State Planning Assessment and Facilitation is a division responsible for key deliverables in environmental impact assessment, significant state projects, priority development projects and development assessment and facilitation, servicing proponents and supporting progress through planning pathways and approvals.

About the Roles (x2)

The Senior Advisors, Impact Assessment will be technical leaders and mentors, who forges effective partnerships and working relationships, leading projects and negotiating preferred outcomes on complex issues.

The Senior Advisor Impact Assessment will play a key role in leading assessment and approvals processes for significant and complex projects, particularly energy projects. The role is responsible for leading delivery of statutory environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes and coordination for such projects, including leading teams and the delivery of high-quality advice and outputs in collaboration with a range of government stakeholders.

The ideal candidate will lead and work with others across an agile and multi-disciplinary work environment, leading and collectively delivering robust and timely environmental assessments under Victorian and commonwealth legislation, coordinating and interfacing with relevant statutory approval processes.

Position Outcomes / Accountabilities

• Provide high level technical expertise and leadership in environmental impact assessment (EIA) and related approval processes, particularly for energy projects, leading timely and sound advice and decision-making.
• Effective project direction of EIA processes, leading teams' delivery of outputs under the EE Act and the EPBC Act Victorian Bilateral Agreement, and coordination with other statutory processes and associated stakeholders.
• Build excellent working relationships with project proponents, stakeholders, including internal, agency and community stakeholders, to advise on EIA, as well as coach and guide other IAU team members.
• Provide authoritative, strategic, timely and well-evidenced high-quality written and verbal advice to departmental management, executives, and the Minister for Planning, including detailed reports on complex project issues and solutions for assessment processes, that demonstrates a good understanding of the policy, political and legal context..
• Lead and contribute to the development and refinement of the department's processes, systems, frameworks and best practice guidance related to EIA, approvals, monitoring and compliance, in line with departmental or government practices and standards.

Key Selection Criteria

The Department of Transport and Planning is seeking a skilled and experienced environmental professional with a demonstrable depth of expertise in environmental impact assessment and related skills, to lead assessment of critical projects and drive impactful outcomes. This role demands an understanding of the EIA sector as well as political sensitivities and the ability to guide project managers in identifying risks and overcoming obstacles. You will be instrumental in summarising complex options, recommending clear solutions, and monitoring overall project performance while influencing key stakeholders to ensure project support.

Your role will involve crafting and delivering key messages for effective decision-making and providing tailored advice on communication strategies. You must communicate clearly with all organisational levels, handle sensitive discussions adeptly, and refine communication approaches based on audience feedback.

In this position, you will foster a collaborative culture, mentoring team members to enhance their skills and confidence. You will work to overcome barriers to knowledge sharing and seek opportunities to collaborate across teams to achieve desired outcomes.

Your expertise in developing and executing plans, employing diverse influencing strategies, and negotiating with both internal and external stakeholders will be crucial. If you excel in project management, communication, collaboration, and strategic influence, we invite you to apply and contribute to shaping transport and planning initiatives.

Qualifications and Experience

Mandatory

• A relevant qualification and demonstrated depth of technical expertise and experience in environment impact assessment (EIA) and related environmental approval processes, including demonstrated capacity to provide sound strategic advice (e.g. to proponents and government).
• Proven skills and depth of experience in project direction and management of complex EIA and delivery of approvals processes for complex or significant projects under relevant legislation, proactively developing solutions to avoid and/or manage a wide range of project risks.

What we offer

• Meaningful work making Victorian communities more accessible and liveable.
• Professional growth and development opportunities across the department and the wider Victorian Public Service.
• A hybrid working model focused on collaboration and teamwork.
• Optimal work-life balance initiatives including flexible working arrangements.
• We prioritise the development of a safe and inclusive culture.

Culture Value

We are an equal opportunity employer, embracing a diverse range of applicants such as veterans, and people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, LGBTQIA community members, individuals with disabilities and/or health conditions, as well as those from varied faith and cultural backgrounds. At our department, we prioritize the development of a safe, inclusive, and high-performance culture through shared actions and behaviours that align with our strategy and direction. This empowers our employees to effectively contribute to our goals.

Preferred applicants may be required to complete a police check and may be subject to other pre-employment checks. Information provided to the Department of Transport and Planning will be treated in the strictest confidence.