Senior Planner |
Competition Number | 2024-335 | Job Code | 0545 |
Posting Date | September 5, 2024 | Closing Date | September 27, 2024 (at 6:00pm) |
Job Status | Permanent Full-Time |
The City of Kitchener is a vibrant and dynamic city of approximately 292,000, in the heart of southwestern Ontario. As the largest municipality in Waterloo Region, Kitchener continues to be poised for development and growth, enhancing its reputation as a leader in city-building and innovation, with nationally recognized strategies to build its neighbourhoods, its digital infrastructure and its diverse economy. The City of Kitchener is WHERE you want to work! Learn more about the top reasons to join us: Why work at the City of Kitchener |
Position Overview: As one of the fastest growing communities in Canada, Kitchener’s central transit corridor (ION Light Rail) is changing with new mixed-use development adding employment, new housing and enhancements to the public realm. The successful candidate for the Senior Planner position will bring demonstrated experience working with a variety of stakeholders on complex or controversial urban infill development projects as well as a wide range of development applications with an emphasis on Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw amendments, plans of subdivision and site plans. Experience leading meaningful public engagement will be an important skill set of the successful candidate. This role may also act as project manager for planning studies, projects and major policy reviews. As a Senior Planner, you will provide professional planning advice to Kitchener’s City Council and leadership team and lead planning projects that involve multi-disciplinary teams |
Responsibilities: - As a Senior Planner, your primary responsibility is to process a wide range of development applications, including Official Plan and zoning bylaw amendments, site plans and subdivisions that may be complex, controversial, and high-profile with multi-disciplinary issues and interests and include engagement with citizens and issues resolution and negotiation among staff and agencies, with citizens and applicants; overall file management; report writing; and, presentations to Council.
- You will review preliminary design concepts at pre-consultation stage prior to formal application and provide professional and timely feedback regarding potential issues, potential solutions, and plans and studies that will be required to conduct a thorough evaluation of the proposal through the formal process.
- You are highly skilled at evaluating complex development applications for adherence to City, Regional, and Provincial planning regulations, guidelines, policies, and standards (e.g., Official Plan, Zoning By-law, Council Policy, Planning Act, Provincial Policy Statement, Places to Grow Act, Urban Design Manual, and others) in order to establish your professional planning opinion.
- You have a strong ability to formulate thorough and comprehensive reports based on a thorough analysis of issues, with professional recommendations, and with limited direction from senior management.
- You are highly skilled at answering questions on complex matters, often on demand and in a public forum, while being accountable for the information being conveyed.
- You have strong human relations and communication skills which are required in order to provide guidance, and direction to City Staff, outside agencies such as the GRCA and the Region of Waterloo, and the general public regarding planning issues and application; to represent the City at neighborhood meetings, open houses, design charettes; and to make presentations and facilitate group discussions with a broad range of stakeholders and interested parties.
- You are highly organized and effective in managing timelines to ensure that projects and applications progress, and that complex issues are resolved, within legislated and other inflexible timelines.
- You coordinate the circulation of applications and receipt of circulation comments, from the public, and comments and conditions of approval from other City departments and outside agencies in accordance with Provincial Regulation and Council Policy. Summarizes, consolidates and circulates comments to project proponents and other departments and agencies.
- You are highly skilled at mediating, negotiating and facilitating to resolve conflicts between competing interests (e.g., neighbourhood groups and developers, engineering and environmental issues, conflicting objectives of policies and guidelines).
- You have extensive experience working with application proponents to identify/clarify issues; make recommendations and negotiate plan changes and/or conditions of development.
- You possess the ability to speak clearly and make presentations in front of groups including Committee, Council, other professionals, and neighbourhood groups.
- You have experience coordinating and facilitating community consultation and representing the City at public meetings, open houses and neighbourhood meetings.
- You have extensive experience researching and analyzing information required for Staff/Council reports and approvals including coordinating and conducting site visits to determine potential impact of development.
- You have experience preparing Committee and Council reports, including providing strong planning justifications, conclusions and professional recommendations and writing draft by-laws and proposed Official Plan amendments for Council approval.
