Commissioner, Planning & Building

Canadian Institute of Planners; Toronto; On-site; CAD 226,000 - 302,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Mississauga seeks a Commissioner of Planning and Building to lead city building, placemaking, growth management, development services, economic prosperity, and destination development. You will shape long-term physical, economic, cultural and social development while aligning with Council priorities and legal requirements.

Reporting to the City Manager & CAO, you will guide a diverse team of directors, managers and professionals, foster a high-performing, collaborative culture, and

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years progressively senior leadership experience in municipal government or related fields.
• Experience advising Council and external stakeholders.
• Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning or related discipline.
• Professional designation such as RPP, P.Eng., Architect, or equivalent leadership credentials would be considered an asset.

Responsibilities

• Strategic City Building: establish a long-term growth vision and lead council priorities related to housing, redevelopment, and placemaking.
• Planning and Development: oversee planning approvals, growth management, engineering and urban design services.
• Economic Prosperity and Destination Development: lead investment attraction, business retention and destination initiatives.
• Major Strategic Initiatives: sponsor large-scale city-building projects and public-private partnerships.
• Digital Transformation: oversee technology systems and promote data-driven process modernization.

Skills

Executive leadership

Stakeholder management

Strategic planning

Education

Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning or related discipline

Professional designation (RPP, P.Eng., Architect)

Job description

About the City of Mississauga

As Canada’s seventh largest city with a reported population of 768,794, Mississauga is a key economic centre, attracting international talent, global investment and an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. We are a young city that has rapidly grown into a major hub for innovation and economic development.

Our core values of trust, quality, and excellence serve as the guiding principles for the City’s corporate decision-making process. Through these values, the City upholds public trust and promotes a climate of trust across the organization and with Council; provides valuable programs and services that elevate the quality of life for residents and businesses; and ensures the citizens of Mississauga receive value for money, delivering excellence internally through innovation.

About the Role

Reporting to the City Manager & CAO, the Commissioner of Planning and Building serves as the City’s lead executive responsible for city building, placemaking, growth management, development services, economic prosperity, destination development and transformational redevelopment initiatives.

The Commissioner provides strategic leadership and plays a critical role in shaping the long-term physical, economic, cultural and social development of the City while ensuring alignment with Council priorities, legislative requirements and community expectations. They will lead a diverse team that consists of directors, managers and professional staff, building and fostering a high-performing and collaborative culture.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic City Building

• Establishes and advances a long-term vision for growth and city building.
• Leads implementation of Council priorities related to housing, employment, redevelopment, economic competitiveness and placemaking.
• Oversees major redevelopment projects and community transformation initiatives.

Planning and Development

• Oversees planning approvals and growth management.
• Provides strategic leadership for development engineering, building services, urban design, heritage planning and parks planning.
• Ensures efficient delivery of development approval services.

Economic Prosperity and Destination Development

• Oversees Economic Development, Tourism and Culture functions.
• Leads initiatives supporting investment attraction, business retention and expansion.
• Supports destination development and major tourism initiatives.
• Promotes cultural development and creative economy growth.

Major Strategic Initiatives

• Provides executive sponsorship for large-scale city-building initiatives.
• Oversees strategic redevelopment projects including downtown revitalization and destination development opportunities.
• Coordinates complex public-private partnerships.
• Supports succession planning, leadership development and organizational excellence.

Digital Transformation

• Provides executive oversight of technology systems supporting planning, building and city-building services.
• Champions innovation, data-driven decision-making and process modernization.
• Promotes accountability and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years progressively senior leadership experience in municipal government, city building, development, infrastructure, economic development or related fields.
• Significant executive-level experience managing large multidisciplinary portfolios.
• Demonstrated success leading complex redevelopment, growth management and organizational transformation initiatives.
• Experience advising Council, senior executives and external stakeholders.
• Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning or a degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Engineering, Architecture or a related discipline.
• Professional designation such as Registered Professional Planner (RPP), Professional Engineer (P.Eng.), Architect, or equivalent executive leadership credentials would be considered an asset.

Application deadline: Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Salary Range: $226,285 – $301,715

AI will not be used in the candidate screening process.

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