City of Coquitlam

Project Manager – Facilities & Parks Planning

Regular Full Time (Exempt)

We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the Halkomelem word kwee-kwuh-tlum meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the Kwikwetlem traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the Katzie, and other Coast Salish Peoples.

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! 

The City of Coquitlam has an excellent opportunity for a qualified candidate to join our Parks, Recreation, Culture and Facilities department as a Project Manager on the Facility and Parks Planning team. As the Facilities Planning Project Manager, you will be responsible for strategically undertaking a variety of large facilities initiatives, such as the highly anticipated Northeast Community Centre and the Fraser Mills Community Centre, located in a new community on the Fraser River.  This will involve working directly with your manager, Manager Facilities & Parks Planning, while also working closely with peers such as the Manager Capital Construction on the Facilities Capital Projects team.  As the successful candidate, you will be highly involved in methodically planning and designing projects, including the two Community Centres, and ensuring project priorities and commitments are maintained throughout the project life cycles.

In this Project Manager role, you will play a key role in supporting and facilitating major parks and recreation facility projects including new builds and facilities upgrades. In doing so, you will frequently review and interpret existing policies within the City, while exercising independent judgment and creativity to advise on improvements to current planning and design practices relating to facilities within the City. You will also utilize your excellent relationship building and communication skills, as you will be working with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders, such as consultants, contractors and other teams within the City, as it relates to site planning and design. You will continue to be involved in a supporting role in projects through permitting and construction to ensure continuity and conformance to planning and design principles. Moreover, you will work closely with consultants to ensure that their work meets expectations of scope and quality and is delivered on schedule. Finally, you will use your strong presentation skills to present to Council, facilitate meetings, and write and present reports both internally and externally.

This position will require a high degree of municipal business and political acumen, a proven track record for building relationships with and across teams as well as with key internal/external stakeholders, and the ability to effectively resolve issues and identify opportunities with managed exposure/risk to the City.  The Project Manager will be responsible for carrying out projects while constantly considering strategic corporate priorities, which include Indigenous relations, as well as sustainability, in order to advance the interests of our community, residents and stakeholders. The incumbent will have a proven ability to instill direction to ensure integration, communication and effective execution of strategic priorities through the delivery of assigned projects.  The successful candidate will possess a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Planning, Landscape Architecture, Civil Engineering or a related field, as well as a minimum of 5 years of progressive planning, architecture, or engineering experience, while leading capital construction projects, preferably within a municipal or regional government setting.  An equivalent combination of technical skills, experience and education may be considered.  A Project Management Professional (PMP) credential is beneficial, and registration in an accredited organization such as AIBC, PIBC, BCSLA and APEGBC highly recommended. A valid BC Driver’s License is required.

Other Requirements include:

• The ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships with internal stakeholders, members of the community, and other external stakeholders.
• Exceptional leadership abilities with a collaborative approach towards building relationships and a culture of respect and accountability, complemented with a successful history and in depth knowledge of best practices in managing similar projects and operations.
• Good negotiation and conflict resolution skills with the ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships with internal clients, members of the community, and other external agencies.
• The ability to adapt to a continually evolving environment centered around a team-focused, fast-paced workplace environment.
• The ability to rapidly pivot when new information or direction is advised.
• Strong flexibility and organizational skills.
• Ability to keep consultants on schedule and maintain timelines.
• Sound knowledge of planning and design principles related to facility planning.
• Strong financial management skills (including knowledge of budgeting practices) with the ability to manage capital budgets.
• Experience leading and directing staff on departmental strategies and business plan objectives.
• An understanding of the strategic direction of the City.

Good people make Coquitlam great, sign up for career alerts through our recruitment portal to stay up to date about opportunities within our team, or follow us on LinkedIn to learn more about how #YouCouldWorkHere too!

The City offers a competitive salary and an excellent benefits package. Applicants under consideration will be required to undergo a police information check. This position is based in Coquitlam with some flexible, remote work options available.

Please apply online at www.coquitlam.ca/careers by 11:55 pm on June 18, 2023.