Position projects to resonate.

Approximately 24–30 hours per week, with flexibility in how those hours are structured.

You will work for a placemaking studio dedicated to redefining how the built environment industry works with communities.

We position projects to resonate with their local context, communities and decision-makers through thoughtful strategy, engagement and communications. Combining placemaking, engagement and strategic insight, we help clients navigate complexity and create conditions for long-term success.

We uncover meaningful community insights, seek to understand the unique character of a place and translate community feedback into clear evidence, insights and recommendations that support project decision-making.

You will operate within the C8 Group, giving us access to complementary capabilities across communications, creative, digital and content disciplines and allowing us to scale project teams where additional expertise is required.

The Opportunity

We are looking for someone with strong foundations in the built environment and experience across placemaking and community engagement, who's ready for their next career step. This is an opportunity to contribute your thinking, take on greater responsibility and continue to grow.

As Placemaking & Strategy Manager, you'll work closely with our Engagement Operations Manager across development, infrastructure and precinct projects. This is a highly collaborative role, where you will bring your skills and perspective, working alongside complementary expertise in engagement delivery, stakeholder management and project operations.

Together, you will draw on these different strengths to work through project challenges and shape effective engagement for clients and communities.

You will need to make sense of complex projects, translate them into explicit and accessible information for the community, and turn community and stakeholder insights into practical advice for clients and project teams.

You will have meaningful responsibility from the outset, with the prospect to work closely with clients and play an important role in shaping projects.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy,



Positioning & Engagement Design

- Develop engagement and stakeholder strategies that align with project objectives, local context and community considerations.
- Review project documentation, consultation records and place context to identify community sensitivities, opportunities, risks and knowledge gaps.
- Identify the issues and insights that should inform project positioning and engagement strategy.
- Design engagement approaches, including surveys, workshops and participation activities, that generate meaningful and actionable insights.
- Identify stakeholder and reputational risks and recommend practical mitigation strategies.
- Develop key messages and content for engagement materials, working with our broader creative and communications team to bring these to life.

Analysis & Strategic Advice

- Analyse community and stakeholder feedback to identify key themes, opportunities and emerging issues.
- Translate community insight into practical considerations and recommendations for clients and project teams.
- Prepare high-quality reports, strategies and engagement documentation.
- Provide evidence-based strategic advice that helps clients navigate complexity and make informed decisions.

Client & Team Collaboration

- Work closely with the Engagement Operations Manager and broader project team to develop project strategy, engagement approaches and reporting.
- Contribute to project scoping and tailored approaches for clients.
- Build trusted relationships with clients, consultants and project teams.
- Bring ideas and strategic thinking to client and internal discussions.
- Contribute to proposals and the continued growth of the company.

About You





You are curious about people and places and can see beyond the immediate engagement task to understand the bigger project picture.

You will ideally bring around 3-5 years' experience across the built environment, placemaking and community engagement, with a strong understanding of development projects.

We are looking for someone who can:

- Make sense of complex project, community and stakeholder information and identify what matters.
- Develop engagement and stakeholder strategies that respond to project objectives, community context and stakeholder considerations.
- Analyse feedback and translate it into clear insights and practical recommendations.
- Write clearly and confidently, producing high-quality strategies, reports and client advice.
- Identify community sensitivities, stakeholder risks and opportunities and understand what they mean for a project.
- Design and facilitate workshops, surveys and engagement activities.
- Work confidently with clients, consultants and multidisciplinary project teams.
- Bring curiosity, initiative and sound judgement to their work.

As community engagement activities can take place outside standard business hours, some flexibility to attend occasional evening or weekend sessions will be required.

We are looking for someone with strong foundations, good judgement and a genuine curiosity about people and places. Someone who’s excited to contribute their thinking, stretch themselves and continue to grow.

Why Join uu?

- Join an emerging specialist placemaking studio and have a genuine opportunity to influence how it grows.
- Take on meaningful strategic responsibility and work closely with senior members of the business and our clients.
- Shape projects that influence communities and places.
- Enjoy the agility of a boutique consultancy with access to the broader capabilities of the C8 Group.
- Grow your strategic capability and career.
- Competitive remuneration aligned with experience and agreed working arrangements.

If you are excited by the opportunity to bring your skills and thinking in and help shape meaningful projects and places, we would love to hear from you.

📌 Placemaking & Strategy Manager (Canberra)
🏢 CRE8IVE
📍 Canberra