Urban planner jobs

A career at TransLink and our family of companies means working with people with a wide range of skills and perspectives, all teaming up towards a common goal: preserving and enhancing the region's world-envied quality of life. Together, we connect the region and enhance its livability by providing a sustainable transit and transportation network, embraced by our communities and people.

At TransLink we are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we live. We’re committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable and accessible workplace, recognizing the unique value and skills every individual brings.

Looking for a great place to work where your contributions are valued and you can make a difference in a vibrant city? At TransLink, one of BC’s Top Employers, you'll help make Metro Vancouver a better place to live, built on transportation excellence. Put your future in motion!

PRIMARY PURPOSE

In pursuit of making the region a better place to live for everyone, built on transportation excellence, this role provides subject matter expert oversight of quantitative transportation research and strategically analytical direction for one or more programs/projects of high impact, risk, and complexity that are highly visible and sensitive in nature.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

To advance Enterprise and regional goals, provides direction, critical thinking, and structured decision-making expertise to strategize, lead and manage the analytical development of transportation planning policies, plans and strategies, including the planning, finance, operation and monitoring of projects and initiatives across the enterprise, ensuring compliance with industry best practices, professional standards and Enterprise standards, policies and procedures including development of these where they do not exist, and legislative requirements for work of high impact, risk and complexity, exercising independent judgment where policies or guidelines do not exist.

In support of evidence-based decision-making, identifies analytical research needs, conducts research and advanced analysis, and oversees the development of advanced methods, techniques, tools and models and considers analytical outcomes in the context of multiple projects to ensure successful delivery and execution of work that is of high impact, risk and complexity within the overall work plan and budget allocation.

Contributes as a key member of a program team to manage projects of high impact, risk and complexity in designing and developing project scope, schedules, and work plans; defining and prioritizing deliverables; preparing and monitoring project budgets, ensuring compliance with department standards, policies and procedures, and the alignment to program, Enterprise, and regional goals, identifying and taking action on project-related risks and opportunities, alerting management and executive to critical risks. Identifies and resolves project issues related to scheduling, resourcing, cost-overruns, conflicting agendas and technical issues.

Manages program resources including providing coaching and mentoring to projects team, monitoring the achievement of milestones/deliverables, and providing input to performance management to ensure service and quality standards, budgets and project deliverables are adhered to.

Seeks to understand the lived experience and transportation needs of people and businesses in Metro Vancouver, and especially of disadvantaged and marginalized groups. Applies this understanding to plans/projects and actively coaches others on how to ensure their planning practice is informed by this understanding.

Collaborates with leaders and project sponsors across the organization, with a view to scoping out project requirements and strategizing on project deliverables, troubleshooting and resolving problems as required, often with no previous precedent or set parameters. Identifies the needs of technical/policy research and analysis and applies strategic consideration on analytical outcomes. Leads the development of reports and delivers presentations to senior management.

Scopes, plans, presents and leads interactive discussions in the capacity of subject-matter-expert with Executives, elected and appointed officials, including the Board and Mayors’ Council as required.

Nurtures collaborative relationships with internal colleagues, appointed and elected policymakers, and external stakeholders including advisory committees, staff at other government and public agencies, and other organizations and interest groups, to understand needs, maintain open communication and proactively resolve issues of high impact, risk and complexity. These issues are typically highly visible, and often with no previous precedent or set parameters.

In support of advancing Enterprise and regional goals in open, inclusive and collaborative ways, collaborates with internal stakeholders to design and oversee research and analytics projects to support public, stakeholder, and partner consultation processes; represents TransLink to external audiences on issues of moderate to high impact, risk and complexity; considers the outcomes in the research and analytic projects in the context of overall planning projects and program area; highlights critical issues for senior leaders.

Manages relationships with contractors and consultants, providing work direction and overseeing contract compliance. Approves remedial actions related to contracts and projects within authority limits.

