Planning Assistant 1

Township of Muskoka Lakes; Coquitlam; Hybrid; CAD 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work options

Earned day off / flex day program

Municipal Pension Plan contributions

Job summary

City of Coquitlam is seeking a Planning Assistant I to join the Development Services team. You will assist in handling development applications, maps, and planning data, while providing excellent public service.

Work is in a moderately complex, technical setting with learning opportunities. Hybrid work options are available; CUPE position with competitive hourly rate and benefits are offered.

Qualifications

• Education in Urban and Regional Planning.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and organizational skills.
• Municipal planning office experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide customer service excellence for development and land use information.
• Input Development Applications and Sign Permits.
• Research from papers, digital records and microfilm; prepare background documents.
• Maintain records, reports and statistics related to work.
• Create zoning, context, location maps for Development Applications.
• Support Planning staff with other planning tasks.
• Perform other planning-related work as required.

Skills

Urban planning principles

Customer service

Interpersonal skills

Analytical research

Graphic design for urban planning

ArcGIS

SketchUp

Adobe Acrobat

AMANDA

Bluebeam

MS Office

Education

Urban and Regional Planning degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Adobe Acrobat

AMANDA

Bluebeam

ArcGIS

SketchUp

Job description

Temporary Full Time
About Us

One of BC’s Top Employers, the City of Coquitlam offers meaningful career opportunities to make a difference within the local community. As the sixth largest city in BC, we are home to more than 150,000 residents. Our diverse municipality is a great place to work as it continues to grow through innovative urban design, inspiring arts, culture and recreation programs, and state-of-the-art transportation systems. Our brand is built on managing our resources in a responsible and sustainable manner, while supporting a vibrant, growing regional urban centre. We envision a bright future in Coquitlam that we hope includes you!

About You / What We Are Looking For

We are looking for highly organized, customer service oriented team players to join the Planning and Development Department’s Development Services division in the role of Planning Assistant I. The successful incumbent in this role will be working with our highly skilled Development Planning team to gain planning experience working on specific planning projects. In this moderately complex, technical and project based role, the work may include:

• Providing Customer service excellence in providing development and land use information to the public;
• Receiving and inputting Development Applications and Sign Permit applications
• Conducting research using paper files, digital records, and microfilm records and preparing background documents;
• Preparing and maintaining records, reports, and statistics related to their work;
• Creating Zoning, Context, Location and other maps for Development Applications;
• Providing support for other miscellaneous planning work for Planning staff;
• Performing other planning related work as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Along with an education in Urban and Regional Planning, excellent interpersonal, communication and organizational skills and, preferably, some experience in a municipal planning office, the individual selected will possess proven knowledge of:

• The principles, practices, and objectives of urban planning;
• Policies, regulations, bylaws and legislation governing urban planning;
• Official Community Plan (OCP) and Zoning Bylaw policy interpretation and analysis;
• Customer service and interacting with the public;
• Analytical research and data analysis skills;
• Graphic design for urban planning, including documents, maps and infographics;
• Proficiency with multiple software programs, including Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, AMANDA, Bluebeam, ArcGIS, and SketchUp

What We Offer:

This CUPE position has an hourly rate range of $34.25 - $40.23 (2026 rates). The rate of pay is based on a variety of factors including qualifications, knowledge, experience and skills.

You will have the chance to join a rapidly growing and diverse team dedicated to supporting the local community, and be able to engage in variety of learning and development opportunities. Additionally, there is an opportunity to participate in an earned day off/flex day program. This position is based in Coquitlam with some flexible, hybrid work options available. The City offers an attractive vacation and extended benefits package, including the ability to contribute to the Municipal Pension Plan.

Accessibility / Equal Opportunity Employer

The City of Coquitlam is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer working towards enhancing equitable practices in our recruitment and retention processes. As an organization we are committed to creating an inclusive work environment to support our growing and diverse work force. To learn more about what equity, diversity, and inclusion means, and the City’s efforts in support of these principles, please visit coquitlam.ca/edi for more information.

If at any time during the application or recruitment process you require additional assistance or an accommodation, please contact our team for confidential support. Staff can also provide in-person support if required.

Applicants under consideration may be required to undergo a police information check (with no adverse reports).

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.