- You have experience providing evidence at Provincial Tribunals hearings, other tribunals or at Divisional or Superior court including preparing logical, cogent and defensible witness statements and/or affidavits.
- You lead by example, mentoring those on the team as they develop as professionals.
- You maintain your professional planning registration through continuous professional learning to ensure your critical planning analysis, engagement skills and other areas of growth and development.
- You are excited to review and recommend development application procedures in order to make improvements to process and find process efficiencies.
- You work independently with limited support and supervision from the management team.
- You are able to communicate your ideas effectively and have confidence in your ability to negotiate the best solution for a development proposal.
- You understand the development process and take pride in your role in making projects successful from both the citizen's and developer's perspective.
- You know that collaboration across a multi-disciplinary team is necessary for projects to be successful and take a leadership role in resolving competing interests.
- You are skilled at actively managing your workload and files to effectively bring them to completion.
- Trust and respect are part of your core values.
- Performs other related duties as assigned.
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Requirements: - Must have the ability to support and project values compatible with the organization.
- 4-year Honours degree in Planning or related field.
- Full membership in the Canadian Institute of Planners and Ontario Professional Planners Institute as a Registered Professional Planner.
- A minimum of 4-7 years' relevant experience in planning or a related field.
- Demonstrated experience successfully managing a broad range of complex and high profile development applications and projects with multidisciplinary issues and extensive community engagement.
- Experience providing expert testimony before the Ontario Land Tribunal.
- Experience interacting with media including interviews relative to complex and controversial matters
- Strong analytical, facilitation and negotiation skills to formulate a compelling planning opinion based on a thorough and critical analysis of issues, supporting policy framework, consideration for community feedback and negotiation with the proponent as necessary to make a recommendation in the public interest.
- Advanced knowledge of and the ability to interpret Planning law (Provincial Planning Act, Policy Statement and Places to Grow), Regional Policy, City Policy and By-laws, and Planning principles and practices.
- Demonstrated innovation and creativity in planning methodologies, engagement and facilitating successful planning outcomes.
- Demonstrated strong oral and written communication skills with a strong focus on customer service and messaging complex planning matters in plain language.
- Must have strong organizational and file management skills to manage a portfolio of multiple complex development applications and projects on an on-going basis.
- Must be comfortable in high pressure situations and demonstrate agility in adapting to an evolving planning framework and community expectations.
- Excellent communication and engagement skills with a demonstrated ability to manage community engagement on controversial development applications with empathy and transparency to foster trust in the planning process.
- Demonstrated strong applied computer skills with emphasis in Microsoft Office programs as well as adaptability skills for use of Bluebeam, AMANDA, Adobe Photoshop and other similar programs.
- Reliable with a good attitude and employment record.
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The City of Kitchener is committed to an equity-driven, inclusive, accessible, and barrier-free recruitment and selection process, and to ensuring our workforce reflects the full diversity of the community we serve. We welcome applications from Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ persons, as well as other equity deserving groups. We will accommodate the needs of applicants under the Human Rights Code and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process. Please contact Human Resources at [email protected], or 519-741-2200 ext. 7261 to make your needs known, so that we can support your full and equal participation throughout the hiring process. We appreciate the interest of all applicants. Only candidates whose skills, experience and qualifications meet the requirements of the position will be contacted. Please note that as per Human Resources Policy HUM-HIR-110, "Employment of Relatives of Staff Members and Elected Officials": "The immediate relatives of staff of the Human Resources Division, all Directors, General Managers, or the Chief Administrative Officer and Elected Officials shall not be employed by the City in any capacity. The immediate relatives of all other Management personnel shall not be employed where such employment would be: 1. within the same Department in the case of permanent full-time, temporary full-time and part-time classifications. 2. within the same Division in the case of students." |
Department | Development Services | Division | Development and Housing Approvals |
Union Affiliation | CUPE 791 | Number of Positions | 1 |
Hours of Work | 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday |
Location |
Initial Location | City Hall | City | Kitchener |
Compensation |
Salary Range | $87,244 - $109,055 annually effective Nov 1, 2024: $91,885 - $114,856 | Grade/Band | 10 |
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