Full Time – Permanent

Are you a visionary planner with leadership acumen? Join us as a Team Leader and lead a team of Planning officers to deliver impactful projects that shape our future. Embrace flexibility, growth, and the opportunity to assess varied development applications from across the cities residential, rural, beachfront and commercial/industrial areas.

About the Position

Attractive opportunity for an experienced and inspiring planner to:

• lead a great team of planning officers (12) with a mix of experience
• work in an interesting area with a broad variety of land uses, including the McLaren Vale region and mid-coast at the southern fringe of Adelaide
• support the council to achieve sustainable development and growth.

Reporting to Manager, Development Services and working closely with the Principal Planner (Assessment Manager), this role will provide coordinated leadership and supervision for the Planning Team’s day-to-day activities, including ensuring staff availability, workload balance and performance standards. This position also entails providing professional advice to internal and external stakeholders on the development process and expert opinions in decision appeals.

About You

As a part of a collaborative team in a dynamic and fun environment, your energy, positivity, and innate communication skills will empower you to lead and inspire your team towards achieving a common goal. A tertiary qualification in town planning, urban design, or relevant discipline along with advanced project management skills that support timely strategy, project and program development fostering cross-functional collaboration. You will need robust interpersonal and customer service skills to provide expert guidance and foster a professional service-oriented approach.

Key Selection Criteria:

1. Demonstrated ability to influence and excite others to unite and move towards achieving common goals.
2. Prioritise and organise work to meet conflicting demands of a diverse team.
3. Detailed knowledge of the development assessment process, including the Planning and Design Code and use of the SA Planning Portal.
4. Detailed knowledge of legal processes and systems with regards to the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016.
5. Ability to interpret complex information, drawings, maps, statistics and legal opinions.
6. Negotiation skills and the ability to handle difficult situations to achieve positive outcomes.
7. Detailed knowledge of council’s decision-making process and the ability to identify areas of political sensitivity.

Working for Council

Some of the benefits of working with us include:

• Competitive salary
• Fun and energetic team
• Generous leave entitlements including 3 additional paid days over Christmas
• Flexible ways of working
• Free parking
• An expansive health & wellbeing program
• Just over 10 minutes from the bottom of the Southern Expressway
• Salary sacrificing options

We encourage applicants to contact Matthew Lawrence, Manager Development Services on
(08) 8384 0137 to discuss this opportunity in more detail.

Application Process:

To be considered for this position, all applicants must submit a resume and a cover letter addressing how they meet each of the key selection criteria detailed within this advertisement. It is mandatory to provide detailed explanations of relevant experience and qualifications related to the criteria outlined above.

Applicants will be assessed based on their ability to demonstrate relevant experience for the position and alignment with the City of Onkaparinga’s Values and Behaviours.

The City of Onkaparinga is committed to a diverse, inclusive, and accessible workplace. We welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and individuals with disabilities. For any adjustments during the recruitment process or on the job, contact [email protected].

The City of Onkaparinga advises that the recruitment process includes a medical assessment, confirmation of experience and stated qualifications and may also include psychometric testing.

Applications close – 9am Monday 5 May 2025