Senior Planning Officer - Parramatta

Job Accountabilities

• Assess the merits of complex State significant projects in line with best practice frameworks and benchmark assessment outcome turnaround times.
• Produce high-quality work on a wide range of planning matters, including the preparation of well written reports and briefing notes and effective conditions of consent.
• Identify, critically analyse and evaluate key issues, recommend innovative options, solutions, practices and processes to enable timely responses to customer inquiries and to assist in resolving disputes.
• Assist in the development of policy to improve assessment processes and to guide the assessment of the merits of projects.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of systems and ongoing improvements to increase team efficiency and effectiveness.
• Translate complex technical information into easy to understand plain English guidelines, reports and communications.

Key challenges

• Complete assessments within the benchmark timeframes in a manner to provide greater certainty for applicants and the community whilst not sacrificing the quality of these assessments.
• Deliver competing assessment projects in a high pressure, challenging and dynamic environment and manage the different and competing interests of various external agency, stakeholder and community expectations to maintain the integrity of the Government's planning program.

Role dimensions- Decision making

Works with, and receives advice and guidance from the Team Leader and other staff but has responsibility for setting own work priorities within the overall agreed work program and required to comply and make decisions and recommendations within applicable legislative and Department compliance and assessment policy, procedures and administrative frameworks and requirements undertaking and managing small and mid-sized assessment projects in line with Government and Departmental policies and procedures

Essential requirements

• Degree in environmental science or management, engineering, planning or another relevant discipline
• Proven knowledge of relevant planning legislation and its practical application
• Proven experience in the field of environmental impact assessment or similar
• Proven Experience in stakeholder engagement and project management
• Willingness to travel and (minimum) Class C Driver's License