Moira Shire Council | Senior Town Planner

Job Category: Community Services and Development, Design and Architecture, Government, Defence & Emergency, Other
ABOUT US Moira Shire Council is an innovative and progressive local government organisation committed to serving the needs of communities across a large regional shire located on the Murray River almost 3 hours north of Melbourne. Extending from the iconic Barmah Forest along the Murray River our region includes four major towns - Cobram, Numurkah, Nathalia and Yarrawonga, one of Victoria's most popular holiday destinations.
We are a team of diverse individuals who enjoy many lifestyle benefits of working for Moira Shire Council.
Some of these benefits include:
A family-friendly workplace that lives by our values of Respect, Integrity, Accountability, Honesty, and Teamwork Access to annual flu shots. Annual skin checks. Opportunity to salary package. Opportunity for flexible work arrangements. Out of hours Social Club. Access Employee Assistance Program. Can and soft-plastic collection. The ability to make a tangible difference to your community. 16 weeks paid parental leave for primary caregiver and 6 weeks for secondary carer. Moira Shire Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer offering flexible work arrangements for employees in a family-friendly workplace.
Moira promotes a workplace that actively seeks to include, welcome and value the contributions of all people and encourages people with a disability, Aboriginal Australians, young people and people from culturally diverse backgrounds to apply.
Job Description Key Responsibilities and Functions Statutory Planning Work both independently and as part of a team to achieve timely and appropriate outcomes on highly complex planning projects, policy and strategy development.
Exercise professional judgement within agreed standards and actively contribute to the pursuit of effective and timely service delivery.
Manage projects to deliver highly complex, multi-disciplinary outcomes within agreed parameters relating to scope, output, timeline and budget.
Prepare and deliver public consultation programs in respect to planning matters.
Represent Council at VCAT and relevant Courts and jurisdictions in relation to planning matters.
Provision of high quality, timely and accurate planning advice to the community, stakeholders, staff and Council.
Responsible for the initiation and processing of applications for permits including preparation of assessment reports, correspondence, referrals, to initiate and prepare permits and notices in accordance with regulations.
Consideration and preparation of permits and refusals under delegation in accordance with Council policy.
Evaluate and prepare reports on planning applications and planning appeals involving and/or impacting upon the aspects of land use and development of the municipality.
Liaise across various disciplines within the Council.
Responsible to ensure that development applications are assessed in accordance with Council policies and in an efficient, effective and timely manner.
Assist with the implementation and continuing effectiveness of the Council's Planning Scheme to achieve efficient and sustainable development for the municipality.
Ability to make recommendations on matters of a land use nature, including the development of new methods and techniques as appropriate.
Provide accurate and timely advice to the applicants, public, developers and other organisations on matters of a land use and development nature at the counter, by telephone and in writing.
Carry out site inspections, collect evidence and enforce planning permit conditions and provisions of the Planning Scheme.
Coordinate, prepare and review subdivision plans for Council approval.
Research and prepare written reports, presentations and verbal advice which advise the Council of the appropriate strategy and/or policy on the management of land use and development.
Attend Council meetings as directed by the Manager or Coordinator Planning.
Strategic Planning Process complex planning scheme amendments including those that contribute to the growth of Moira and implement adopted growth plans.
Represent Council at Planning Panels and relevant forums in relation to Planning Scheme Amendments.
Provide a high level of professional planning expertise to senior management, internal departments, Council and the community.
Deliver cross-organisational planning solutions to ensure strategic and integrated outcomes for the shire.
Liaise with government agencies and other stakeholders with respect to land use planning and development issues. Establish and maintain good working networks with other persons, organisations, community groups, service authorities/providers and government agencies and departments who have an involvement or interest generally in strategic planning issues affecting Moira Shire.
Establish, facilitate and co-ordinate steering committees and liaise with external consultants in respect to strategic planning projects and programs.
Staff Management Assist in the coordination of the day-to-day running of the statutory and strategic planning functions of Council.
Oversight of the management of contractors required to undertake the statutory and strategic planning function, including any contractor required to give heritage advice on planning applications.
Deliver high quality reports for decision making.
Demonstrated ability to manage time, set priorities, achieve objectives and meet deadlines in a complex environment.
Plan and manage own work and maintain systems to track and follow through enquiries in a complex, changing environment in order to meet set objectives and deadlines.
Ability to influence, delegate and to achieve results through others.
Assist in the formal assessments of staff in the department as required.
Provide and assist in the guidance and direction to staff through the establishment of team and individual performance indicators and timely performance reviews.
Communication to ensure that required information reaches employees in a timely manner.
Business Performance Develop and manage an annual department budget, working to the agreed budget including targets set by the Management Team.
Contribute to all corporate planning and reporting requirements.
Ensure effective departmental use of corporate systems.
Provide business intelligence to inform decision making at various levels.
Service Management Monitor all planning processes to ensure optimum delivery of services, consistent with adopted policies and strategies and within regulatory frameworks.
Develop and maintain a framework for dealing expeditiously with planning applications/development that would have a positive impact on the economic development in the Shire.
Comply with legislation, regulation and any other externally imposed service standards.
Seek to provide the best value-for-money outcomes for the community that resources allow.
Corporate Planning Participate in the development, implementation and monitoring of plans and strategies.
Identify medium to long-term opportunities and challenges and plan for them.
Participate in the planning of projects in accordance with Council's project management framework.
Deal with sensitive and complex matters that may not always have established guidelines and procedures. Work effectively in an evolving landscape, exercising professional judgement within a political environment.
Stakeholder Management Work with all Directorates, Councillors and community to achieve outcomes.
Develop and maintain effective working relationships with other levels of government and funding bodies to achieve outcomes for Moira Shire.
To discuss this position please contact Travis Basham, Manager Planning on: or 0358 719 222
Minimum Qualifications and Experience Degree in planning or a related field, with three - five years of relevant experience. Time management skills and ability to prioritise and meet deadlines. A thorough understanding of the Victorian planning system with a proven ability to develop and implement planning policy/strategy through statutory mechanisms. Proven ability to think strategically, analyse complex situations, develop creative solutions and achieve outcomes that advance Council outcomes. Proven ability to work on business improvement activities to deliver strategic benefits through review of processes, systems, and operating procedures. Desirable Qualifications and Experience Experience in Local Government in a senior role.
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