Urban Planner, Strategic Projects

• Edmonton, Alberta
• Urban Planning
• Project Management

Senior Planner, Strategic Projects
Permanent, Full-time (35 hours/week)

Come work with us!
Our mission is People. Building. Community. We offer a collaborative and dynamic workplace where our values of Teamwork, Service, Respect, and Leadership guide our conduct and contribute to a healthy culture. If you would like to work as part of a progressive organization and enjoy a fast-paced environment, then this may be the opportunity for you.

What is the Opportunity?
We are currently recruiting for a permanent, full-time Senior Planner, Strategic Projects in our Planning and Economic Development Department.
Are you ready to take on a once-in-a-career opportunity that will shape the future of a growing community? Do you have the vision, drive, and expertise to lead high-profile projects that will impact the community for generations to come? Join our team as a Senior Planner, Strategic Projects and bring your passion for community development, intermunicipal collaboration, and project leadership to an organization that’s ready for the next big step. This role is ideal for a planner who finds purpose in meaningful work, combining technical expertise with the ability to engage and inspire community members and stakeholders.

This role offers a rare opportunity to work on a high-profile project with visible, lasting impact. You’ll be part of a collaborative, supportive team in a community that’s growing and ready for bold ideas. We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and a chance to put a major project feather in your cap. Be part of a legacy project and build a future that matters.

What will you do?
In this dynamic role, you will be the key player overseeing highly visible, high-impact projects that are top priorities for our Council and community. With an exciting opportunity to leave your mark, you will lead a multidisciplinary team of internal experts and external consultants, using your strong political acumen, project management expertise, and public engagement skills to guide complex, city-shaping initiatives from vision to reality.
As our Senior Planner, Strategic Projects, you’ll:

• Lead Major Projects: Working in a team environment and independently, take charge of large-scale initiatives, managing everything from timelines and budgets to stakeholder relations. With your guidance, we’ll keep projects on schedule and aligned with our strategic goals.
• Drive Intermunicipal Collaboration: Use your negotiation skills and relationship-building abilities to work with neighboring municipalities, aligning priorities, managing shared responsibilities, and building partnerships.
• Engage with the Public and Stakeholders: Serve as a subject matter expert and trusted advisor, delivering clear and compelling communications that inform and engage the community. Answer questions, address concerns, and explain the benefits and impacts of upcoming projects with confidence and clarity.
• Ensure Quality and Compliance: Oversee the development of reports, technical studies, and other critical project documents, ensuring they meet high standards and comply with provincial and municipal regulations. Provide the quality control that guarantees accuracy, relevance, and impact. Research best practices in land use planning and strategic subject matters that encourage social, environmental, and economic sustainability, including analyzing land uses, growth trends, patterns, and constraints.
• Strategic Thinking and Decision Making: Play a pivotal role in influencing decision-making, using your strategic thinking to connect the dots between short-term actions and long-term goals. Leveraging your systems thinking, you’ll see the broader picture, understanding how each part of the project interacts within the municipal landscape to achieve shared objectives. By analyzing complex information, identifying interdependencies, and anticipating challenges, you’ll guide initiatives to success and ensure they align with the organization’s vision for sustainable growth. Your insights will empower Council and leadership to make informed decisions that reflect community needs and priorities, positioning the project for long-lasting impact.

What do you need to succeed?
You are an ideal candidate if you have the following:

• Degree in Regional and Urban Planning, Urban Design, Environmental Science, Landscape Architecture, Architecture, or Geography with a minimum of 5 years’ professional or municipal experience – equivalencies will be considered.
• Membership, or eligibility for membership, with Canadian Institute of Planners.
• You’re a strategic thinker and natural leader who is ready to take on a pivotal project that will change the direction of a community and expose you to once-in-a-career project opportunities.
• You have advanced project management skills, you’re a pro at coordinating complex projects and keeping them on track.
• You can navigate sensitive situations with diplomacy, balancing diverse stakeholder needs and managing high-stakes relationships through superior political acumen and focus on building strong relationships.
• You have public engagement expertise, you excel at communicating technical details to a non-technical audience, delivering compelling messages that foster understanding and support.
• You are a strong collaborator and skillful at working with interdisciplinary knowledge from land use planning and environmental assessments to infrastructure needs and understanding of municipal fiscal sustainability. You have a broad foundation and know how to bring in the right expertise at the right time.
• Working knowledge and experience with MS Office Software.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a team and other departments.

What's in it for you:

• Competitive salary
• LAPP pension
• Comprehensive health, dental, and wellness benefits, including a generous healthcare spending account
• Professional development opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements, including a hybrid work environment and participation in an Earned Day Off program
• Starting at 3 weeks’ vacation per year
• Safe office location in a park-like setting
• Free parking
• Annual recreation pass, including access to free drop-in programs