Senior Engagement Specialist/Planner

Are you interested in leading community engagement, community development and/or community outreach? Are you interested in working on high-profile, major infrastructure projects? Do you want to help design conversations with the public, agencies and businesses about how planning, urban design and engineering projects can support communities? Do you enjoy building both internal and external relationships and have an entrepreneurial mindset? Are you committed to designing and facilitating better ways to engage people in real conversations about the future? If these questions describe the kind of work that you love doing, this job is for you!

Your opportunity

Dillon’s Community Planning (Central and Eastern Ontario) operating team is looking for a Senior Engagement Specialist/Planner to join our multidisciplinary team of planning and stakeholder engagement professionals. We are looking for someone who wants to help lead community-based consultation programs for high-profile, major transit and transportation infrastructure projects that will shape the future of our cities and neighbourhoods.

At Dillon, we operate as one team. The successful candidate can be based at any one of our following offices: Toronto (Downtown), Toronto (North York), Oakville, Guelph, Kitchener or Hamilton.

We offer flexible work hours and hybrid work arrangement options to help balance the competing demands of work and personal life.

The ideal candidate has the interest, technical background, and skills needed to be able to help design, facilitate and lead a wide range of meetings and consultation activities with organizations, agencies and the public. With a desire to take a leading role in project delivery, they enjoy team work and want to support junior staff in their technical growth. As someone with excellent communication skills, a genuine passion for community engagement and a solid sense of business acumen, the ideal candidate will thrive in our fast-paced business environment.

We work in a collaborative team environment where a diversity of opinions and thoughts are welcome. As a consulting firm, we are always looking for new opportunities to connect with clients and communities. We welcome applicants who also enjoy entrepreneurship and innovation in a flexible work environment.

What your day will look like

Community Planning and Stakeholder Engagement

• Lead or support the delivery of the stakeholder engagement programs for high-profile, major transit or transportation infrastructure projects
• Conduct research on stakeholders and project issues as inputs to engagement planning
• Prepare communication and engagement materials including presentations, agendas, key messages, frequently asked questions, fact sheets, display panels, and work books
• Plan, attend and facilitate engagement events of various sizes and complexity (both in-person and virtual)
• Leverage digital tools and technologies in the delivery of engagement activities, including website content management systems, email marketing, mobile apps, social media, video, etc.
• Prepare consultation summary reports based on analysis and synthesis of input received from engagement activities
• Evaluate engagement programs and identify areas for continuous improvement
• Support project management activities (e.g., coordination, preparation and/or review of project budgets, expenditure reports, invoicing, etc.)
• Collaborate with technical and professional staff from across the company and sub-consultants
• Support client relationships and business growth in Ontario, including proposal writing and business development activities
• Travel for business to project locations in the GTA or other Dillon offices upon request

Please note that this role will require in-person attendance at meetings or events held at various locations in the GTA, therefore the candidate needs to be located within commuting distance of our Toronto, Oakville or Hamilton offices.

Learning and Development

• Commit to self-development and ongoing learning and professional development
• Input to the career development of junior staff, including technical direction, training recommendations, coaching and mentoring
• Contribute to Dillon’s corporate profile through active participation in professional associations and committees

What you will need to succeed

• A bachelor’s or graduate degree in planning from a planning program accredited by the Professional Standards Board is preferred, however related technical fields will be considered
• Full membership in the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI), or eligibility to achieve full membership within two (2) years of accepting the position
• Five (5) to eight (8) years of professional experience in stakeholder engagement or communications, preferably in the consulting environment
• IAP2, CPRS, IABC membership or certification is an asset

• Experience in the successful delivery and management of project-based work as a project manager or project coordinator (or equivalent role)
• Experience leading the development and implementation of communications and engagement programs for a range of audiences and project types
• Experience in the design and facilitation of meetings, workshops, and advisory group sessions
• Experience in the application of online and virtual engagement methods including social media, remote engagement tactics, survey design, and more
• Experience working with online engagement tools including SurveyMonkey, Mentimeter, Engagement HQ, Social Pinpoint, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx
• Experience working with or for government clients
• Demonstrated understanding of the land use planning framework in Ontario
• Strong written skills, with particular emphasis on report writing and external communications
• Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to think critically and strategically
• Responsible, organized, accountable and committed to excellence
• Able to work in a self-directed, multidisciplinary team setting
• Experience with Indigenous community engagement is an asset
• Experience working with Adobe Creative Cloud applications (InDesign and Illustrator) is an asset

Dillon offers competitive salaries, health benefits, flexible work arrangements and a generous retirement savings plan. Our work week is 37.5 hours.

Why choose Dillon

Dillon is powered by people who are technically proficient, passionate about socially important projects, and motivated to deliver superior, tangible results. We strive to remain at the forefront of technology and innovation, and are empowered to continually grow and develop.

We live our core values:

• Reliability: words that result in actions build trust;
• Achievement: do the work to hit the target;
• Continuous development: always learning; always adapting; always growing;
• Creativity: discover new possibilities;
• Courage: do the things that matter, especially when it’s hard;
• Inclusiveness: enabling belonging to draw strength from our differences

In addition, we offer:

• Employee share purchase plan
• Dillon is 100% employee owned and share ownership is open to all full-time regular employees
• A competitive compensation package
• Comprehensive health benefits
• Generous retirement savings plan
• Student loan repayment assistance with matching employer contributions
• Flexible work hours 
• Dillon values its staff and the contributions that are made each day and understands that work arrangements can differ based on personal needs and business needs.  We are taking a trust-based approach to offer a variety of flexible work options to help balance the competing demands of work and personal life.
• Learning and Development opportunities
• As a knowledge-based business, the organic growth of our knowledge and skills occur through our work performance and roles. The creation and sharing of knowledge allows us to take local knowledge to scale, capture lessons learned through experience, and continuously improve service delivery. The development of self and others is an evident and measured core behaviour within our organization
• We use a composite approach to development including coaching to build the how, mentoring to share lessons, advising to round out perspectives, and co-creation of knowledge through internal learning opportunities
• Focus on Innovation
• The ability to anticipate, examine, and adopt new and innovative solutions is a crucial driver for the continual and progressive advancement of our business performance. In our culture, people are empowered to reflect and question current practices and seek forward looking solutions to today’s problems and tomorrow’s opportunities
• Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
• A variety of EFAP tools and online resources to support well-being are available to all employees
• Wellness Subsidy
• Our employees can take advantage of wellness subsidy that can be put towards expenses for a variety of health and/or wellness related activities such as gym membership, purchase of home fitness equipment, yoga classes  and dance classes

About Dillon

Dillon is a proudly Canadian, employee-owned, professional consulting firm specializing in planning, engineering, environmental science and management. We partner with clients to provide committed, collaborative, and inventive solutions to complex, multi-faceted projects. With over 20 offices and more than 1000 employees across Canada, Dillon offers a wide range of services related to building and improving facilities and infrastructure, protecting the environment, and developing communities.

Now operating for over 75 years, we continue to strive for excellence in everything we do. Dillon has been listed as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for the past 17 years and has the distinction of having achieved Platinum Club member status in this program.

Employment Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Dillon:

Dillon is committed to the principles of employment equity, inclusiveness, and diversity within our organization. We strive to achieve a workplace where opportunities are based on skills and abilities and that respects and values differences. 

Inclusion is more than a word to us, it is the way we choose to run our business. Please connect with us if you require accommodation in the interview process. We would love to hear from you!

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