Public Service (VPS) voluntary departure packages should note that re-employment restrictions apply.

Non-VPS applicants will be subject to a probation period of six months.

How To Apply
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for Quick Reference Guide on how to apply.

Applications close at
11.59pm on Monday, the 27th of October 2025.
Please include both your resume and a cover letter. All applications must be submitted via the online portal, we're unable to accept email or manual submissions.

For further information about the role, please contact
Erin Baden-Smith, A/Director Development Assessment via
Important Information
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