Environmental Consents Manager

**Come and make a difference with us**

At Western Bay of Plenty District Council, everything we do is about making the everyday better — and helping our communities thrive, now and into the future.

Western Bay is a District undergoing significant growth and transformation. From planning for future communities to delivering the infrastructure that supports them, we're focused on getting the fundamentals right — and preparing for what comes next.

We're also focused on our people. At Western Bay, we believe in investing in and empowering our teams to grow, lead, and achieve their goals. Because when our people thrive, our communities do too.

If you're motivated by making the everyday better, helping people thrive, and leaving things better than you found them — we'd love to hear from you.

**The opportunity**

This is a challenging and dynamic leadership role, within our regulatory services leadership team. In this position you will manage a passionate team of planning and engineering professionals in the delivery of our resource consenting, and development engineering functions as we continue to grow our District and respond to the challenges and opportunities of our changing regulatory environment.

You'll use your significant management and planning experience together with your exceptional relationship and stakeholder management skills to lead Council delivery on fast track consenting, resource consenting, influence spatial and district planning, and respond to changes in government policy and direction.

Key responsibilities:

- Lead a team of 19-20 staff including three team leaders, principal planner, and planners, engineers and support staff.
- Champion performance, service delivery, and process improvement.
- Foster strong relationships across council, community, and mana whenua.
- Contribute to budgeting, reporting, and navigating reforms.

You will deliver a professional high-quality service for our customers in accordance with the Resource Management Act, and national environmental and engineering requirements.

In return we will offer you the challenge of working in one of the fastest growing regions in NZ, with a wide breath, variety, and complexity of work. You will have a positive 'can-do' attitude, be highly professional, and have integrity, ability to work across multiple disciplines, all whilst creating value, high customer care and achieving outstanding results.

With a competitive package and an opportunity to live and work in in the fast growing and prosperous Western Bay, why would you want to work anywhere else?

**To set you up for success, you'll have**
- At least five years' experience in a relevant professional role, ideally within local government or a similarly complex environment.
- Strong leadership experience, with a demonstrated ability to build engaged, high-performing teams and lead through change.
- Strong knowledge of local government legislation, including the Resource Management Act and Local Government Act.
- Strategic thinking ability with a proven track record in planning, navigating complexity, and identifying smart, sustainable consenting solutions.
- Outstanding communication skills, including the ability to present complex and technical information confidently to Council, stakeholders, and community groups.
- Strong regional networks with government agencies, iwi/Māori partners, and community organisations.
- Innovative thinking - someone who enjoys problem-solving and isn't afraid to think outside the square.
- Budgeting and financial management expertise, with a sharp eye for cost-effective outcomes.
- A customer-first mindset, always seeking to improve the service experience.
- Self-motivation, enthusiasm, and results orientation, with a positive, can-do attitude.

**What we offer**
- Five weeks annual leave
- A competitive employment package - including subsidised medical insurance
- Flexible work arrangements and a pet friendly work environment
- Sick leave on commencement of employment
- Learning and development opportunities
- Access to wellbeing resources and workplace support
- Assistance to relocate to the area
- Free onsite parking

**Applicants for this position should have NZ residency or a valid NZ work permit.**

Applications close 11.55pm Sunday, 13 July 2025.

For further information please call the People Experience Team on 0800 926 732.