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Posted: 07-Sep-23
Location: Belleville, Ontario, Canada
Type: Full Time
Salary: $75,683.06 - $90,098.01
OPPI Membership Status:
Posting Type:
RPP Designation:
Work environment:
Required Education:
Additional Information:
Internal Number: SV23-127
PRINCIPAL PLANNER, POLICY
(2 Positions)
The City of Belleville, known as the ‘Friendly City’, is located at the mouth of the Moira River where it meets the picturesque Bay of Quinte. Experience world-class fishing, boating, cycling, and walking along approximately 14 kilometers of waterfront trails. Situated between Toronto and Montreal, and less than one hour from the U.S. border, the City truly is at the center of it all.
Approximately 56,000 people make Belleville their home and over 220,000 live within 30 minutes of the City. We are in close proximity to Prince Edward County where you can discover award winning wineries and numerous beaches including Sandbanks Provincial Park. We are home to Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology as well as Albert College, Canada’s oldest co-ed boarding independent private school. The historic downtown core provides numerous restaurants, shopping and live music and theater venues for an amazing cultural experience. Our inviting blend of small-town warmth and big city amenities, quality of life and affordable housing make Belleville the perfect place to live, work and play. More information is available at www.belleville.ca
Currently, the City of Belleville has two exciting opportunities for highly motivated, strategic, and dynamic individuals to join the Department of Engineering and Development Services, Policy Division as a Principal Planner.
PURPOSE AND SCOPE:
As a member of the Engineering and Development Services Department, reporting to the Manager of Policy Planning, the Principal Planner prepares and presents reports to Council or Committees of Council on a wide variety of planning matters with an emphasis on complex planning policy, analysis and formulation, special studies and project management. This will also include the ongoing review, research, analysis, coordination and preparation of the City’s Official Plan and amendments thereto in accordance with the Planning Act.
You will also support the Manager of Policy Planning in leading projects and initiatives on planning policy matters including housing, growth management and infrastructure phasing; overseeing the City’s Community Improvement Plan including its housing, brownfield, and façade improvement programs; and advising on matters concerning heritage conservation.
This is a great opportunity for an experienced planner who is passionate about policy planning and is looking to build on their leadership and project management experience while working closely with senior staff, and as part of a multi-disciplinary team of professionals to deliver strategic priorities for the City.
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Providing project management oversight of a range planning projects in a multi-disciplinary context, including complex and politically sensitive community planning policy projects;
- Overseeing the City’s Community Improvement Plan and its programs, including conducting pre-consultation meetings, preparing application checklists, receiving and reviewing program applications, preparing and negotiating conditions of approval, implementing legal instruments, conducting ongoing monitoring, and reporting to Council and Committees of Council on matters relating to the Plan and applications made under the Plan, as required;
- Advising on heritage conservation matters including project management of special studies relating to heritage conservation, reviewing applications that involve heritage properties or resources under the Ontario Heritage Act and other applicable legislation or policy and reporting to the Heritage Committee;
- Providing ongoing review, coordination and oversight of the City’s Official Plan and amendments thereto, as well as reviewing, processing and preparing of recommendations for applications to amend the Official Plan;
- Commenting on policy aspects of other planning and development applications submitted to the City as well as planning and development related projects initiated by the City;
- Presenting studies, policies and applications at public meetings as well as coordinating, chairing and presenting at public information sessions;
- Conferring/liaising with municipal, provincial, and federal authorities, civic leaders, lawyers, land developers, the public and special interest groups to develop and implement planning policies that will support and align with municipal, provincial and federal policies and legislation;
- Staying informed of current trends in the planning legislation, practice and techniques, evaluating their impact on the City and recommending any needed policy and procedural improvements, particularly with respect to housing and growth management;
- Providing professional advice and strategic input to senior management, Committees and Council;
- Preparing terms of reference for retention of peer review consultant services, including evaluating proposals, reviewing and negotiating work plans and budgets and recommending award of services;
- Preparing and providing expert planning opinion at tribunals including the Ontario Land Tribunal;
- Providing training, coaching and mentoring; and,
- Supervising other planning staff, as required.
Note: Above duties are representative of a typical position and are not to be construed as all-inclusive.
EDUCATION/SPECIALIZED TRAINING/SKILLS:
Essential (minimum) Qualifications:
- Undergraduate Degree or higher in Planning, Geography or a related discipline;
- Full membership or eligibility for membership in Canadian Institute of Planners and Ontario Professional Planners Institute with a Registered Professional Planner designations (MCIP, RPP); and
- a thorough understanding of the Planning Act, and other relevant legislation.
Asset (preferred) Qualifications:
- Expert knowledge of Official Plans, Provincial Policy Statements, and Provincial Plans.
- Proven ability to synthesize, evaluate and interpret planning issues, towards developing clear and concise planning recommendations;
- Demonstrated leadership and project management experience;
- Strong organizational, analytical, policy and data analysis skills;
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to respond to public concerns in a professional manner and maintain effective working relationships within the Corporation and the broader community;
- Negotiation/conflict resolution skills in response to a wide variety of policy matters within a dynamic, fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environment;
- Demonstrated proficiency with a variety of software applications;
- Ability to work independently and as a member of a team; and,
- Ability to facilitate discussion and exercise judgment in a rational and informed manner appropriate to the situation with awareness of consequences.
WORK EXPERIENCE:
Essential (minimum) Qualifications:
- Three (3) years of experience in planning, preferably in a municipal environment; and
- Emphasis on review and analysis of planning policy.
Asset (preferred) Qualifications:
- Four (4) years progressive experience in planning, preferably in a municipal environment;
- Experience developing and implementing planning policy; and
- Experience at the Ontario Land Tribunal, or equivalent.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU:
- Competitive market salary
- Competitive employer-paid extended health benefits
- OMERS Pension Plan
- Opportunity to enter in a hybrid work arrangement subject to applicable policies and approvals, following the successful completion of the probationary period
- Live, work, and play in the beautiful city of Belleville and experience all that it has to offer
Position Type: Permanent Full Time
Closing Date: September 28, 2023 at 4:30 PM
Department: Engineering and Development Services, Policy Division
File Number: SV23-127
Number of Positions Available: Two (2)
Hours of Work: 35 hours per week
Employee Group: Administration
Salary/Rate of Pay: Grade 9 ($75,683.06 - $90,098.01)
HOW TO APPLY:
Personal information and any supporting material will be administered in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). We thank all applicants who apply but advise that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Please be advised that the City of Belleville uses email to communicate with their applicants for open job postings. It is the applicant’s responsibility to include an updated email address that is checked frequently and accepts emails from unknown users. As we send time sensitive correspondence regarding recruitments via email, it is imperative that applicants check their email regularly. If we do not hear back from applicants, we will assume that you are no longer interested in the job posting.
The City of Belleville is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusive, barrier-free recruitment and selection processes and work environments. We will accommodate the needs of applicants under the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process. Please advise the Human Resources Division to ensure your accessibility needs are accommodated throughout this process.
Applicants will be required to provide at their own expense a satisfactory criminal reference check dated within the past six (6) months and if deemed a requirement of the position, a driver’s abstract to the Human Resources Department on or before the date of the interview but no later than the commencement of employment if selected.