ABOUT US

Serving a diverse urban and rural population of more than 475,000, Niagara Region is focused on building a strong and prosperous Niagara. Working collaboratively with 12 local area municipalities and numerous community partners, the Region delivers a range of high-quality programs and services to support and advance the well-being of individuals, families and communities within its boundaries. Nestled between the great lakes of Erie and Ontario, the Niagara peninsula features some of Canada’s most fertile agricultural land, the majesty of Niagara Falls and communities that are rich in both history and recreational and cultural opportunities. Niagara boasts dynamic modern cities, Canada’s most developed wine industry, a temperate climate, extraordinary theatre, and some of Ontario’s most breathtaking countryside. An international destination with easy access to its binational U.S. neighbour New York State, Niagara attracts over 14 million visitors annually, as well as a steady stream of new residents and businesses.
At Niagara Region, we value diversity - in background and experience. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We aspire to hire and grow a workforce reflective of the diverse community we serve. By doing so, we can deliver better programs and services across Niagara.
We welcome all applicants! For more information about diversity, equity, and inclusion at Niagara Region, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - Niagara Region, Ontario or email related questions to diversity@niagararegion.ca. To send input on reducing barriers in the current hiring process, please email myhr@niagararegion.ca
For the Region’s full employee equity statement, Working at Niagara Region - Niagara Region, Ontario.

DON’T HAVE EVERY QUALIFICATION?

You may be hesitant to apply if you do not have every qualification listed in the posting. While specific qualifications are important for certain roles, we invite individuals from diverse backgrounds and varying levels of experience and education to apply. Our recruiters will evaluate your suitability for the role.
Please note that for unionized roles, we must follow collective agreement requirements. However, we encourage all interested candidates to submit their applications. We believe success in a role can extend beyond meeting every single requirement.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Summary
Reporting to the Manager, the Senior Planner is responsible for project management leadership, for a wide range of planning and policy issues, responsible for leading the pre-consultation and development application review processes with municipalities and developers; reviewing, researching, analyzing, resolving conflict and preparing coordinated comments and reports on a wide range of more complex and politically sensitive development applications in both an urban and rural context, preparing reports on a wide range of more complex and politically sensitive projects, issues and proposals. Leads and supports a variety of corporate strategic initiatives related to Council’s Strategic Priorities. Provides independent expert opinion evidence and testimony at tribunals.

EDUCATION

• Post-secondary degree (4 year) in a Planning accredited program or related field of study.
• Master’s degree in Planning from a CIP accredited planning program is preferred.
• An equivalent combination of education, experience and qualifications may be considered.

KNOWLEDGE

• A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible, relevant experience in land use policy and/or development planning, in an urban and/or rural context.
• Knowledge and experience in any of the following is considered an asset: archaeology, land use compatibility, noise impact assessment, agricultural impact assessment, traffic impact studies, site servicing studies, minimum distance separation from agricultural operations, hydrogeological studies, environment and natural heritage.
• Registered Professional Planner and a full member in good standing with both the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) and Canadian Institute of Planners.
• Advanced knowledge of the Planning Act and Regulations, Provincial policies, plans and guidelines, Municipal Official Plans, infrastructure planning and environmental assessments, local planning policies and other related legislation/regulations.
• Knowledge of project management practices, including project development, scheduling, monitoring, and control systems.
• Ability to lead the procurement of consultant services, management of consultant’s work responsible for financial accountability for project budget for assignment.
• Qualified as an expert in planning to provide independent professional opinion before tribunals is preferred.
• Computer applications experience with MS Office (Word, Excel, Access, Power Point and Outlook), application tracking systems (e.g. CityView) MS Project or other Project Tracking Systems and GIS based mapping systems.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Must maintain the ability to travel in a timely manner to other offices, work locations or sites as authorized by the Corporation for business reasons.
• May be required to support emergency operations under the incident management structure, at the direction of the Emergency Operations Centre Director.
• Regional staff strive to enable the strategic priorities of council and the organization through the completion of their work. Staff carry out their work by demonstrating the corporate values.

Please refer the Job description for details