Jayden Holmes

I am a multidisciplinary urban planning and sustainability professional with over a decade of experience spanning climate policy, international development, and urban design across Australia, the Indo-Pacific, and Latin America.

My journey began with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of Melbourne, majoring in Geography. During my undergraduate studies, I had the opportunity to attend COP17 in Durban, South Africa, as an Australian youth delegate — an experience that inspired my Honours thesis on climate change loss and damage in small island developing states, for which I conducted fieldwork in Fiji. Alongside my degree, I completed a Diploma of Languages in Spanish at RMIT University and took an urban planning and design elective in Mexico City, which first sparked my passion for cities and the built environment.

After graduating, I worked as a Renewable Resources Officer for a Melbourne water authority, helping to prepare integrated water management plans for growth areas across the city. This role, combined with my experiences in Mexico City, inspired me to enrol part-time in a Master of Urban Planning and Environment at RMIT University — a degree I continued while transitioning into a climate change policy role in the Victorian Government.

Following the completion of my Master's degree, I took a deliberate career break and moved to Buenos Aires, where I improved my Spanish, taught English, and worked remotely as a research assistant on a project examining university teaching and learning on the SDGs. Returning to Melbourne, I took up my first dedicated urban planning role at the Brotherhood of St Laurence, a non-profit organisation, where I helped develop the masterplan for the redevelopment of a 7,200m² mixed-use precinct in Fitzroy. I also commenced a Master of Urban Design at the University of Sydney to further strengthen my design capabilities.

I then moved to the City of Greater Geelong as a Senior Strategic Planner, where my work centred on zero carbon development, biodiversity conservation, and cultural heritage planning in partnership with Aboriginal Traditional Owners. From there, I stepped into my most recent role as Operations Manager for the RISE Program at Monash Sustainable Development Institute — a $50 million AUD research initiative delivering nature-based solutions to water and sanitation challenges in informal settlements in Fiji and Indonesia.

As my contract at Monash draws to a close, I am relocating to Barcelona in April and am actively seeking new opportunities at the intersection of urban planning, design, and international development — with a particular focus on sustainable and just cities.