The new Urban Greening and Bushland Planning Directorate within the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage is seeking a Senior Policy Planner within the Bushland Planning team.

This role has a specialist focus on bushland, biodiversity and native vegetation planning and policy, including the Bush Forever program, with an emphasis on addressing habitat conservation through land use planning policy and practice.

This is a permanent, full-time position however, consideration may be given to applicants seeking part-time opportunities. This process may be used to fill future similar permanent or fixed-term positions that may arise within the Department and across the WA public sector in the next 12 months from the initial date of appointment. 

We are seeking a colleague with a strong interest in environmental planning who enjoys finding solutions for integrating nature and wildlife habitat into urban and regional areas, and who enjoys working constructively with a diverse range of community and professional stakeholders.

Applicants need to demonstrate that they meet the following position requirements: 

• A degree in Urban and/or Regional Planning or relevant to, including Geography, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management or Sustainable Development.
• Comprehensive experience in a complex environmental planning public policy environment including but not limited to the provision of strategic advice relevant to land use planning, environmental science or natural resource management.
• Considerable experience in managing significant, complex projects or leading policy development and review.
• Highly effective communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to present complex and technical information to broad range of internal and external stakeholders and positively influence to achieve the desired policy outcomes.
• Demonstrate the behaviours within the leadership context as outlined below.

Core leadership behaviours outlined in Leadership Expectations are applicable to this role and should be demonstrated in the context of Personal Leadership. The Personal Leadership context is about the work of individuals not yet in traditional leadership positions who make a direct and immediate difference to the agency. The expected behaviours may be assessed during the recruitment and selection process.

About us

Our Perth office is centrally located in the CBD, above the Perth Underground rail station and close to major transport links.  We also have a number of offices located in the regions.

For more information on what we do, our recruitment process, and why working at the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage is an attractive proposition, please visit the Department page on the DPLH website.

We have a comprehensive Applicant Information Pack to provide information about DPLH and its values and practical guidance on the application process.

Benefits of Working at DPLH

DPLH offers a broad range of benefits including but not limited to:

• Access to flexible working arrangements including working from home or alternate work locations for enhanced work life balance.
• 12% employer superannuation contribution and salary packaging options
• Comprehensive learning and professional development opportunities.
• 4 weeks annual leave with 17.5% loading paid as additional pay every December
• 3 days additional public sector holidays each year
• Cultural leave for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff
• Leave for study, bereavement, foster caring and parenting
• Free access to a confidential employee assistance program (EAP) for you and your family, which includes psychology and counselling services.

How to apply: All applications are submitted online. Select ‘Apply for Job’, located at either top or bottom of the screen, and follow the instructions; you will need to provide a:

• Applicants must submit copies of their relevant degree in order to be considered for this role.
• Comprehensive CV that clearly shows your skills, experience, and key achievements,
  including the details of two referees, preferably including a current or recent manager or supervisor. We will contact you before contacting your referees.
• A cover letter of up to two pages, clearly demonstrating your skills and experience against the position requirements, as detailed above and in the JDF.

Please ensure you have saved your documents in MS Word (.docx files only) or PDF format and have allowed plenty of time to submit your application, as late, emailed and proforma applications will not be accepted.

Please note, if you hold an overseas qualification you will need to provide supporting documentation of proof of assessment for equivalency. Please feel free to have your degree assessed by DTWD’s Overseas Qualification Unit (OQU) or alternatively contact our Recruitment team on (08) 6551 9419 or email recruitment@dplh.wa.gov.au.

Further Information: 

If you would like to know more, please call Tracey Scroop on 6551 9348 or email tracey.scroop@dplh.wa.gov.au. Please do not send your application to Tracey Scroop or seek assistance with lodging your application. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants – For a confidential discussion about the recruitment process, please reach out to Jake Louthean or Barb Culbong from our Aboriginal Employment and Engagement team. You can contact Jake at 0428429486 or Barb at 0408 895 002 or alternatively email us at aboriginalemployment@dplh.wa.gov.au.

The Department is an equal opportunity employer and as a measure to achieve equality under sections 51, 66R and 66ZP of the Equal Opportunity Act 1984, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, young people (24 years of age and under) and people with disability who meet the requirements of the position, may be prioritised for appointment.

Accessibility: If you have any communication or access needs that require adjustment to allow you to participate in this recruitment process, please contact our Recruitment team on (08) 6551 9419 or email recruitment@dplh.wa.gov.au.

We can also be contacted via the National Relay Service on the below numbers:
TTY/voice calls – 133 677
Speak and Listen – 1300 555 727
SMS relay – 0423 677 767

Special Requirements for this position:

The Department will conduct a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check for applicants successful to this recruitment process. 

To be eligible for a permanent appointment to the Western Australian public sector it is essential that you are an Australian citizen or have permanent residency status in Australia. To be eligible for a fixed term appointment you must have documentary evidence of your entitlement to live and work in Australia for the period of the contract.  

If you experience technical issues when submitting your application, contact ramshelpdesk@bigredsky.com, or please call (08) 6551 9419 for any other queries.

DPLH reserves the right to close this vacancy prior to the advertised closing date should circumstances around the vacancy change.

Closing Date – Friday, 9 October 2026 @ 4:00pm