Senior Planning Officer

• 
  9-day fortnight or 19-day month options with hybrid arrangements
• Exciting time to join the City of Ballarat as we continue to grow
• Balance your lifestyle and career in beautiful Ballarat

About the City of Ballarat 

The City of Ballarat, 100km west of Melbourne’s CBD, is one of Australia’s largest inland regional cities. Ballarat is uniquely located with easy access to Melbourne, Geelong and Bendigo and is the Western Victorian capital for a region of 400,000 people. 

The City of Ballarat has a growing economy that attracts and retains innovative businesses, employs a highly skilled workforce and attracts new residents whilst promoting the city’s unique heritage and vibrant cultural life. Ballarat has all the services, retail and entertainment opportunities you'd expect to find in a metropolitan setting but with a relaxed country attitude. With affordable housing at a fraction of Melbourne prices and a progressive leadership team, now is a great time to join the City of Ballarat. 

The role 

Reporting to the Manager, this role forms a key part of the Statutory Planning Team. The Senior Planning Officer is responsible for managing a variety of challenging planning permit applications. As a key member of the team, the Senior Planner is also responsible for identifying process improvement opportunities. The Senior Planner is an active participant in team meetings and contributes to discussions regarding technical and team matters as well as provides informal guidance to junior members of staff. 

About you 

The City of Ballarat is seeking an experienced and motivated technical professional. You will ideally have rural/regional experience and an understanding of the suite of planning controls typical of such environments. You should also bring a positive attitude and have a desire to coach more inexperienced officers. Whilst previous experience in a similar level position is desired, this is not essential. Candidates will be judged as much upon fit and attitude as their technical capabilities.  

Key Selection Criteria 

• Tertiary qualification in town planning or closely related discipline and several years’ experience working in a statutory planning environment, preferably in the state or local government sector or a lesser formal qualification and substantial experience in a town planning environment, preferably in the state or local government sector;   
• Advanced understanding of the Victorian planning system, including the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the Victoria Planning Provisions (VPPs) 
• Understanding of heritage, urban design and environmental planning principles and their relationship to statutory planning processes;  
• Experience in advocating at, or briefing representatives for, VCAT or similar forums; 
• Developed written skills, particularly report writing and preparation of external correspondence; 
• Demonstrated verbal communication skills, including the ability to mediate outcomes;  
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage own time and workload to ensure that the Statutory Planning Unit meets its Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); and  
• Demonstrated ability in developing and implementing process improvement initiatives.   

To apply 

This position closes 21st July 2024.  Please ensure that you provide a cover letter, current resume, address the key selection criteria as well as complete an application cover sheet.

Contact 

For any additional questions, please contact Connor Perrott, Manager Statutory Planning on 0419 108 257. 

The City of Ballarat is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to providing a safe and inclusive working environment that embraces and values child safety, diversity and flexibility. We welcome applications from all walks of life and celebrate the diversity and richness this brings to our workplace. We welcome and encourage applications from people living with a disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, culturally, religiously and linguistically diverse people, young people, older people, women, and people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex or queer.  We support flexible and accessible working arrangements for all and are committed to ensuring that all jobs in our workforce can be performed flexibly. If you're short listed for a role and are looking for flexibility, we encourage you to start the flexible working conversation with the hiring manager to find out what options may be possible for the role you're applying for.