School Travel Planner

JOB DESCRIPTION & REQUIREMENTS:

The School Travel Planner works with school communities to create customized action plans and implement action items aimed at increasing active school travel and decreasing traffic at schools. The School Travel Planner engages stakeholders (e.g., students, parents, school staff, municipal staff, school board staff, school transportation planners, public health nurses, elected officials, local delivery partners, and enforcement officers) to address barriers to active travel. The successful applicant will work with all stakeholders to assess conditions and create, implement, and maintain programs that will create a community where more students will use active and sustainable school transportation.

Core hours for this position will be 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday (35 hours per week, 52 weeks per year). The successful candidate will be required to meet with school-based stakeholders including parent groups that may not be available during regular office hours and so daily hours may shift to accommodate these meetings. The School Travel Planner will also occasionally be required to work events that fall on weekends. Flexible work hours will be provided in lieu of overtime.

Rate of Pay: $36.59 to $38.68 per hour with comprehensive benefits and a defined benefits pension plan.

The position is permanent.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide school travel planning consultation, assessment, and assistance to elementary schools (secondary schools as required) at Waterloo Catholic District School Board and Waterloo Region District School Board
• Schedule and conduct field studies and related data collection activities
• Organize data and present information to stakeholders in a meaningful way
• Participate in and facilitate meetings involving school board staff, school staff, school councils, municipal partners, students, and community organizations
• Develop school travel plans on a school-by-school basis in partnership with school communities by setting timelines, developing procedures, establishing and managing partners, and providing deliverables
• Create maps, articles, posters, logs, information sheets, handouts, promotional materials, and other deliverables as needed
• Work with school staff and students on student-centered interventions
• Liaise with schools, internal staff, and external agencies to implement action items in the school travel plan involving engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation
• Assist with the coordination, implementation, and maintenance of related region-wide programs like Sidewalk Smarts and Trailblazers
• At times, assist to deliver pedestrian skills training in the classroom or roadside
• Create social and traditional media deliverables
• Other related duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

The School Travel Planner will manage complex relationships, understand local and community needs and traffic issues, be aware of provincial and municipal regulations and legislation, and can work with municipal partners, understand their resources, and build networks as needed.

Qualifications:

• Two (2) years' relevant experience is preferred
• Successful completion of post-secondary education in a related field such as Communications, Community Development, Urban Planning, GIS, or Transportation Services; and/or equivalent combination of training and experience
• Outstanding communication skills – able to write compelling documents, create promotional materials, design posters, compose social media posts, and deliver persuasive presentations to groups of varying size
• Very strong interpersonal skills – able to rally the support of diverse stakeholders
• Meeting facilitation skills
• Project management skills to set project timelines, develop task lists, create and manage critical paths and obtain stakeholder contributions
• Spatial thinking, mapping, and data management skills
• Ability to work well independently and as part of a team
• Able to commute independently and effectively to different communities across Waterloo region

Desirable Assets:

• Exposure to Transportation Demand Management and/or Active and Safe Routes to School programs
• Experience in a municipality or school board
• Knowledge of or experience with behaviour change strategies
• Photography and/or graphic art skills
• Knowledge of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software
• Experience developing and/or implementing social media campaigns
• Ability to deliver media statements on and off camera

STSWR is committed to fair and equitable hiring practices that allow us to hire qualified staff who reflect the diversity of the community we serve, who will foster the safety and well-being of students and who demonstrate a commitment to equity and inclusion in our workspaces.

We actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to equity, including, but not limited to:

• First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, and all other Indigenous peoples;
• Members of groups that commonly experience discrimination due to race, ancestry, colour, religion and/or spiritual beliefs, or place of origin;
• Persons with visible and/or invisible (physical and/or mental) disabilities; and
• Persons of marginalized sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.

We will make any appropriate accommodation based on any of the human rights protected grounds, to support candidate participation in the hiring process.

Please forward your resume and cover letter by 4:00 p.m. on January 4, 2026, to Leslie Maxwell, School Travel Planning Supervisor at

Only those candidates selected for an interview will be notified.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: $36.59-$38.68 per hour

Expected hours: 35 per week

Work Location: In person