Planning Analyst; Development

As a central hub in the Metro Vancouver area, the City of New Westminster delivers a broad spectrum of urban services to over 92,000 residents. New Westminster is rich in history with a viable and thriving economy and has a population representative of the diversity of the region. The City is staffed by talented and dedicated employees who work together to achieve its strategic vision.

We have earned a proud reputation for civic leadership, service delivery, and outstanding employee relations.

The City of New Westminster has an exciting opportunity for a Planning Analyst to join our Planning and Development Department. This role is an integral part of the Development Planning team whose projects shapes the landscape of our City. Come join our progressive team and directly impact the future of this great little city!

If you are hired, you will be joining a team of committed and passionate professionals who care deeply about the community they serve who thrive on variety and enjoy the challenge that comes with emergent and innovative work.

The successful candidate will leverage advanced knowledge and skills to review development applications including development permits, development variance permits and rezoning applications. This role involves reviewing and managing development applications, preparing reports to committees and Council, and liaising with developers, applicants and the Development Planning Supervisor to advance the assigned work.

The ideal candidate will possess a deep passion for developing and delivering innovative approaches and solutions to planning and development projects, applications, bylaw interpretations and related processes. Collaboration with team members to streamline procedures, ensure regulatory and policy alignment with the planning and building permit processes will be key responsibilities.

• Managing stand‑alone development applications including Development Permits, Development Variance Permits, Heritage Alteration Permits, and Rezoning Applications of moderate complexity.
• Reviewing submittals by development applicants on proposals, including architectural and landscape drawings.
• Interpreting policy and bylaw documents.
• Liaising with applicants, City departments and external agencies.
• Drafting memos to applicants to provide feedback.
• Coordinating the interdepartmental review of files assigned.
• Writing reports and making recommendations to community groups, City committees and Council.
• Coordinating Legal Agreements related to the files assigned.
• Addressing development inquiries from developers, consultants, community members and other external partners.
• Providing support to more complex development application review processes.
• Working to support policy work of the division including detailed research of current trends and housing policy work as it relates to the Development Planning Division.
• Performing upkeep on the City's Zoning Bylaw, including drafting recommended improvements and relevant Council Reports.
• Supporting the development and implementation of planning and development processes and procedures.
• Upkeeping of the Development Planning fee structure by researching regional trends and recommending improvements.
• Other duties/responsibilities as assigned.

• Undergraduate degree or degree in planning or related discipline, with sound, related, work experience, or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
• Knowledge of municipal development review processes and best practices.
• Knowledge of the principles, procedures, and legislation applicable to municipal planning and building departments.
• Demonstrated ability to collect, analyze, and interpret information from various sources and present conclusions and recommendations clearly.
• Strong organizational skills, problem‑solving abilities, and the capacity to manage multiple tasks effectively.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and collaboratively as a team member.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external contacts.
• Effective verbal, visual, and written communication skills for diverse audiences.
• Ability to effectively use the Microsoft Office Suite of products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and Outlook), graphics software (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Canva), as well as Tempest.

If this opportunity appeals to you and you possess many of the attributes and skills outlined, we want to hear from you!