Director of Planning

Why Clarington
** Clarington is a place of possibilities.**

With a population set to double by 2051, Clarington is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Durham Region with more than 107,000 people across four urban centres and 14 hamlets. Clarington offers a perfect blend of urban living and country charm and is known for its thriving energy and agriculture sectors, historic downtowns and as a great place to live, work and play.

Our people enjoy a collaborative work environment, work-life balance, and are at the forefront of community impact. We value accountability, integrity and respect, and are committed to fostering equity, inclusion and diversity in the workplace. Together, we are striving to enhance the quality of life for residents today and for future generations who call Clarington home.

The future is bright - and working with the Municipality of Clarington means you can help shape it. How will you make your mark?

**Position Snapshot**:
**Clarington is growing and our workforce is, too**

The Director of Planning is the municipality’s senior leader in land use planning, responsible for shaping and driving Clarington’s vision for sustainable growth and community development. This role ensures the integration of innovative planning practices, compliance with legislative frameworks, and alignment with organizational priorities.

Reporting to the Deputy CAO of Planning and Infrastructure Services, the Director provides strategic direction and authoritative expertise in planning policy, development, and stakeholder relations. The position plays a pivotal role in fostering community development and long-term sustainability, influencing decisions that impact the municipality’s future.

The Director is responsible for the municipality's policy and community planning, development review, heritage, and environmental functions. The role will also support and coordinate Council Citizen Advisory Committees for Agriculture, Heritage, the Land Division-Committee of Adjustment, and other Steering Committees established for specific projects.

The Director will supervise a team of highly skilled professionals, each managing diverse and complex projects, requiring strategic oversight distinct from roles supervising larger teams performing uniform tasks.

**What you’ll be doing**:
**Your responsibilities include but are not limited to**:

- Defining and executing the strategic vision for municipal planning, ensuring alignment with Council objectives and fostering a culture of innovation.
- Providing leadership to staff to develop recommendation reports to Council, programs, policies, and procedures for services the division delivers.
- Performance coaching and ensuring best practices for staff development are implemented for all levels of staff.
- Spearheading the creation and implementation of high-impact planning policies and regulatory frameworks that shape the municipality’s growth.
- Ensuring projects follow project management principles and milestone delivery on project schedule timelines and plans are comprehensive and address operational, service level, and continuous improvement initiatives
- Leading meaningful collaboration with council, community groups, and developers to drive initiatives, innovative approaches and foster transparency.
- Representing the municipality in media engagements and as an expert witness before tribunals and legal proceedings.
- Attending public meetings, and addressing concerns related to planning and development in order to maintain positive community relations and deliver services in alignment with corporate Customer Service Excellence expectations.
- Strategically develop and manage multi-year capital and operating budgets, ensuring fiscal responsibility and maximizing resource allocation for priority projects based on Council direction and corporate policies.
- Monitoring budget adherence, identifying and explaining variances, and ensuring budgets are effectively managed in compliance with corporate policies.
- Providing advice and recommendations to the CAO and Council on land use and development, divisional and corporate policies, projects, plans, budgets, activities, operations, and maintenance as they relate to the services delivered by the division.
- Preparing business cases, reports, briefing notes, and recommendations for Senior Leadership and Council.
- Ensuring reports and recommendations are completed to update the community through communications plans, based on both quantitative and qualitative data.
- Other duties as required.

**What you bring**:

- A University degree in Planning, preferred at the master’s level.
- Full Membership in the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) and Ontario Professional Planners Institute (RPP designation).
- Minimum of ten (10) years in municipal planning with progressive management experience.
- Proven leadership in policy development and development control, stakeholder engagement, and complex decision-making.
- Expe