Cultural Development and Placemaking Officer

Job no: 495281

Work type: Permanent Full Time

Location: Penrith

Categories: Community Services & Development

Salary: $107,058.00 to $123,924.00 p.a, plus 12% superannuation

About the role

The Neighbourhood Renewal Team responds to the impacts of disadvantage in older established neighbourhoods. They do this through deep place-based engagement, tailored programming, and cultural development with residents experiencing hardship.

The Cultural Development and Placemaking Officer is a specialist role that works with the arts and cultural sector to strengthen the social and cultural fabric of key neighbourhoods. They apply community arts and cultural development practice to lead projects that tell local stories and build identity of place. They are also responsible for small-scale placemaking initiatives that contribute to revitalising the public domain of key neighbourhoods.

Neighbourhood Renewal is a place-based team, and tasks change on a place-by-place basis. Responsibilities include working with residents, local social and cultural service providers, artists, and businesses to develop initiatives that seek out and support community input into decision-making processes. As well as this, the position also works across Council and the community sector to strengthen and develop community and cultural engagement practice.

The Cultural Development and Placemaking Officer – Neighbourhood Renewal sits in the Community Resilience team in the City Activation, Community and Place Department. The Department sits within the Community Connections Division

This is a community-facing role that is expected to meet operational demands when balancing hours between office, on site and other locations in accordance with Council's Finding Balance Policy and other relevant policies and procedures.

How to Apply

Visit to view the position description and to find out more information about employment with Penrith City Council. To submit your application, please apply online using the link below.

In addition to a cover letter and resume, applicants are required to submit comprehensive responses to the selection criteria (listed below) as a part of their initial application. Applicants who do not meet the essential criteria will not be considered.

Completed applications must be received by 11.55 pm on the closing date. Please allow 4 weeks from the closing date for the processing of your application.

For further information about the position, please contact Josh Staines, Senior Policy Officer - Aboriginal at

Essential criteria

• Tertiary qualification in Arts Administration, Community and/or Cultural Development, Social Sciences or other relevant discipline

• Demonstrated experience in delivering Community Arts and Cultural Development practice

• Demonstrated experience of working on or leading place making initiatives, such as small scale public art and minor capital works

• Demonstrated experience in the planning and delivery of projects involving a range of community and other stakeholders, including artists

• Demonstrated strong communication skills, including active listening, public speaking, and report writing

• Demonstrated ability to work and participate actively within a collaborative team environment and maintain a positive customer focus

• Understanding of and commitment to principles of social justice as they relate to socio-economic disadvantage

Desirable criteria

• Certification in Public Participation

• Experience working within Local Government

• Experience in working with Arts organisations and funding bodies

Salary: The salary for this position ranges from $107, $123,924.00 per annum, plus 12% Superannuation, and will be negotiated commensurate with the skills, qualifications, and experience of the preferred applicant.

You will be required to undertake employment checks, which may include a Criminal History Check, Qualification Check, Working with Children Check, Medical Declaration and/or a Functional Test, as relevant to the position for which you have applied. Where a Criminal History Check is required and has returned a result that indicates disclosable court outcomes, you will be required to provide a copy of the report to Penrith City Council, for review in order to progress through the recruitment process.

About us

At Penrith City Council, we're passionate about people; in our community and in our workplace. We want you to be able to be your best self, and we get that work is just one part of your life, so we're here to support you in the moments that matter. As the winner of the 2020 Local Government Excellence in People and Culture Award and an Excellence Award winner in the 2020 Australian HR Awards, you can be confident in joining a workplace that offers truly outstanding benefits, including:

• A range of flexible work arrangements
• 18 weeks paid maternity leave
• Health and wellbeing leave
• 15 days personal leave
• Significant financial and leave support for undertaking further education
• Diverse salary packaging
• Access to all Ripples venues
• And much, much more

The City Activation, Community and Place department supports a vibrant and inclusive City with thriving, resilient communities. The department sits within Council's Community Connections division. We are a multidisciplinary team with a wide range of strengths and we work collaboratively to deliver outcomes from community-based events, flagship festivals, place-making and arts initiatives, sector capacity-building, safer communities as well as evidence-based policy with a focus on delivering measurable impact. We work innovatively with our community to drive positive outcomes that shape the future of our City. In this role, you will join a passionate, outcomes-driven team focused on supporting a thriving City for all.

Council is a Child Safe Organisation. For more information about this, please see our website.

Applicants must have the right to live and work in Australia to apply for this position.

Position description

Advertised: 01 Oct 2025 AUS Eastern Standard Time

Applications close: 22 Oct 2025 AUS Eastern Daylight Time

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