* Full Time | 9-day fortnight | 36 hours per week
We have a Full-Time opportunity to join the City of Gold Coast's Cultural Heritage team, a small, agile and highly collaborative team delivering heritage protection, conservation and compliance outcomes across a rapidly evolving city.
This role leads the Heritage Protection workstream, which is responsible for identifying and protecting locally significant heritage and character places across the Gold Coast local government area through Heritage Provisions in the City's Planning Scheme and Gold Coast Local Heritage Register.
Based within the Environment, Heritage and Resilience Department, the Cultural Heritage team is known for its commitment to flexible work practices, technical excellence and practical, outcomes-focused heritage leadership.
This position is based on the Gold Coast and reports to the Coordinator Heritage. The role manages two direct reports and plays a key role in shaping how heritage is protected within our local government area.
About your new role
As the Heritage Protection Lead, you will provide technical leadership and strategic oversight of the City's heritage protection functions, balancing statutory responsibilities with proactive heritage identification and policy leadership.
You will work with a high level of autonomy while collaborating closely with internal stakeholders across planning and regulation, as well as external stakeholders including property owners, government agencies and the community.
Given the place-based nature of the role, on-ground engagement across the Gold Coast is required with a mix of Hybrid flexible work options.
Key responsibilities include:
* Plan and manage the City's strategic and operational heritage protection work program to align with cultural heritage service priorities.
* Lead and support a small specialist service stream to deliver high-quality heritage protection outcomes.
* Identify heritage protection business improvement needs, and develop systems and processes to support delivery.
* Maintain heritage and First Nations policy provisions in the City's Planning Scheme, including the heritage overlay and heritage character provisions.
* Manage the assessment of minor and major development on a Gold Coast local heritage place and review conditions of approval consistent with heritage policy and code in the planning scheme.
* Manage the receipt of Local Heritage Exemption Certificate applications, and issuance of approvals for minor development on a Gold Coast local heritage place.
* Manage the Gold Coast Local Heritage Register.
* Plan heritage surveys and thematic studies to identify locally significant cultural heritage places for protection.
* Prioritise places for entry onto the register against the Gold Coast register criterion and manage preparation of supporting documentation and scheduling.
* Fulfil the role of Responsible Officer in relation to councilor and mayoral enquiries that are of a local heritage protection nature.
This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working at the intersection of regulatory heritage planning and protection, values professional autonomy, and is motivated to influence how a growing city protects its heritage.
We're looking for people who have
* Expert knowledge of the Planning Act 2016 (Qld) and working experience with Queensland cultural heritage legislation.
* Demonstrated experience regulating development of heritage places within a government or statutory context.
* Proven leadership capability, with a collaborative, supportive and professional leadership style.
* Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages to diverse audiences.
* The ability to work independently while contributing to a collaborative, multi-disciplinary team environment.
* Strategic thinking skills and experience planning and managing programs of work in a dynamic environment.
* A bachelor's qualification in planning, architecture, or heritage conservation.
* Registered Professional Planner (RPP) with the Planning Institute of Australia is desirable.
* Skills and experience in heritage architecture preferred but not essential.
* A current Class C Driver Licence and the ability to work on-ground across the Gold Coast local government area.
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.
We care about being the most flexible government organisation in Australia. We have a range of benefits to help you create the right balance:
* 9-day fortnight
* Flexible work arrangements to suit your lifestyle, including hybrid/work from home options, flexible working hours and locations
* Personal and professional 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.
Closing Date
Thursday 26 March 2026 @11:59pm
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 consider all qualified candidates for employment, irrespective of race, age, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected characteristics by law.
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