Associate Urban Planner

Habitat Planning is seeking an Associate Urban Planner to lead our Wagga Wagga office, in the beautiful Riverina region of NSW. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and driven professional ready to take the next step in their career.

We're looking for someone with 8+ years proven experience in urban planning who understands the private and public sector and has worked on complex urban development or infrastructure projects. The ideal candidate will bring strong leadership skills, an outcomes-focused mindset, excellent client liaison abilities, and a passion for contributing to a high-performing, purpose-led organisation.

Key responsibilities

The Associate position is a senior leadership role, responsible for guiding projects to successful completion, building and maintaining strong client relationships, and providing the experience and knowledge needed to mentor, support, and develop junior staff.

The successful candidate will:

• Have the opportunity to work across a diverse range of complex projects, from initial advice and consideration through to assessment and delivery
• Provide high-quality support and advice to a wide variety of clients including landowners, public sector agencies and corporate developers
• Participate in all aspects of urban planning from proposal preparation and report writing, research and analysis, navigating approvals pathways and processes, subconsultant and partner management and client liaison
• Continually develop their skills in project management, delegation and supervision through managing junior staff members
• Be part of a growing business that offers a friendly and supportive learning environment as part of a larger team, spanning 3 office locations.

Who we are looking for

This is a full-time position based at our Wagga Wagga office, five days per week. The successful candidate must be located within a commutable distance of the office.

We're seeking a career-driven professional who is passionate about advocating for clients, is an excellent communicator, and a capable team leader who thrives in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment.

The role is ideally suited to a planner with 8 – 10 years of experience, ready to take the next step in their career and assist in managing one of our growing office locations.

Our ideal candidate is passionate about planning, is proactive and results-oriented, and committed to

working collaboratively to achieve outstanding outcomes for our clients and communities.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following capabilities:

• Hold a tertiary qualification in Urban Planning or related degree/discipline (essential)
• Have 8+ years' planning experience
• Demonstrate strong leadership skills to coach and develop team members
• Knowledge of the NSW planning system. Knowledge of the Victorian system is also highly regarded
• Proficient in Microsoft applications
• Strong research, analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent report writing skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including public speaking and presentation
• Good planning and organisational skills.
• Can establish rapport with clients and external project teams with ease
• Work cooperatively and flexibly with other team members.
• Capable of prospecting new business.

About Habitat Planning

As our name suggests, Habitat is about creating tomorrow's places.

We are a specialist town planning and urban design consultancy that provides advisory services to private development and government clients across regional New South Wales and Victoria.

With offices in Albury, Wagga Wagga and Echuca, and a network that extends beyond the regions, we're proud to be a trusted source of planning expertise, delivering practical and purpose-led solutions for our clients.

Above all, we care about the outcomes, because we live here too.

Why work with us?

At Habitat Planning, we're passionate about creating tomorrow's places.

For almost 30 years, we've been a trusted partner in helping shape the regions across more than 20 Local Government Areas throughout regional New South Wales and Victoria.

Due to business growth, we're seeking a high-performing Associate to join our friendly and capable team.

The position presents an exciting opportunity to lead a talented team of passionate planners, contribute to the growth and resilience of regional communities through projects of various scale, and establish your mark in a supportive consultancy that values collaboration, integrity, and excellence.

Aside from enjoying a light-filled modern office in a beautiful regional setting, with all that the Riverina and surrounds have to offer, Habitat offers competitive salary packages, career development with defined pathways, professional development and significant opportunity to grow your career.

How to Apply?

If you believe you have what it takes to drive business from the Riverina, we'd love to hear from you.

A competitive salary package will be offered to the right candidate, reflective of skills and experience. For more information and a confidential discussion or to apply now, reach out to Habitat Business Manager, Natasha Hunter at 

Please ensure your application includes a cover letter together with your CV.

Note: This position is open only to applicants who have the legal right to live and work in Australia.