Deputy Chief Administrative Officer

City of St. Catharines

St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada’s Niagara region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario. St. Catharines carries the official nickname “The Garden City” and is located between the Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton Area and the Fort Erie/Buffalo Border. With a population of 133,000 residents, the city is strategically located in the heart of the Niagara Peninsula and offers excellent access to the major markets of both Canada and the United States. Manufacturing has traditionally been the city’s dominant industry and General Motors Canada was the city’s largest employer, a distinction now held by the District School Board of Niagara. Over the past few years, St. Catharines economic strategy has been to promote Downtown St. Catharines as a digital media hub, attracting many digital businesses to the downtown core. St. Catharines lies on one of the main telecommunications backbones between Canada and the United States, and as a result a number of call centers operate in the city. St. Catharines is a city that unites its vibrant future with its rich past boasting over 1,000 acres of parks and trails, including the scenic Welland Canal, encouraging residents to develop a healthy and active lifestyle. The city’s quality of life is enhanced by year-round events, cultural attractions, and a wealth of sporting opportunities for people of all ages.

The City of St. Catharines requires a self-motivated, strategic, collaborative leader with strong political acumen to fulfill the position of Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (DCAO). The successful candidate will possess exceptional interpersonal and problem solving skills, with the ability to support collaborative teams, as well as foster strong relationships with Mayor, Council, Staff and all stakeholders within the community.

You are a dynamic, progressive and accomplished senior leader with demonstrated experience within the municipal or broader public sector or related environments fostering innovation and proactive strategic thinking. Your exceptional communication and professional public speaking skills have earned you a reputation for developing and supporting a positive, accountable work culture, as well as building strong management teams and staff.

Having completed your University Education, preferably in Business or Public Administration, you also have a minimum of 10 years of experience working within the municipal government or the broader public sector or related environments in a senior management capacity.

Reporting directly to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and as a member of the senior management team (SMT) you will be responsible for providing corporate leadership and functional oversight for the City’s Operations and Corporate Services Teams. With a focus on service excellence, innovation and financial stability, the DCAO will lead the implementation of Council directions consistent with the vision, mission, and values of the Corporation as well as lead programs to achieve service modernization; sustainability in financial planning, and leadership in employee engagement and talent management.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Act as advisor to the CAO on matters relating to operations, economic development, corporate services and community engagement and as a member of SMT contribute to strategic corporate decision-making that supports the achievement of the goals, objectives and strategic priorities of the City of St. Catharines.
• Develop a constructive and trusting partnership with Council, CAO and SMT by providing guidance, advice and support on the delivery of corporate and operational initiatives.
• Provide positive leadership to staff, developing and maintaining a work environment that is inclusive, respectful and motivating.
• Promote employee engagement through change management, communication, coaching, mentoring, and supporting the delegation of decision making to ensure staff development.
• Prepare reports and recommendations to provide information, advice and opinion to the CAO and Council.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of stakeholders.
• Set out service standards and programs to deliver superior public service by identifying and implementing continuous improvement and innovative practices which position the Corporation at the leading edge of service delivery and quality customer service.
• Develop, manage and monitor complex capital and operating budgets and financial reporting, managing variances and introducing cost containment strategies as required.
• Ensure City employees comply with all health and safety policies and procedures.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• University degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, or a relevant discipline.
• Minimum ten (10) years’ experience in a public sector environment as senior management and knowledge related to the duties above.
• Practical experience in change management within complex systems; progressive employee engagement; strong financial management and collaborative team practices; risk management and system design.
• Highly developed leadership, communication and public speaking skills with the ability to coach, mentor and motivate staff to a high performance level.
• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving and negotiation skills with the demonstrated ability to strategically organize and identify work priorities, to adjust to constantly changing public sector demands and to lead complex initiatives.
• Sound knowledge of the Ontario Municipal Act, employment and privacy legislation with familiarity and understanding of other related legislation and regulations.
• A demonstrated commitment to enhancing a safety culture through effective management with the goal of achieving a healthy and safe operation.
• Valid Ontario Driver’s licence, Class “G”, with a clean driving record.
   

Salary of $149,916 to $187,396

Applications will be accepted online at www.stcatharines.ca/jobs.
Applications received any other way will not be accepted.