Principal Environmental Planner

AECOM · Newcastle West, NSW, Australia

  • Senior
  • Full-time
  • Posted 2026-09-09
  • Confirmed live on 25 September 2026

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Job description

Job Description
We have a unique opportunity for a Principal Environmental Planner to join our 'Impact Assessment and Permitting’ team in Newcastle.
We are a passionate team of environmental impact assessors working within an organisation creating meaningful change both in Australia and globally. This role offers the chance to lead diverse, high-profile infrastructure assessment projects across energy, transport, and water sectors.
Being part of AECOM means applying your knowledge and expertise to influence positive environmental outcomes. With Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) principles embedded in everything we do, our Environment team works closely with designers and engineers to drive real change from the earliest stages of a project.
Some of your duties will include:

• Lead the delivery of timely, high-quality environmental impact assessments and related studies

• Oversee constraints analyses, strategic planning pathway assessments, and environmental management plans

• Manage project resources, budgets, and schedules, maintaining effective delivery and quality standards

• Mentor and guide juniors, including graduates and undergraduates, supporting their technical and professional development

• Build and maintain strong client and stakeholder relationships, applying commercial acumen and emotional intelligence to project leadership.

Qualifications
The following qualifications and experience are highly desired, but if you don’t tick all the boxes, you could still be a perfect fit for this role. Please apply; all applications will be considered.
For this Principal Environmental Planner position in our team, we require someone with:

• A bachelor’s degree in environmental science, environmental planning, or environmental engineering

• Strong environmental impact assessment experience across numerous market sectors and a good industry reputation.

• Solid project management/coordination skills, commercial acumen and emotional intelligence to develop and maintain positive peer and client relationships and effectively manage resources, timelines, quality and budgets.

• A drive to mentor junior and mid-level consulting staff to develop their skill sets in the environmental planning and approvals technical area.

Additional Information
Why you’ll love working with us

• Flexible work arrangements, including alternative start/finish times, part-time, job-sharing and hybrid work options

• Purchase up to 6 weeks additional annual leave per year

• Swap public holidays – swap Easter or other holidays for ones that suit you better

• Continuous learning and growth - lunch and learns, professional development courses, financial study assistance, 5 days paid study leave, global career opportunities
Ready to push the limits of what’s possible?
We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those with disabilities, additional health or mental health needs, and/or neurodiverse conditions. If you require any adjustments during the hiring process, please let us know.
Applications are reviewed as they come in, and the role may close earlier than expected, so if this opportunity sounds like you, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
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At AECOM, we are committed to maintaining a secure and trustworthy recruitment process and take any fraudulent hiring activity seriously. To support this commitment, all newly hired employees are required to attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.

AECOM acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which we, our clients and our communities live and work around Australia. We pay our respects to their cultures and to their Elders — past, present, and emerging. We are committed to connecting to Country in our work through meaningful engagement with First Nations peoples and businesses. Find out more about our Australian Reconciliation Action Plan here: https://aecom.com/au/our-vision-for-reconciliation/.
About AECOM
AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come

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