Geodemographic Planner

Use your land use planning and forecasting expertise to help shape Edmonton’s future, by bridging the gap between high-level policy (The City Plan) and technical land-use and population modeling. The Monitoring and Analysis Team within the Urban Growth Unit provides expertise to support evidence-based decision-making related to the implementation of The City Plan.

We are looking for a hands-on technical specialist to spearhead the City’s Geodemographic Projection Program (GPP). You will analyze the current and future neighborhood-level impacts of City Plan implementation and serve as the primary subject matter expert responsible for designing, building, and running the City’s in-house land use, housing, and population forecasting models. You will have opportunities to present and interpret findings from your work to support evidence-based decision-making related to urban form and growth.

Technical Responsibilities:

• Program Lead: Lead and manage the GPP in alignment with department, branch and section objectives. Suggest changes in line with current best practices after re-evaluating model and program design.
• Model Design & Execution: Scope, design, and execute business-as-usual and scenario-based land use, housing, and population forecasts, ensuring rigorous statistical integrity.
• Technical Problem Solving: Apply population sciences (e.g., age-cohort survival) and advanced statistical methods to develop predictive growth models. Calibrate simulations using GIS and programming, and resolve data gaps with defensible statistical methodologies.
• Capacity & Land Budgeting: Create methodologies and forecasting models to quantitatively analyze if existing land supply and planning regulations can accommodate forecasted future growth in accordance with The City Plan.
• Market, Policy, and Demographic Analysis: Conduct research to study market trends, demographic trends, and impacts of policy on growth to create quantifiable inputs and assumptions for forecasting models.
• Research and Initiative: Track and analyze housing, economic, and market conditions to understand their implications on land use and population distribution.
• Data Management: Process large data sets and conduct quality assessment and quality control activities on data processed by team resources.

Leadership & Coordination:

• Collaborate and Advise: Partner with city-building experts to integrate projections across programs and serve as the subject matter expert for non-technical stakeholders.
• Leadership and Mentorship: Provide technical guidance to a small team, training them in model execution, interpretation, and data-driven recommendation strategies.
• Knowledge Translation: Translate complex spatial and statistical data into clear documentation, infographics, and reports for Council, senior leadership, and the public.
• Project Management: Own the project lifecycle, balancing resources with taking exploratory risks to ensure all objectives are met.

• University degree in Urban Planning, Human Geography, Economics or a discipline with a focus on demographics, statistical analysis, land use planning, economics, forecasting and geospatial analysis
• Minimum of 4 years of professional experience in land use planning and forecasting
• Advanced training in computer modelling and statistics, along with intermediate ArcGIS software and programing language proficiency
• Familiar with land use planning principles, the City of Edmonton's land development process and The City Plan
• Proficiency in Tableau or similar visualisation software

Assets:

• Membership or eligibility for membership in the Canadian Institute of Planners and regional affiliate

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities required for success:

The successful candidate must have applied knowledge of the following subject matters:

• Land use planning and policy, and development processes
• Model building, forecasting and statistical analysis
• Demographic, housing and land use analysis

The successful candidate must have the following skills:

• Strong statistical analysis skills
• Strong GIS and modelling skills
• Working knowledge of Python
• Project management
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Good stakeholder engagement skills

The successful candidate will have the following demonstrated abilities:

• Systems thinking
• Problem-solving
• Interpreting results
• Explaining technical work to less technical audiences
• Taking initiative and working independently
• Meeting deadlines while managing competing priorities
• Team building and reaching consensus

Work Environment:

• Note: This position may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement with the flexibility to work from both home and the worksite as per the Letter of Understanding between the City of Edmonton and Civic Service Union 52
• The weekly hours of work for this position are currently under review and may change at a future time. Any changes will be made in accordance with the City of Edmonton/Civic Service Union 52 collective agreement and the incumbent will be notified in advance
• Alignment to our Art of Inclusion: Our Diversity and Inclusion Framework
• Alignment to our Cultural Commitments and Leadership Competencies (https://bit.ly/4brRrXm)
• Applicants may be tested

The City of Edmonton values applicants with a diverse range of skills, experiences and competencies, and encourages you to apply. We strive to provide reasonable access and accommodations throughout the recruitment process. To request an accommodation, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about our benefits https://bit.ly/COEbenefits

Up to 1 temporary position available for up to 18 months

Hours of Work: 33.75 hours per week

Salary Range: $54.155 - $69.110 (Hourly); $95,407.57 - $121,754.54 (Annually)

Recruitment Consultant: JF/SO

Edmonton rests in the heart of Treaty Six territory in Alberta and the homelands of the Metis Nation.

 

 

 

 

Connect with us!

 

LinkedIn

 

Facebook