Director of Planning and Development

A rewarding, exciting and challenging experience awaits!

The Town of Slave Lake is seeking an experienced, progressive and collaborative leader to lead, manage and direct the Planning and Development Services Department to support the Town of Slave Lake’s Vision, Strategic and Corporate Business Plans and its commitment to excellence in municipal government and customer service.

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will be responsible for the overall land use planning and development activities in the Town of Slave Lake and establish strategic direction and alignment with the organization. You will lead the department with the primary goal of building an increasingly sustainable community with an exceptional quality of life.

Reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer, the successful individual will take a holistic systems approach; ensuring activity is consistent with long-term planning.

SALARY:  $114,524.68 - $150,739.50

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Responsible for managing the development process through administration of the Land Use Bylaw, issuance of development permits, letters of compliance, and performing enforcement duties as pertaining to development issues.
• Advisor to the Municipal Planning Commission, Subdivision & Development Appeal Board, Town Council and other inter-agencies and authorities as pertaining to matters of subdivision & development.
• Represent the Town of Slave Lake on all day-to-day activities relating to planning and development matters, liaison and correspond with agencies, governments, developers, and other interested parties.
• Provide recommendations to Town Council regarding amendments to the Land Use Bylaw.
• Responsible for the administration and management of all statutory documents, studies, reports, and manuals that relate to planning and development issues.
• Preparation and management of Development Agreements including coordinating field inspections to verify compliance.
• Administration of all subdivision applications (includes initial consultation with developer, review of subdivision and development plans, overseeing the subdivision referral process, and preparation of planning reports for the Subdivision Authority).
• Steering of planning and land use studies for the Town and joint planning studies with neighboring municipalities.
• Coordinate special planning studies, research projects and investigations as required.
• Responsible for making comment regarding urban fringe subdivision and development referrals.
• Responsible for administering and providing recommendations to Council regarding road closure applications, public land sales and municipal reserve allocation and disposals.
• Responsible for the management of the Land Based Filing system and provision of administrative support for geographic information services.
• Prepare policies as deemed necessary for adoption by Council.
• Preparation of annual operating and capital budgets and responsibility to remain within the budget parameters throughout the year.
• Preparation of annual service levels for the department as they pertain to the annual budget preparation.
• Ensure municipality is aware of and in compliance with current legislative and related changes affecting land use and municipal planning in Alberta.
• Provide administrative support for economic development strategies for the Town as pertaining to land use policies and future development plans.
• Monitors trends, forecasting, issues, ensuring proactive approach to the growth and development of the Town of Slave Lake. 
• Health and Safety:  Must adhere to all safety standards under the Occupational Health and Safety Legislation, Town Policies and Procedures and WHMIS Guidelines.  For specific responsibilities of this position, refer to the Town’s Health and Safety Policy, Section 2 – Responsibilities for CAO, Directors, Supervisors and Workers. 
• Other duties as may be required from time to time.

AUTHORITIES OF THIS POSITION:

• Development Authority (Designated Officer under the provisions of the Municipal Government Act and the Town’s Land Use Bylaw).

QUALIFICATIONS / EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE:

• Post-secondary Degree in Land Use Planning, Geography or Regional, Urban, City or Community Planning, or a related discipline (e.g. Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Geography, Urban Studies, Environmental Planning, Sustainability)
• Minimum seven (7) years of experience in the planning field, including at least three (3) years in a local government setting (preferably at the municipal level) and at least two (2) years in a supervisory or management role.
• Member of Canadian Institute of Certified Planners or equivalent is preferred.
• Considerable breadth and depth of knowledge of the Municipal Government Act, provincial planning and development regulations and related statutes
• Expertise in the areas of land development, project management, and land use planning is needed.

SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Superior verbal and written communication skills with demonstrated experience presenting to senior decision-making bodies
• A good knowledge of computer systems in general, financial, capital project, and land information systems in particular.

Note: The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the responsibilities and activities required for this position but gives a general nature and level of work being performed by the incumbent.

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT:

• Occasional light lifting.
• Long periods of sitting.
• Extensive use of computer and telephone.
• Good lighting, temperature, and noise control.
• A normal working day consists of a maximum of 7.5 hours; however, occasional extended hours may be required.

HEALTH & SAFETY:

All personnel working at the Town of Slave Lake are governed by the Health & Safety Policy.

• Ensure proper ergonomic requirements are met and good ergonomic procedures are practiced.

• Ensures all operations are conducted in a safe manner and in accordance with Town Policies and all Occupational Health and Safety Rules and Regulations.

COMPENSATION AND REWARDS:

The Town of Slave Lake offers a competitive salary, excellent benefits and an employer matched pension plan. We foster a culture of learning and development to support employees as they grow, through a variety of employee development initiatives, an education assistance program and special project opportunities.