Provides coaching and mentoring to team members. Provides advice and input related to performance management and professional development.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Typically requires a Master’s degree in economics, engineering, mathematics, planning or related discipline with strong emphasis on big data analytics, quantitative research, forecasting and other transportation analytics methods and application, plus seven (7) years’ experience with progressively increasing levels of responsibility, with significant project oversight accountability and structured decision analysis in an agency specializing in planning or transportation.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Expert knowledge of analytical methods to evaluate the costs and benefits of transportation policies, strategy and projects including expertise in alternative analysis, multiple account evaluation and benefit-cost analysis

Expert knowledge of forecasting theory and transportation model development and application including but not limited to regression and time-series econometric models

Expert knowledge of the transportation industry as it pertains to best practices in transportation research, analytics, modeling, forecasting, and other quantitative analysis

Advanced knowledge of computerized packages such as R, Python, SQL, STATA, SPSS, Excel and Tableau to provide analytical insights and visualization

Solid understanding of the regional transportation authority, transportation and land use planning, social planning, related engineering process, modelling, finance mapping, legal and statutory processes, political structures and governance.

Advanced analytical skills including the ability to identify and assess the impacts of project-related risks and opportunities in an integrated, multi-disciplinary, highly sensitive environment.

Advanced written and oral communication skills including the ability to compose and deliver reports and presentations to a variety of audiences at all levels and to facilitate meetings.

Advanced interpersonal skills including the ability to achieve consensus between internal and external groups. Includes negotiation skills as they pertain to contracts, multi-party agreements and conflict resolution.

Advanced decision-making skills to make recommendations/resolve transportation planning and project-related issues, and conflict resolution skills to mitigate and minimize project risks and issues.

Reporting to the Senior Manager, System Analytics, this position will require demonstrated expertise in economic research, data analysis and interpretation and modeling in order to analyze, monitor and forecast near-term travel demand and economic trends for the region’s transportation network.

In a typical week, the successful candidate may be gathering and updating lead indicators for a forecast, developing forecast scenarios, estimating policy impacts, creating a new affordability metric, providing quarterly insights for various internal and external audiences, developing a new analytical approach, sketching out a new tool, or developing a new business process to support new analysis. Ad hoc requests mean efforts may also be spent responding quickly to questions about fuel price or micromobility’s impacts on transit ridership, or change in customers’ purchases for example, and likely creating really engaging presentations with concise bullet points.

Current and planned projects in System Analytics include creating forecasts for TransLink’s 10-year investment plan and annual budget, including socio economic insights impacting travel demand, monitoring changes and forecasting fare revenues and fuel volumes for regular reporting, and developing new analytical approaches, metrics, and tools to meet evolving business needs.

A Cover Letter along with Resume must be included to be considered further.

Recruitment Process: An applicant will be required to demonstrate their suitability for this position by meeting the minimum level of qualifications and experience in order to be invited into the selection process. A standard interview format will be used including general, scenario and behavioural descriptive interview questions.

37.5 hours per week.

This is a full-time temporary position, anticipated end date January 7, 2028.

Hybrid

This position offers the flexibility of working both on-site and remotely within B.C.

The salary for this position ranges from $109,920 - $164,880 per annum. Actual salary offered will be based on education, experience, skills, and qualifications as they relate to the role.

We aim to provide competitive pay that reflects your professional background and expertise. We want to ensure our offer will align with your strengths considering experience, skills, and internal equity to offer a fair and equitable salary. The Total Compensation Package, which includes Extended Health, Dental, Transit Pass and enrollment in the Public Service Pension Plan upon eligibility as well as other employment offerings will be discussed in detail as your application progresses.

Please click the 'Apply' button at the top right corner of the page or go to http://www.translink.ca/careers to apply for this position and view instructions on the process.

INSTRUCTIONS: Please save your (1) cover letter, and your (2) resume as one pdf document prior to uploading your application on-line.

Posting Date: May 26, 2026
Closing Date: June 12, 2026

Please note that only those short listed will be contacted.

Having trouble applying? Please view the System Requirements & FAQ's by going to http://www.translink.ca/careers.

TransLink is committed to employment equity and building a diverse workforce, representative of the customers we serve and the many communities in the Metro Vancouver region. We welcome and encourage Indigenous applicants, people of colour, all genders, 2SLGBTQ+ and persons with disabilities to apply. Learn more about TransLink's commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.

Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. For a confidential inquiry, simply email us at jobs@translink.ca.