Senior Planner

How you will contribute as part of the TRCA team:
The Senior Planner oversees complex land use planning applications and initiatives within TRCA’s jurisdiction. The Senior Planner ensures policy, regulations and technical recommendations and requirements are addressed in accordance with legislated roles and responsibilities.

• Leads a professional team of planners in daily duties, ensuring that staff understand priorities and expectations.
• Provides effective management and service delivery of technically complex and politically sensitive files submitted for review through the Planning Act and the Conservation Authorities Act and its regulations.
• Provides professional planning recommendations and legislative/regulatory guidance to staff, clients and applicants.
• Undertakes negotiations utilizing a solutions‑oriented approach with stakeholders.
• Prepares and presents staff reports to the TRCA’s Board of Directors and defends recommendations before the Ontario Lands Tribunal.
• Mentors and supports the professional development of team members.
• Supports a culture of workplace equity and inclusion that celebrates diversity.
• Supports onboarding, provides on-the-job training and performance evaluations of staff.
• Supports a professional environment of improvement by identifying opportunities for training resources, and/or procedural improvements.

• University degree in Planning, Environmental Studies, Urban Studies, Geography, or a related field.
• Registered Professional Planner designation with the Ontario Professional Planners Institute, and membership with the Canadian Institute of Planners (or equivalent).
• Valid Ontario Class G driver’s license.

• 5+ years of municipal, environmental, or related planning experience.
• 2+ years of progressive managerial, supervisory or project management experience.

• Extensive knowledge of the Provincial Planning Statement, the Planning Act, and the Conservation Authorities Act, as it relates to TRCA and more generally to conservation authorities and their regulations.
• Demonstrated ability to proactively identify and solve problems in a timely manner.
• General understanding of contributing technical disciplines (e.g., ecology, water resource engineering, hydrogeology, geotechnical engineering, etc.).
• Extensive experience in the review of plans/drawing and recognizing pertinent policy documents, legislation, and policy instruments.
• Comprehension of technical and scientific documents.
• Experience in the application of best management practices, and up-to-date knowledge of environmental impacts and mitigation, as well as safe workplace procedures.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work as a team member to coach staff and work and the ability to work tactfully and courteously with internal and external stakeholders, development interests and public officials.
• A persuasive communicator able to facilitate discussions between parties with different perspectives of competing interests and resolve conflicts, excellent written communication skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office suite, Adobe Acrobat, MS Teams and SharePoint. Familiarity with Arc GIS and online collaboration software such as Zoom, and Web Ex is an asset.