Director of Planning & Development

Municipal World Inc.; Diamond Valley; On-site; CAD 134,000 - 147,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

4-day work week (Mon-Thu)

Salary CAD 134462–146880

5 weeks vacation

Flex day per month

Employer RRSP contribution

Job summary

The Town of Diamond Valley in Alberta is seeking a Director of Planning & Development to simplify complex planning issues, advance the new Land Use Bylaw, and lead a capable team. You report to the CAO and drive the municipal planning program from policy to approvals.

You will build a team including an RPP-level supervisor to own the technical side of approvals, collaborate across departments, and ensure consistent decision-making and plain-language communication for Council, applicants, and

Qualifications

• RPP is an asset, not a requirement.
• Experience leading planning teams or projects.
• Experience with municipal approvals processes.
• Ability to translate complex planning matters into plain language for Council and residents.

Responsibilities

• Lead Planning & Development with regular Council involvement.
• Hire and shape the team, including a supervisor with an RPP or equivalent.
• Own the Land Use Bylaw development and translate it into checklists and timelines.
• Clarify standards to make approvals easier to understand.
• Collaborate with Corporate Services, Operations and the capital program to align approvals with ground work.
• Brief Council and prepare clear, plain-language reports.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Stakeholder communication

Strategic planning

Education

RPP (Registered Professional Planner)

Job description

Tired of planning processes that make simple projects feel hard? The Town of Diamond Valley - Alberta's newest town, formed by amalgamation in 2023 - wants a Director of Planning & Development who can make the rules easy to understand, keep good development moving, and build a team that delivers. You report straight to the CAO. A new Municipal Development Plan is in place. A brand-new Land Use Bylaw is already in motion with a consultant, and it needs an owner. You will bring that bylaw home, then put a plain process behind it so applicants, Council, and staff are working from the same page. You will also hire the team, including a supervisor, who holds an RPP (or equivalent), to lead the technical approvals work.

What you'll do

• Run Planning & Development, with routine time at Council Meetings on major land-use files, policy, and the decisions that should not wait.
• Hire and shape the team, including a supervisor who is an RPP or holds equivalent professional planning credentials and will own the technical side of approvals.
• Land the brand-new Land Use Bylaw currently under development through a consultant and turn it into checklists, timelines, and a path an applicant can actually follow.
• Cut the clutter. Keep the standards that matter and make approvals easier to understand.
• Work with people who want to build here. Move a good file. Say early when a file is struggling - and why - in language everyone can follow.
• Keep planning tied to Corporate Services, Operations, and the capital program so a 'yes on paper' can be built on the ground.
• Brief Council and prepare the reports the role requires, in plain language that supports a decision.

Who we want

You are entrepreneurial, steady, and able to take complex planning matters and make them simple for Council, applicants, and residents. An RPP is an asset, not a requirement. We will consider candidates from land development, real estate, construction, or related fields who understand how projects get built and can get up to speed on municipal approvals. You have led people or projects and would rather see a file lead to construction than polish a procedure. Technical depth will sit with the RPP supervisor you hire. Clear communication and practical judgment sit with you.

What we offer

• True 4-day work week (Mon-Thu, 36.5 hours) - long weekends every week.
• $134,462-$146,880 + strong benefits, including a 9.3% employer / 3% employee RRSP contribution.
• 5 weeks vacation, plus 1 flex day per month in lieu of evening Council Meetings.
• A brand-new Land Use Bylaw to finish, a team to hire (including the technical lead), and a direct line to the CAO, in a post-amalgamation town still writing its next chapter. The work will show.
• Easy, beautiful 30-minute drive to Calgary and only 15 minutes down the road to Okotoks.

Posting closes November 6, 2026.