Senior Land Use Planner/Project Manager

Are you interested in helping to shape the future of our cities and neighbourhoods? Do you want to help find practical solutions to the challenges facing our cities today? Are you committed to applying the principles of good planning to enable our communities to benefit from the opportunities of tomorrow? If these questions describe the kind of work that you love doing, this job is for you!

Dillon’s Community Planning – Central and Eastern Ontario operating team is looking for a Senior Land Use Planner / Project Manager to join our multidisciplinary team of planning professionals. At Dillon, we operate as one team. The successful candidate can be based at any of our following offices: Toronto Downtown, North York, Hamilton, Guelph, Kitchener or Ottawa.

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

We are looking for someone who wants to lead the development of forward-thinking municipal land use policies and studies that will help shape the future of our cities and neighbourhoods. The ideal candidate has the interest, technical background, and skills needed to be able to lead a wide variety of land use and policy planning projects. 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 a genuine passion for city-building excellent communication skills, 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 

• Manage, lead or support the delivery of a range of land use planning projects and other specialized studies for municipal and private sector clients and Indigenous communities across Ontario (e.g., Official Plans, Zoning By-laws, Secondary Plans, etc.)
• Lead or support the delivery of stakeholder engagement activities and deliverables through in-person attendance at public meetings and preparation of related supporting materials
• Lead or 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, Eastern Ontario or other Dillon offices upon request

Learning & Development 

• Commit to self-development and ongoing learning and professional development
• Contribute to the career development of supporting staff, including technical direction, 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) is strongly preferred, however candidates who would be eligible to achieve full membership within two (2) years of accepting the position will be considered

• Eight (8) or more years of professional planning experience in Ontario, preferably in the consulting environment
• Experience in the successful delivery and management of project-based work as a project manager (or equivalent role)
• Strong understanding of the municipal and provincial land use planning policy framework in Ontario, including the Planning Act, Provincial Policy Statement, Growth Plan, Greenbelt Plan and other legislation/policy frameworks
• Experience in managing the delivery of land use policy planning projects at a local or regional scale (e.g., Official Plans, Zoning By-laws, Secondary Plans, etc.)
• Experience in supporting the delivery of stakeholder engagement activities
• Demonstrated understanding of the land use planning and approvals framework in Ontario
• Strong written skills, with particular emphasis on policy analysis, report writing and external communications
• Ability to think critically and strategically
• Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills
• Responsible, organized, accountable and committed to excellence
• Able to work in a self-directed, multidisciplinary team setting

Dillon offers competitive salaries, health benefits, 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!