District of Sparwood

Job Title: Director of Planning and Development

Reports To: Chief Administrative Officer

Salary Grade: Exempt – Management Staff

Department: Planning

Updated: February 2021

Job Summary

The District of Sparwood is searching for its next talented and experienced Director within the Planning and Development department.  Working closely with the Chief Administrative Officer, you will primarily be responsible for overseeing the land development and building functions for the District of Sparwood, helping the District take steps toward its short and long-term planning and development goals, while continually improving processes and service delivery. The Director will be part of the executive team and as such, should be a collaborative thinker with the ability to adapt to change and interact with people in a professional and courteous manner.

Key duties include ensuring compliance with legislation and Council policies; the effective and efficient delivery of development and building inspection services; implementing and improving long-term community plans and strategies; and providing planning technical advice and guidance to the Chief Administrative Officer and Council.

Job Duties

General

• Demonstrates leadership through innovative and progressive thinking on improving short and long-term planning initiatives, strategic priorities and projects.
• Oversees the activities of the Planning Department including implementing relevant bylaws, such as the Official Community Plan Bylaw, Zoning Bylaw, Building Bylaw, Subdivision and Servicing Bylaw and other land use.
• Manages the development approvals process, such as development permit, variance, and building permit applications.
• Prepares or oversees the preparation of planning studies and reports, policy documents and strategic plans on a variety of planning issues such as livability, revitalization, development permit guidelines, climate action, or other related matters to guide the future development of the community.
• Manages planning staff, including determining the nature of the work to be performed, recruiting, development and training, and ensuring quality and quantity of work meets established standards. Resolves staff issues, manages performance and handles disciplinary issues and participates in grievance processes.
• Attends and makes presentations on community planning, environment and/or development matters or policies at Council and other meetings as required. Facilitates and oversees the coordination of public consultations to address development and land use issues.
• Oversees the on-going maintenance of the District’s GIS systems including the preparation of maps, reports, and other related information related to the District’s spatial data. Liaises with other departments to support GIS needs such as asset management, engineering, and other related services.
• Assists in the preparation of annual and long-range capital and operational budgets for the Planning Department, and monitors expenditures of allocated funds within the approved budget.
• Builds and maintains effective communication and coordination with internal and external contacts including other governments and agencies, developers, consultants, key stakeholder groups, District staff and the general public regarding planning services.
• By delegation of the CAO carry out responsibilities and duties of the Approving Officer as defined and outlined by the BC Land Titles Act.
• Undertakes other assigned duties as required.

Economic Development

• Coordinates and oversees the District’s economic development activities as directed by the Chief Administrative Officer.
• Liaises with the business community and periodically reports back to Council on matters affecting or having the potential to affect the economic well-being of the community.
• Participates on the District’s behalf in local and regional economic initiatives, as appropriate.
• Supports District land sale investigations and negotiations.

Environment

• Participates in relevant environmental assessment processes on the District’s behalf, including ongoing implementation of existing operations certificates, and providing input on new applications.
• Oversees the functioning of the Socio-Community and Economic Effects Advisory Committee.
• Implements existing policies and supports updates to the Official Community Plan related to environmental protection and conservation.

Job Requirements

• University Degree in land use planning, and either is a full member, or eligible to be a member, of the Planning Institute of BC;
• At least five (5) years of experience in a municipal environment or equivalent experience in the private sector;
• At least three (3) years of experience in a management role.
• Approving officer experience is considered an asset.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook).

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

• Excellent knowledge of the philosophies, principles and practices of municipal planning and sustainability.
• Familiarity with environmental assessment processes is considered an asset.
• Approving officer experience is considered an asset.
• A well-defined sense of diplomacy, including solid negotiation, conflict resolution, and people management skills.
• Ability to identify issues and implement creative and strategic solutions to overcome problems.
• Effective leadership skills, with a strong focus on mentoring and motivation of employees.
• Experience with budget preparation and control.
• Strong writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Well-developed organizational and time management skills.
• Demonstrate proficiency in the core competencies of:
  • Accountability
  • Coaching
  • Communication
  • Conflict management
  • Cultural sensitivity
  • Leadership
  • Project management
  • Time management

Our Work Environment

At the District of Sparwood we are always interested in attracting high performing team members to our staff by offering:

• A collaborative executive team environment
• Continual professional learning and development
• Compressed work week / earned day off program
• Up to 3-weeks of time off in lieu of overtime
• Employer paid benefits
• Active Living Pass for access to the Leisure Centre courts, fitness centre, climbing wall, pool, arena and many of the drop-in fitness classes
  
  The salary for this position is between $95,000 and $118,000 dependent  on education and experience. 
   

  Qualified applicants who are offered and accept the position may be required to complete a satisfactory pre-employment background check. This may consist of all or a combination of the following: Canadian criminal record check, an employment verification and/or an education and accreditation verification and a clean drivers’ abstract.

  Applicants are invited to submit their resumes, complete with cover letter, in confidence by March 14, 2021, quoting competition #04-2021, to the attention of:

  Ms. Michele Schalekamp
  Chief Administrative Officer
  District of Sparwood
  careers@sparwood.ca