Full Time – Permanent

About the Position

We're looking for a visionary and collaborative leader to head our Strategy Team. As the Team Leader Strategy, you'll play a pivotal role in embedding strategic planning across the organisation and aligning our work with the Community Vision 2034—our city's long-term strategic blueprint.

In this role, you'll provide critical policy and advocacy support to senior leaders, ensuring decisions are informed, forward-thinking, and community-focused. You’ll lead a talented multidisciplinary team delivering on strategic planning, advocacy, social planning, grants attraction, and research and analysis.

This is a unique opportunity to influence how we plan, prioritise, and deliver outcomes for our community—now and into the future.

About You

We’re seeking a confident and empathetic leader who can guide a diverse team of experts with clarity and purpose. You’ll be a systems thinker with a strategic mindset, capable of improving our organisation-wide planning approach through strong collaboration and influence. Adaptable and solutions-focused, you’ll bring lateral thinking to complex challenges and stay calm when faced with roadblocks. Most importantly, you’ll be comfortable working within a government environment and understand how to navigate its unique structures and opportunities.

Key Selection Criteria – please address the following in your cover letter:

1. Proven experience and success in team building and leading, supervising and inspiring professional staff.
2. Demonstrated advanced understanding of and experience relating to strategic planning
3. Experience in working in a cross-team environment as an organisational consultant, providing advice, assistance and recommendations as required
4. Demonstrated experience facilitating workshops with a diverse range of people at different levels and confident to present findings to stakeholders.
5. Capacity to be proactive and innovative in the development of solutions to long standing problems
6. Post graduate study in a relevant field is desirable.

Working for Council

Some of the benefits of working with us include:

• Competitive salary
• Salary sacrificing and novated lease options
• Generous leave entitlements including 3 additional paid days over Christmas
• Flexible ways of working
• An expansive health and wellbeing program
• Career development opportunities

We encourage applicants to contact Ynys Onsman, Manager Strategy, Sustainability and Economic Growth, on 08 8384 0138 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, 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