Project Manager (Priority Development Review)

City of Toronto•Union, NJ

10d•Onsite

About The Position

Reporting to the Manager, Priority Development Review Service, the Project Manager is accountable for advancing a portfolio of high-profile development applications through the City’s development review and approval processes. The portfolio focuses on priority development sectors, and may include affordable and supportive housing, shelters, healthcare, schools and other city-building initiatives requiring coordinated leadership across multiple divisions, agencies and stakeholders. Acting as the Development Review Division’s relationship manager for assigned portfolios, the Project Manager builds trusted working relationships with development applicants and subject matter experts across City divisions and partner agencies. The role anticipates emerging issues, critical dependencies and potential bottlenecks, helping ensure development applications are evaluated rigorously, decisions are made efficiently and strategically important projects maintain momentum toward construction. Success in this role requires disciplined project coordination, collaborative problem solving, sound judgment, strong relationship management and a relentless focus on delivery.

Requirements

Considerable experience managing land development projects or complex development applications, including navigating approval processes and regulatory requirements to support project delivery.
Considerable experience leading projects and teams.
Experience developing project plans, coordinating schedules and milestones, and monitoring delivery through multiple project stages.
Experience in identifying and mitigating project risks, dependencies, and issues in complex projects or initiatives.
Experience building and maintaining productive relationships with diverse internal and external stakeholders, balancing competing interests while achieving organizational objectives.
Ability to build alignment, influence decisions and foster accountability among multidisciplinary teams and technical experts without direct supervisory authority.
Excellent facilitation, negotiation and conflict-resolution skills, with the ability to integrate technical, policy and stakeholder perspectives to support the resolution of complex issues.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, including experience preparing briefing materials and communicating complex issues clearly to senior management and elected officials.
Strong political acuity, sound judgment and discretion in managing high-profile and politically sensitive matters.
Knowledge of municipal development approval processes, including Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan Control applications, and applicable legislation such as the Ontario Planning Act.

Responsibilities

Develops and implements detailed plans and recommends policies and practices regarding program-specific requirements.
Guides the advancement of a portfolio of prioritized development applications through the City’s review process from submission through planning approvals and toward construction.
Develops and maintains project plans, schedules and milestones to coordinate activities, monitor progress and maintain momentum through multiple project stages.
Manages portfolio governance, reporting and escalation processes; tracks key decisions, commitments, dependencies and required actions; and reports on portfolio status, progress and issues requiring intervention.
Manages assigned projects, ensuring effective teamwork and communication, high standards of work quality and organizational performance and continuous learning.
Manages relationships for assigned portfolios, building productive relationships with developers and other external customers and stakeholders, establishing clear expectations and fostering joint accountability.
Promotes effective, predictable and responsive service by establishing clear expectations for the review process, providing timely information to applicants and development teams, and ensuring emerging issues are communicated early and transparently.
Coordinates the multidisciplinary review process across City divisions and works with external agencies and applicants to coordinate review process activities and achieve project milestones, while technical experts retain responsibility for their professional advice.
Negotiates task priorities and deadlines among colleagues without a direct reporting relationship.
Anticipates emerging risks, critical dependencies and potential bottlenecks, escalating issues and coordinating practical solutions before they become barriers to project delivery.
Integrates technical, policy, operational and stakeholder perspectives to resolve complex project issues, challenge the status quo and adapt approaches while maintaining rigorous review against City policies, standards and objectives.
Provides timely briefings and recommendations to senior management and elected officials on emerging issues, options and actions required to advance high-profile and politically sensitive development projects.
Represents and supports the Director at conferences and interagency, intergovernmental, senior staff and steering committee meetings.
Conducts research into assigned area ensuring that such research takes into account developments within the field, corporate policies and practices, legislation and initiatives by other levels of government.
Directs and reviews work of corporate teams.
Retains and manages external consultants on project-specific assignments and studies.
Ensures that the project expenditures are controlled and maintained within approved budget limitations.