Conservation Rangers Leader

INSPIRED
BY LIFESTYLE.
DRIVEN
BY OPPORTUNITY.
Vacancy Number
ER2079
Position Title
Conservation Rangers Leader
Employment Status
Permanent Full Time
Department
Environment Heritage and Resilience
Location
Merrimac
Award Classification
Stream A, Level 7
Salary
$107,117 - $113,388 per annum, plus superannuation
Hours
36 hours per week - 9day fortnight
About the team

The Natural Areas Conservation (NAC) business unit sits within the Conservation Branch of the Environment, Heritage and Resilience Department. It is responsible for the day-to-day management and presentation of the City’s 14,000-hectare natural area estate. Stretching from the McPherson Range to Southern Moreton Bay, this estate contains some of the most biologically diverse and significant conservation reserves in the region. The NAC team is dedicated to protecting and enhancing these areas, ensuring they are managed sustainably and remain accessible and safe for the community.

About your new role

You’ll ensure that conservation areas are well-maintained, safe, and aligned with best practice land management—balancing biodiversity protection with public access and amenity. Your leadership will foster team pride, resilience, and accountability while supporting broader community and environmental outcomes. You will lead a dedicated team of four Rangers, coordinating daily operational activities to ensure the effective management and protection of the City’s 14,000-hectare conservation estate, which spans 900 reserves across four regional zones.
Your focus will include providing high-quality customer service to over 30,000 park neighbours by managing complaints, encroachments, and human–wildlife conflicts; overseeing annual fire trail condition scoring and contributing to wildfire incident control and hazard reduction burns; and coordinating assessments and minor works to maintain park safety and accessibility, including signage, fencing, erosion control, and drainage improvements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the team responsible for the day-to-day management of the City’s 14,000-hectare conservation estate, overseeing operational works, inspections, maintenance, and resolution of park management issues.
Coordinate and support field audits, including fire trail condition scoring, asset inspections, and interface management zone assessments to ensure compliance with standards and timely rectification of issues.
Drive continuous improvement of business processes, enhancing systems for reporting, scheduling, data capture, and service delivery across the team.
Manage Councillor and community requests, ensuring timely, professional responses and accurate tracking of outcomes.
Oversee park infrastructure including gates, fencing, signage and drainage and the delivery of minor capital works
Coordinate vegetation management by Supervising the issuing and managing of work orders for contractors in relation to fire trails, recreational infrastructure, and private property interfaces.
Champion workplace health and safety, promoting a strong safety culture and ensuring compliance with WHS procedures, especially in remote or high-risk environments.
Support operational budgets and contract management, assisting with procurement, tracking progress, and contributing to governance and performance reporting.
Prepare business cases, scoping documents, and Council reports, providing sound technical advice to support strategic and operational conservation objectives.

We're looking for people who have:

We’re seeking a team leader with a strong background in conservation land management and a passion for delivering both environmental and community outcomes. You’ll bring:

Proven ability to lead, support, and motivate teams, fostering a high-performance culture that delivers on operational goals.
Demonstrated experience in project and contract management, particularly within natural areas or environmental services.
Excellent customer service and stakeholder engagement skills, including the ability to navigate complex community and Councillor issues with professionalism.
Strong financial and business management capability, with a track record of supporting budgets, optimising resources, and driving operational efficiencies.
Commitment to continuous improvement, including innovation in business systems, reporting tools, and workflows to enhance service delivery.
Sound knowledge of WHS practices, especially for remote and high-risk field environments, and a demonstrated commitment to team safety.
Highly developed verbal and written communication skills, including report writing, correspondence, and presentations to internal and external stakeholders.
A Bachelor of Environmental Science (or equivalent knowledge and experience in conservation or land management).
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 and we have a range of benefits to helpyou 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
A professional, and inclusive work environment working with modern equipment
A work environment committed to safety as our number 1 priority
We pride ourselves on our shared mission of being a high-performing, customer-focused organisation which delivers value-for-money services to the community. We're committed to creating a diverse workplace and inclusive culture.

How to apply

For more information, view the position brief by

Upload your Resume with a Cover Letter (of no more than 2 pages) outlining how your skills, experience and personal attributes would allow you to achieve success in this role.

Documents needs to be less than 2MB in size and PDF format is preferred. If you encounter technical issues when applying, please email recruitment@goldcoast.qld.gov.au

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.

Contact Person
Michael Duncan
Contact Number
mduncan@goldcoast.qld.gov.au
Closing Date
Monday 11 August 2025
Please note applications for all of our vacancies close at 10.30pm on the listed closing date.

The City of Gold Coast is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace. We are committed to supporting an environment where all employees, regardless of their differences or similarities, feel valued, respected and supported. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons are encouraged to apply. Read more