Job Opportunity

Position: Director, Planning & Development
Organization: Evergreen
Location: Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON

Evergreen is seeking a Director, Planning & Development to join our team. This senior leader plays a critical role in the delivery of public space projects across the country.

Evergreen is a national non-profit transforming public spaces in our cities for the health of people and our planet. With over 30 years of championing urban sustainability, we see the potential of our cities to solve some of the biggest issues facing our time and believe that our public spaces are the key to unlocking their potential. We see beyond the spaces that exist today and imagine them transformed into places where people and nature thrive.

The Evergreen Brick Works site, where our head office is located, is built on the sovereign territory and waterways of the Haudenosaunee, Wendat, and Anishinaabe Nations. These nations continue to be the original governments, continuing leaders and decision makers that govern these lands. The territory is governed by Treaty 13 signed by the Mississaugas of the Credit. Treaties remind everyone of our mutual responsibilities to these Nations and the many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit who call this land home.

Why Evergreen?

In staff engagement surveys, Evergreen employees consistently report that their colleagues are one of the best things about working here. What else is in it for you?

• A reduced work week (4.5 days) for all full-time staff.
• Flexible workdays that align with your life needs and role responsibilities.
• Paid vacation, 3 paid personal days (Evergreen Days), and a paid day off on your birthday.
• Employer-paid extended health care and dental benefits, including a Health Care Spending Account and access to mental health resources.
• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that support staff who are Indigenous, racialized, or 2SLGBTQ+, as well as ERGs for allyship learning, and to support caregivers of all kinds.
• Active workplace committees, including Health & Safety, IDEA, and Employee Engagement.
• Access to informal and formal skills development and resume building opportunities.
• A beautiful head office location surrounded by nature at Evergreen Brick Works, with a free shuttle bus from Broadview Station.

Key Accountabilities

The Director, Planning & Development is accountable to contribute to the strategic direction, and to lead the operational oversight and effective delivery of public space projects for Evergreen, working closely with partners. These projects span initiation and partnership development, community engagement, design, and construction.

The Director, Planning & Development is recognized as an internal expert in public space design and delivery, and is relied upon to ensure that the highest possible standards of design, project management, accessibility and sustainability are brought to each Evergreen project.

Projects will range in scope and size, and span across different typologies of public spaces, in locations across the country, helping to build a network of critical social and green infrastructure. Anchor, multiyear projects include:

• Evergreen Brick Works, Evergreen’s showcase public space, with ongoing improvements and a refreshed strategy rooted in access and partnerships.
• Toronto Ravine Loop where Evergreen is working with a large coalition of partners in delivering an 80 km community-driven trail and ravine system, with a number of community hubs.
• Evergreen’s Climate Ready Schools program.
• Other public space projects of various sizes across Canada, led by community and supported by Evergreen.

A day-in-the-life of this role might include:

• Developing strategic direction of projects with colleagues, and directly leading operational oversight and effective delivery of capital projects at Brick Works and sites managed by others.
• Collaborative design development, showcasing climate adaptation and mitigation through nature-based solutions alongside climate technology.
• Community-led design development, pre-concept planning, and work throughout the life of projects to ensure the places we deliver together reflect the needs and ambitions of the communities they serve, making places more accessible (and magnetic!) to more people more of the time.
• Supporting a team of highly skilled planning and development professionals, with expertise in urban planning, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, and civil engineering, together with external teams of experts which vary from project to project.
• Lead the planning and implementation of public space projects across a variety of landscapes and sectors, providing project management leadership for the duration.
• Build high-performing project teams consisting of internal staff across Evergreen and external consultants on a project basis.
• Ensure sustainable best practices and principles are woven into the fabric of every project, including accessibility and regenerative design.
• Manage relationships with project contractors, suppliers and vendors.
• Make key presentations and pitches to potential partners and funders, acting as an organizational ambassador.
• Work with Director of Facilities to incorporate life cycle costing and asset management planning in projects at Brick Works.
• Support colleagues in business development activities with the goal of introducing new partners and projects that fit within organizational objectives.
• Contribute to the creation of tools, resources and programs that support the proliferation of better public spaces across Canada.
• Act as a leader with respect to workplace safety at Brick Works and across project sites.
• Provide mentorship and training to junior staff, playing an active role in the development of others.

What You’ll Bring

Success in this role will be supported by the following target qualifications and core competencies:

• A post-secondary diploma or degree in landscape architecture, urban planning or engineering or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of related work experience.
• Knowledge of green infrastructure and regenerative design.
• Experience leading innovative projects to successful outcomes.
• Expertise in design development/contract documents, project cost estimation, project schedules, and contract structure.
• Project Management certification an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to read and interpret design and construction contract documents including detailed design drawings, specifications and shop drawings.
• Demonstrated expertise in partnership development, collaborative design, and community engagement.
• Demonstrated commitment to principles of accessibility, diversity, equity, justice and inclusion, with a portfolio of projects that reflect this commitment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office including Word, Excel & PowerPoint; prior experience with project management tools
• Understanding of design software such as Adobe Creative Suite, AutoCAD, and Sketchup

Not sure if you check every requirement on this list? That’s ok. We are still interested in hearing from you. We’d love to learn more about how your unique experience might make you a great addition to Evergreen.

Still Interested? Here are some other things you should know!

• This is a full-time salaried role.
• The target hire rate for this role is $120,000 - $140,000. To ensure equity and transparency, our target hire rates are real and are not flexible. If this posted rate does not meet your needs, we ask that you save your application for a time when there is a role and salary that is a fit for you.
• The paid vacation allocation for this role is four (4) weeks.
• This position reports to a C-band leader.
• This position supports a dynamic internal team, with close coordination with fellow Directors on projects. Regular coordination of an external roster of experts and contractors on a project basis.
• While Evergreen is a hybrid organization, with staff located outside of the GTA, this is a Toronto-based role that requires regular on-site presence at Evergreen Brick Works and meetings across Toronto.
• Work environment is a collaborative office space (open concept).
• Regular office hours are flexible, but work may include some weekends, holidays and/or evenings.

Our Recruitment Process

Interested applicants should submit their candidacy by November 17, 2025 through our career page. Please limit your resume to three pages. Please also include a cover letter to introduce yourself and to give us further context on your job history and skills you’d like to highlight. Candidates selected for an interview will be contacted directly by a member of our People & Culture team.

We are committed to ensuring that all applicants are notified when the role has been filled so that you aren’t left wondering about the position.

We’re always learning, so please reach out at any stage of the application process if you require support or adaptations. Evergreen is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all qualified individuals. In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code, Evergreen will provide accommodation throughout the recruitment cycle to applicants who request them.

Evergreen uses a people-focused approach to evaluating applicants. We do not utilize artificial intelligence during the recruitment process.

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