Strategic Planner

Get involved and work collaboratively on projects that help enhance the Gold Coast of the future
About The Team
Situated within the Planning and Regulation department, the City Planning Branch is responsible for long term planning and policy development to manage growth and development of our city while protecting the qualities that make Gold Coast City a great place to live.

About Your New Role
We currently have exciting opportunities available for Strategic Planners to actively get involved with and work collaboratively on projects that help guide the growth of the Gold Coast. These roles give you an opportunity to work in a supportive team environment on a broad range of projects which will ensure your days are varied and interesting. Roles are available within these teams:

Regional Planning
Responsibilities
The Strategic Urban and Regional Planningbusiness unit leads the long-term planning for how the Gold Coast grows shaping a vibrant, sustainable, and liveable city. By guiding where and how development happens, we balance environmental, social, and economic priorities so neighbourhoods reflect community values, meet future needs, and thrive for generations The Regional Planning team is responsible for:

• Developing and reviewing city-wide land use policy to guide future development, such as the Local Growth Management Strategy.
• Providing expert regional planning advice that ensures our local strategies align with State planning legislation and regional directions.

The key role of a Strategic Planner is to contribute to strategic planning projects and support policy development processes.

Planning Scheme
The Planning Scheme team is primarily responsible for the preparation and maintenance of the city's statutory land use planning instruments, in particular the City Plan and the new planning scheme.

You will play a key role in contributing to the development and drafting of the new planning scheme. This is a significant City project which only occurs once every ten years. It will provide you with a rare opportunity to develop your plan-making skills within a supportive team environment.

Both roles will require you to work with other policy advisors across the organisation to provide high quality specialist advice to internal and external stakeholders. The roles also require you to collaborate and consult with a range of stakeholders across the organisation, state government agencies, industry and community groups and broader community.

You will work on a broad range of deliverables across various policy areas, ensuring your days are varied and interesting. These may include work on growth management, urban design, managing constraints (flooding, bushfire, landslide) and protection of environmental values.

For more information, view the position brief by clicking the paperclip icon in the top right corner of this screen.

We're Looking For People Who Have

• Bachelor Degree of Urban and Regional Planning or Equivalent
• Experience as a town planner / urban planner
• Development assessment or policy development experience will be highly regarded
• Technical skills applicable to the role.
• A high level of demonstrated interpersonal, oral and written skills as well as effective time management.
• High attention to detail, ability to analyse issues, problem solve and the ability to contribute to policy development.
• Strategic planning or policy experience is desirable.
• Demonstrated experience in successfully applying project management principles to ensure program deliverables and deadlines are met.
• Analytical and critical thinking skills to develop innovative solutions.
• A positive mindset and passion for working in a dynamic environment where each day will provide new challenges.

Be part of shaping the Gold Coast's future
The Gold Coast is inspired bylifestyle and driven by opportunity. We are the second largest Council in Australia.

Benefits
We care about being the most flexible government organisation in Australia and 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

We pride ourselves on our shared mission of being a high-performing, customer-focused organisation which delivers value-for-money services to the community. We're committed to creating a diverse workplace and inclusive culture.

How To Apply
Click 'Apply' to submit your online application. Upload your Resume with a Cover Letter (of no more than 2 pages) outlining how your skills, experience and personal attributes would allow you to achieve success in this role.

Documents need to be less than 2MB in size and PDF format is preferred. If you encounter technical issues when applying, please email

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.

Contact Person

Wing Chiu or Luis Moriones

Contact

or

Closing Date

Sunday 30th November 2025

Please note applications for all of our vacancies close at 10.00pm on the listed closing date.
The City of Gold Coast is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace. We are committed to supporting an environment where all employees, regardless of their differences or similarities, feel valued, respected and supported. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons are encouraged to apply.