Urbis

Professional Services

Culture & Values

At Urbis, our people are at the heart of what we do. We’re a values-led organisation, united by a shared purpose: to shape cities and communities for a better future. Our culture is collaborative, inclusive and grounded in genuine care, where people are supported to do their best work and make a meaningful impact.

Our values

Our four values guide how we work with each other and our clients:

• Authentic: We mean what we say, providing independent, impartial advice and communicating clearly, transparently, and respectfully with each other and our clients.
• Collaborative: We communicate openly and constructively, collaborating across teams and partnering with our clients to deliver world-class solutions.
• Decisive: We lead with evidence, using our expertise to uncover new ideas and go beyond the brief, helping our clients achieve outcomes.
• Spirited: Were passionate about good ideas and creating meaningful, long-lasting impact. Our entrepreneurial and agile approach creates innovative, high-performing solutions.

Training & Development

At Urbis, you’ll be encouraged to learn, contribute and grow from the moment you join us. We’re proud that many of our leaders started their careers with us and built their skills through real project experience and strong mentorship.

When you join Urbis as an intern, you can expect:

• Leadership & mentoring from experienced professionals who take an active interest in your development
• Meaningful involvement in real projects from day one
• Access to learning and support that looks after you as a whole person, including financial literacy, mental wellbeing and inclusion training
• Learning experiences that build critical skills
• Check-ins to help you set goals, track progress and understand your next steps

Perks & Benefits

Below are the perks and benefits available to our employees.

Wellness benefits

• Flexible work arrangements: To support work–life balance, we offer a balanced approach to work, with three days in the office, the option to work from home on other days, and flexible hours where needed.
• Employee Assistance Program: Offering confidential psychology sessions to you and your loved ones.
• Wellness resources: An app with a wide range of resources to support all aspects of wellbeing, including mental, physical, and relational.
• Fitness Passport: Access to a wide network of gyms and fitness facilities nationwide.
• Flu vaccination program: Operating yearly to help you stay healthy.

Additional forms of leave

• Purchased leave: All permanent employees are able to purchase 5 additional days of annual leave a year.
• Community Service Leave: Urbis employees are able to take time off from work to participate in community service activities such as jury duty, voluntary emergency management and blood donations.
• Cultural Leave Program: Our cultural leave program allows you to swap up to two existing public holidays in your state to celebrate significant cultural events that are relevant to your cultural background, heritage or religious beliefs.
• Paid Parental Leave: Urbis recognises that parental leave is a basic necessity to achieve gender equality in the workplace and society. Our parental leave policy is independent of gender and gives employees scope and choice when it comes to caring for their new family. Our employees are provided with competitive entitlements that rival or surpass some of the best practices in the market.

Social & Office

• Office amenities: Including breakfast, hot drinks, wellness rooms, and end-of-trip facilities.
• Weekly social events: A great opportunity to expand and build your professional relationships.

Other

• Salary Continuance Insurance:  75% of salary for a period of up to two years.
• Learning & Development: Including LinkedIn Learning, discipline-specific learning and more.
• Employee Referral Incentive: We know that our people have fantastic networks. We encourage referrals and we offer a referral fee for all successful referrals.
• Novated Lease: Novated leases are possible through our provider, Smart Leasing.

Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion are central to who we are. We believe diverse teams drive innovation, creativity and better outcomes for our people, our clients, and our communities. Our current focuses are:

• Gender equity,
• First Nations inclusion,
• LGBTQIA+ inclusion,
• Cultural and linguistic inclusion.

While diversity takes many forms, we focus on these areas because they offer the greatest opportunity for meaningful impact through our work and influence.

Our efforts in creating a workplace where everyone belongs have won us:

• Bronze Employer for the Australian Workplace Equality Index from 2023-2026,
• Family Friendly Workplace Accreditation recipient in 2024, and
• Employer of Choice by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency since 2016.

Visit our Inclusion page to learn more.

Parents & Carers

For parents

Parenthood is a pivotal period in people’s lives, and at Urbis, we believe it shouldn’t limit your career. We support new parents through inclusive, gender-neutral parental leave that gives you flexibility and choice in how you care for your family. Our parental leave entitlements are competitive and aligned with leading practice.

We also offer a range of benefits to support parenting, including purchased leave, flexible work arrangements, and access to professional wellbeing support.

For carers

Caring for a family member or loved one can be complex and demanding. Urbis supports employees with caring responsibilities through flexible work options that help balance work and care.

This includes access to purchased leave, time off in lieu, flexible working arrangements, and professional wellbeing support. Additional leave options may also be available, subject to approval.

Our Internship Program

Our immersive paid internship program brings your passions and studies to life. Here, you’ll work on meaningful projects with real impact. From your first day, you’ll contribute to projects that shape cities and communities for a better future, alongside passionate and purpose-led professionals who value your perspective.

Our program runs annually from February to December, giving you the chance to immerse yourself in impactful work throughout the year. Designed to complement your studies, our paid internships offer genuine flexibility. You’ll work with your supervisor to agree on the number of days and specific workdays that fit around your study and other commitments, with the ability to adjust as those commitments change.

We engage students across our offices in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Singapore, offering diverse opportunities for growth.

Want us to tell you when applications for our internship program open? Register here.

Workplace Awards

We’ve received many awards for our efforts in being an employer of choice. These include:

• Bronze Employer for the Australian Workplace Equality Index from 2023-2026,
• Family Friendly Workplace Accreditation recipient in 2024,
• Employer of Choice by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency since 2016,
• Climate Active Carbon Neutral Certification recipient since 2022,
• Being #1 in Prosple’s Graduate Employers in Urban Planning, and
• Placing in Prosple’s Top 100 in nine other disciplines, including Archeology & History, Architecture, Economics, and Property Development & Management.

Awards

Resources