Policy Planner

**About Us**
Aplin Martin is a full-service Civil Engineering, Architecture, Planning, Environmental and Survey company, celebrating over 56 years of success in making sustainable communities a reality across Canada. Over the five decades, the Aplin Martin family has grown into a multi-disciplinary firm of 350+ talented and dedicated professionals delivering innovative and practical design solutions, approval strategies, and project management services to our clients in BC, AB, and ON. We are dedicated to nurturing our employees’ growth and development and providing a supportive environment with a strong emphasis on mentorship and professional development that ensures a rewarding career within our organization.

**Position Overview**
We’re a consulting team that partners with municipalities across British Columbia to deliver policy-driven, community-focused planning projects, ranging from Housing and Social Policy initiatives to Official Community Plan (OCP) updates.

We are currently looking for a motivated and strategic Planner to work closely with our Community Planning group across a growing portfolio of municipal policy and planning work. This role is ideal for someone with experience in local government and consulting, who is ready to step into a leadership-support position and grow their influence on meaningful planning projects.

**Key Responsibilities**:

- Contribute to and lead policy research and development and projects such as OCP reviews, Zoning Bylaw updates, Housing Plans and Strategies, Housing Needs Reports, and other community planning initiatives.
- Conduct research, write policies, and produce deliverables that are technically sound, visually engaging, and easy to understand.
- Draft and support RFP responses, scopes of work, and project management processes.
- Analyze complex data sets - demographics, housing, land use, and economics - and translate findings into actionable planning insights.
- Interpret municipal planning legislation, bylaws, regional strategies to support policy alignment and write policy documents and reports.
- Participate in and help coordinate community engagement, both online and in-person, including facilitation support and preparation of consultation materials.
- Provide day-to-day support on project management tasks and occasional mentorship to junior staff or interns.

**Must have**:

- A degree in Urban/Community/Regional Planning, Geography, Public Policy, or a related field.
- 3-5 years of relevant professional planning experience, ideally within a local government or consulting environment, with a focus on planning policy and research.
- Knowledge of OCP, zoning bylaws, housing policy, growth management principles and practices.
- Solid working knowledge of municipal planning processes, Council reporting, and development frameworks.
- Familiarity with BC’s legislative and regulatory planning framework (e.g., Local Government Act, Bills 16/44/46/47).
- Membership or eligibility for membership in PIBC and CIP is preferred.
- Strong writing and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex ideas clearly to a range of audiences.
- Strong data analysis skills using Excel, Census, CMHC data, or similar sources.
- Comfort working on multiple projects simultaneously and managing competing priorities.

**Nice to have**:

- Experience writing RFPs and/or proposals for municipal and development projects.
- Hands-on experience working in Indigenous planning, social and equity-informed planning, and environmental climate planning.
- An understanding of, or experience with, financial feasibility analysis, pro forma modeling, and land economics is considered a strong asset.
- Solid understanding of GIS (ArcGIS, QGIS) for mapping and spatial analysis is a great asset.
- Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite, Power BI, or other data visualization tools for presentation and storytelling.
- Experience facilitating community engagement initiatives and/or supporting Indigenous/community-based planning.

**You’ll Thrive Here If You Are**:

- A strategic and systems thinker, who sees the big picture in planning.
- A self-starter with initiative, curiosity, and a consulting mindset.
- Comfortable with some ambiguity, and able to pivot as project needs evolve.
- A strong communicator and team collaborator.
- Passionate about advancing good policy, inclusive communities, and climate resilience.

**Compensation**
The salary range for this position is $75,000 to $100,000 per year, commensurate with experience, skillsets, and qualifications.

**Why Join Us?**
We offer a flexible and supportive environment where your voice matters. You’ll play a key role in shaping how we deliver projects, communicate with clients, and grow the impact of our work. You’ll be exposed to a wide variety of planning issues and supported in expanding your skills in leadership, facilitation, and business development. We’re small enough to be nimble but experienced enough to make a difference-and