Senior/Principal Planner – Team Lead
WSPWhat if you could do the kind of work the world needs?
At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects and connect with the brightest minds in your field. You can embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives enabling you to do the best work of your life. You can experience a world of opportunities to shape a career as unique as you.
WSP is one of the world’s top professional services firms, bringing together some of the brightest engineers, advisors and scientists from across the globe. We exist to shape communities to advance humanity. We see the world through a Future Ready® lens, fuelled by a shared commitment to making a positive impact—one project and community at a time.
Senior/Principal Planner – Team Lead
We’re looking for an experienced Senior/Principal Planner to guide and grow our Tauranga-based planning team. This is a leadership role where you’ll combine strong technical planning expertise with people leadership, client management, and strategic input to help shape sustainable communities across Aotearoa.
You’ll lead projects end-to-end, support the development of our planners, and play a key role in business development and market engagement.
You will:
Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of planners, fostering a high‑performance, supportive, and inclusive team culture
Drive technical excellence and consistently strong project performance across a diverse planning portfolio
Lead multidisciplinary project teams to deliver high‑quality outcomes on time and within budget
Manage project pipelines to support sustainable, long‑term business growth
Provide trusted, pragmatic planning advice to clients across the public and private sectors
Promote collaboration, innovation, and a strong client‑focused approach across all projects
Provide expert advice on resource management planning matters
Prepare and review district and regional plan changes, submissions, and high‑quality technical reports
Lead resource consent applications, assessments of environmental effects, and community engagement processes
Ensure best‑practice planning outcomes aligned with relevant legislation, policy, and regulatory frameworks
Build and maintain strong client relationships and strategic partnerships
Support commercially successful project delivery, including pricing, financial performance, and risk management
Actively contribute to business development, strategic planning, and market growth opportunities
Act as a visible and credible representative within professional, industry, and community networks
You will bring:
- A tertiary qualification in planning, resource management, or a related discipline
- Membership of NZPI, EIANZ or a similar professional body
8-10+ years’ professional experience in resource management or planning
Proven experience leading people and projects in a consulting or similar environment
Strong knowledge of the Resource Management Act, Local Government Act, and planning frameworks
Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and client management skills
Commercial awareness and a solutions‑focused mindset
High emotional intelligence, integrity, and a collaborative leadership style
Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all.
We are proud to have the blueprint of Aotearoa New Zealand in our DNA and our 2,000+ expert professionals in 24 offices are united by the common purpose of creating positive, long-lasting impacts on the communities we serve.
Join our close-knit community of talented individuals who share your passion for making a positive impact. Our global team includes more than 75,000 employees, working together to make a difference in communities both close to home and around the world.
With us, you can. Apply today.
We will review applications as they come in, so if this opportunity sounds like you, don’t wait to apply!
#NZRegionalBusiness #NZTaurangaJobs #NZEarth&Environment