Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning - City of Toronto

Toronto is Canada’s largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people.

Consistently ranked one of the world’s most livable cities, we are a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Deputy City Manager, Development & Growth Services, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning provides dynamic executive leadership and strategic direction for the City's Official Plan and all related functions within the Division.

This pivotal position involves spearheading policy development, business planning, and strategic initiatives aimed at leveraging planning tools to foster vibrant, sustainable, and economically robust communities throughout Toronto.

Collaborating closely with the Executive Director, Development Review, you will navigate legislative frameworks and policy processes to drive forward large-scale development projects and support local planning initiatives.

Your role also entails identifying stakeholder needs and enhancing service delivery to the public, emphasizing cost-effectiveness, competitiveness, and unwavering commitment to customer service excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership : Sets overall strategic direction for City Planning by establishing divisional goals, objectives, and priorities that align with overall planning initiatives and Council priorities, while formulating and establishing plans jointly with other City Divisions for the development of the City’s official plan.
• Governance and Policy : Leads the design and governance structure of the division, provides expert leadership in the development and implementation of the Program / Project Governance Frameworks, functional changes, policies, processes, and procedures to enable improved customer experiences across the City.
• Financial Management : Spearheads the development and administration of the annual budget, negotiates funding requirements, and ensures that expenditures are controlled and maintained within approved budget limitations.

Conducts short and long-term financial planning and case load forecasting for the development of budgets and establishes financial management systems to ensure division budgets are implemented in accordance with Council direction and the budget plan.

• Relationship Management : Works closely with executive professionals within the City’s Agencies, Boards, Commissions and Divisions, and senior officials from other orders of government and private and community-based sectors, building relationships with Members of council, community groups, the private sector, municipal governments and other stakeholders.
• Communication and Public Relations : Promotes and manages public and media relations by making presentations, demonstrating professionalism and leadership abilities, communicating the vision, and ensuring community and staff involvement so that confidence in City Planning is maintained.
• Operational Management : Establishes systems, programs, processes, and a structure with the Division for management information and decision-making to maximize effectiveness, efficiency, resource control, and reporting.
• Human Resources and Labour Relations : Engages relevant labor unions on immediate and longer-term issues. Works collaboratively and in conjunction with People & Equity when providing advice on collective agreements and in administering Collective Agreement matters
• Strategic Planning and Issue Management : Identifies emerging issues, priorities, and sensitive / confidential matters that could impact the transformation objectives and develops strategies to address them.

Proactively engages with key leadership on strategic direction, transformation progress, performance data / trends, and operational challenges (e.

g., Mayor’s Office, Council, Senior Leadership Team, and Corporate Leadership Team).

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate for Chief Planner and Executive Director will be a strategic leader capable of aligning City Planning with Council priorities and formulating collaborative plans.

They will excel in governance, designing and implementing frameworks and policies to enhance customer experiences and ensure compliance.

The candidate will be adept at managing relationships with Council members, community groups, and other stakeholders, and maintaining positive media relations.

Strong operational management abilities, including change management and personnel development, are essential. They should also be skilled at identifying emerging issues, setting strategic plans, and engaging with key leadership to address challenges and drive the City's planning mandate forward.

To apply to this role, submit your application to Phelps by clicking here : https : / / bit.ly / 3RLaHqN

Application deadline : August 2, 2024