Fixed Term Full Time / 10 day fortnight / 40 Hours

Salary: $126,998 - $134,433 plus Superannuation

Position Brief - Program and Governance Lead It’s an exciting time to join the City of Gold Coast in this contract role until June 2028. The Program and Governance Lead is responsible for leading a small team of project officers in the new Planning Scheme Program. The team will be responsible for all governance arrangements, financial management, quality control, secretariate services for reference and advisory groups, supporting engagement activities, program reporting, risk management and scheduling and tracking program deliverables.

The new Planning Scheme will allow the Gold Coast to accommodate 388,300 more residents, 161,700 new dwellings and 173,800 more jobs by 2046.The next six months of the program will see final policy decisions made, and the draft scheme prepared for Council endorsement ahead of city-wide consultation in 2027. We’re looking for someone with an understanding of the Planning Scheme statutory development process to lead a team in ensuring the program is operating efficiently and effectively and meeting all deliverables, engagement and reporting requirements. What You'll Be Responsible For Understanding the Planning Scheme statutory development process and ensuring the program is meeting the required deliverables, reporting and milestones.

Monitor project scope, objectives, deliverables, timelines, and resources.

Prepare status and KPI reports for the Planning Scheme program.

Lead, motivate, and manage the program team, delegating tasks effectively.

Communicate regularly with stakeholders to align on goals and expectations.

Monitor program budgets and ensure cost control.

Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks and issues.

Oversee project activities to ensure they are on track and meet quality standards.

Measure and report on project performance against objectives, key performance indicators, and benefits

Establish program processes, templates and governance arrangements to support efficient program management and delivery.





Develop briefing notes, presentations and other program documents as required.

Coordinate stakeholder meetings, agendas, minutes action registers and follow ups.

Manage the provision of project support services to other work streams, including prioritising workload and requests. We’re Looking For People Who Have Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Project/Program Management or similar or equivalent industry experience.

Minimum 3 years’ experience as a Project Manager.

Proven project management experience in a Planning Scheme program or a similar large program with a significant engagement component and reputational risk.

Ability to review, recommend and establish improved governance arrangements within a short time period to maintain program momentum.

Exceptional interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills, to consult, advocate, negotiate, influence, assert and resolve conflicts in a changing environment with various external stakeholders

Experience managing a team that provides high-demand support services to program teams and managing and prioritising team workloads.

Strong stakeholder management and relationship building skills including the ability to collaborate with a variety of stakeholders with differing priorities and views.

Excellent time management skills and ability to prioritise requests and deliverables.

Proven ability to analyse matters objectively from different perspectives, comprehend wider contexts, seek relevant information, investigate, draw sound inferences and identify workable solutions to deliver quality outcomes in a complex environment.



Be part of shaping the Gold Coast’s future The Gold Coast is inspired by lifestyle and driven by opportunity. We are the second largest Council in Australia.

Benefits We care about being the most adaptable government organisation in Australia. We have a range of benefits to help you create the right balance: Flexible work arrangements to suit your lifestyle, including hybrid/work from home options, flexible working hours and locations Personal and career development courses Access to 350+ fitness facilities through Fitness Passport 4 free confidential counselling sessions a year for you or an immediate family member 1 free nutritionist and financial advice session per year We pride ourselves on our shared mission of being a high-performing, customer-focused organisation which delivers value-for-money services to the community.

How To Apply To submit your application, please click apply now and complete the application form. You will be required to upload your resume and a cover letter (no more than two pages) outlining how your skills, experience and personal attributes will enable you to be successful in this role. Please note that you may also be asked to provide relevant qualifications, where applicable.

Contact Person Kirsty Wiik Contact

Email [email protected] Closing Date 11:59pm AEDT Sunday 16th August 2026 Our selection process may include a one-way video interview via Criteria, a face-to-face or virtual interview via Microsoft Teams, reference checks via Xref and additional checks including police checks, employment history checks, qualification checks, pre-employment medical reviews and drug and alcohol testing. We’re committed to creating a diverse workplace and inclusive culture. We take pride in people who align with our high-performance principles.

We believe that the diverse makeup of our workforce reflects the community we serve. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences and identities, and encourage candidates to discuss any support or adjustments they may need throughout the recruitment process.

📌 Program and Governance Lead - INTERNAL ONLY (City of Gold Coast)
🏢 City Of Gold Coast
📍 City of Gold Coast