Community Planner | |
| Job ID | 27-AB-CD-15-30-B0 |
| Company | Urban Systems Ltd. |
| Location | Kelowna |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Date Posted | 2021-02-11 |
| Posted Until | 2021-03-01 |
| Job Type | Full-time |
| Job Category | Engineering |
| Description | |
| About the Opportunity Our thriving Kelowna office is looking to add a talented and enthusiastic Community Planner to join our existing team of professional planners, engineers, and other professionals serving clients and communities across British Columbia. Successful candidates will have experience providing professional planning services to a variety of local government settings including municipalities, regional districts and indigenous communities. This opportunity presents the successful candidate a significant opportunity to directly contribute to the growth of Urban Systems’ established Kelowna planning practice, drawing on resources both locally and across our Western Canada branches. The Urban Systems community planning practice thrives at providing professional planning services to clients who are dealing with the interconnections between governance, policy, finance, community design and land use, mobility, and infrastructure. More and more of our clients are looking for innovative ideas and customized solutions based on an integrated perspective of these fields. The community planning practice in the Kelowna branch provides consulting services on an array of planning projects. This includes but is certainly not limited to: • Official Community Plan updates, neighbourhood plans, comprehensive development plans, and area sector plans; • Zoning Bylaw updates including entire bylaw reviews and issues-specific amendments; • Development Cost Charge studies and bylaws; • Community engagement initiatives for projects in the form of pop-up booths at community events, online engagement tools, and World Cafes, amongst others • Parks and trails master planning; • Other municipal bylaws, regulations, and policies (e.g., traffic bylaw, blasting bylaw, subdivision and development servicing bylaw); • Municipal finance associated with infrastructure cost recovery and asset management; and • Fostering partnerships with different local governments, Indigenous communities, provincial agencies, and community organizations in the interest of making progress on addressing common issues amongst our clients. As communities continue to become more complex, so too does the planning profession and the demands of our clients. We are looking for a well-rounded and motivated individual that is passionate about planning and working with local communities in British Columbia’s beautiful Okanagan Valley. Due to COVID-19, the opportunity to work remotely and from home does exist. Thinking beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, it is expected that the Community Planner be available to partake in activities in-person, such as attending meetings, participating in branch activities, and collaborating on projects. Therefore, the individual would need to reside in Kelowna. | |
| Experience | About You We’re looking for the following skills, traits, and interests: • Minimum 5 years of experience in professional planning; • Interest in working closely with local governments, Indigenous communities, provincial agencies, and community organizations to address key community planning issues; • Demonstrated understanding of planning processes in British Columbia, legislative requirements, governance models, and the preparation of policy documents and bylaws; • Experience conducting research, preparing background reports, and making recommendations on various planning projects with an aptitude for problem solving, researching, and analyzing information; • An aptitude for dealing with numbers and spreadsheets in addressing projections, municipal finance, cost recovery and infrastructure planning associated with land uses; • Experience in the preparation and delivery of presentations, surveys, and other external stakeholder and public engagement materials; • An entrepreneurial-driven individual who is interested in continuing to develop the practice with existing and new clients, including securing new work through responding to requests for qualifications and proposals in a team environment; • Interest in working with an array of clients throughout the Okanagan and potentially other communities in Western Canada; • A great communicator with a demonstrated ability to write well, think critically, and ask questions; • A collaborator who thrives in a team environment, can be an integrator between disciplines, and enjoys working on a variety of projects with different team members; • Experience working in a consulting or local government setting with the ability to strengthen our professional relationships through exemplary work that meets or exceeds client expectations; • Certified member of the Canadian Institute of Planners, or is eligible for/working toward membership. |
| Languages | English |
| Work Settings | About Us Recognized as one of Canada’s top employers, Urban Systems is an employee-owned interdisciplinary consulting firm based in Western Canada. In business since 1975, we have over four decades of experience working with a variety of clients including all levels of government, Indigenous communities, commercial and residential land developers, and the natural resource sector. We have a team of approximately 450 with offices across Western Canada that is committed to helping build vibrant communities of all sizes. There are over 40 professional planners practicing across Urban Systems. Our Kelowna office has 60 professionals practicing in the fields of transportation engineering, water and wastewater engineering, municipal design and construction, geographic information systems, communications and engagement, community planning, and asset management and infrastructure renewal, amongst others. Our community planning team in Kelowna is comprised of 3 professional planners working on a variety of projects with other professionals in the Kelowna branch as well as other branches of Urban Systems. Our Commitment to You At Urban Systems, we make significant investments in our people, which is why we take great care to hire those who we believe will thrive in Urban Systems. We’ve become recognized as a workplace of choice by nurturing a unique corporate culture that sets us apart: • Challenging and interesting project opportunities; • A fun workplace, where hard work accomplishes great things; • The opportunity to work with industry leading professionals in a collaborative environment; • Ongoing development of professional skills and learning; and • Meaningful rewards and recognition. |
| How To Apply | Click Apply Now! If this describes your background, your skills and your natural talents, please check out our website for more information and submit your resume, cover letter and samples of your work. Deadline for applications: Monday, March 1, 2021 at 9:00 am PST |
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