Development Planning Department Manager

Development Planning Department Manager

Help shape Kelowna as a City of the Future.

As one of Canada’s fastest-growing cities, Kelowna offers an exceptional opportunity for an accomplished planning leader to help guide significant growth while supporting complete, connected, and sustainable communities.

Reporting to the Divisional Director of Planning, Development and Climate Action, the Development Planning Department Manager leads a team responsible for development review across the city. The department manages rezoning, development permit, and subdivision applications, as well as complex, phased and master-planned developments.

Working within provincial legislation, municipal bylaws, Council policy, and delegated authority, you will provide strong professional and organizational leadership while ensuring development applications are reviewed consistently, efficiently, and transparently.

The opportunity

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team with a strong culture of accountability, collaboration, professional judgment, and public service.
• Establish clear service standards and monitor application volumes, processing times, workloads, decision quality, and customer experience.
• Exercise delegated authority and oversee clear, defensible, and evidence-based recommendations to Council.
• Advise Council, senior leadership and City departments on complex and sensitive development matters.
• Lead continuous improvement in development review processes, technology, procedures, and performance reporting.
• Work across City departments to resolve complex issues involving engineering, transportation, building, infrastructure, fire, parks, legal services, and long-range planning.
• Manage departmental budgets, workforce planning, business planning, and resource allocation.
• Build constructive relationships with applicants, the development industry, residents, community organizations, Indigenous partners, and government agencies.
• Represent the City at Council, public meetings and industry and community forums.

Your mandate will be to strengthen the consistency, timeliness and digital transformation of Kelowna’s development review process while maintaining high professional standards and supporting thoughtful, policy-aligned development.

What you bring
You have a degree in community, regional or urban planning, or a related discipline, together with significant progressively responsible municipal development planning experience and demonstrated success leading professional teams.

• Strong people leadership, organizational and decision-making skills.
• Comprehensive knowledge of land-use planning, development regulation, and municipal approval processes.
• Experience managing complex development applications in a politically sensitive and public-facing environment.
• A demonstrated ability to establish priorities, manage competing workloads and improve service performance.
• Excellent communication, Council-reporting, facilitation, negotiation, and conflict-resolution skills.
• The judgment to make timely, defensible decisions where policies, technical requirements and stakeholder interests compete.
• A collaborative, solutions-oriented approach, and the ability to build credibility with Council, staff, applicants, the development community, and the public.

You hold an RPP or MCIP designation and are a member of the Planning Institute of British Columbia or are eligible to obtain membership.

Live, work and play in one of Canada’s fastest growing cities. Kelowna boasts miles of lake access, public areas and outdoor recreation opportunities, a vibrant downtown and cultural scene, healthy and connected neighborhoods, and a world-renowned College and University. You’re only a quick link to the world via the Kelowna International Airport.

Grow your career in an organization that supports employee work-life balance and career and professional development. This exempt position offers a salary range of $179,100 to $208,800 employer-paid comprehensive benefits, an earned day off program, paid vacation and one of Canada’s top pension plans.

The City of Kelowna is committed to being an organization that values and reflects its community’s diverse population, and to fostering an equitable, inclusive and progressive work environment where everyone can be their authentic self and feels a sense of belonging.

For further information or to apply, please check our website at 
Applications must be received by the end of day  September 7, 2026.
Applicants not contacted within three weeks of the closing date are thanked for their interest.