Education & Experience
- University degree in a related field
- Minimum 5 to 8 years' experience in one or more related disciplines including supervisory experience at a senior level
- Local Government Certificate or equivalent (preferred)
- Experience in a municipal or public sector setting is considered an asset
- Experience in preparing long range plans and budgets
- Proven ability to work with elected officials and presenting to a council.
- Ability to establish, develop and maintain existing community-based partnerships within County
- Demonstrated ability to effectively build partnerships with other municipalities, and regional partnerships
- Effective management and budgeting skills
- Working knowledge of the services and programs in Community Services
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
Strategic and Business Planning: Provides leadership to all planning initiatives and ensures accountability for achievement of results throughout the Community Services Division. Ability to maintain focus on the strategic direction and long-term vision while balancing the need to address the immediate and emerging needs.
Change Management Skills: An innovator with a positive and results-driven orientated attitude, who takes initiative, anticipates, and proactively solves problems, enjoys leading change, and takes informed risks in pursuit of service improvement. Identifies opportunities to make the organization more cost-effective, while maintaining or enhancing operations and customer service. Facilitates timely and constructive conflict and issues resolution, follows-up on unresolved issues effectively, and accepts advice and constructive counsel.
Leadership Skills: Collaborative, cooperative and positive. Develop and mentor others to be leaders; create, support, and lead by example to build a supportive team and a positive work environment. Appreciative, engaging, understanding and knowledgeable of issues and concerns. Identifies opportunities, inspires action, and achieves results
Build Relationships: Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, supervisors, senior management, Council, other agencies, and the public. Flexible, adaptable, collaborative and demonstrates a positive attitude. Ability to build consensus with various stakeholders.
Communication Skills: Open, honest, and tactful with all audiences. Demonstrates respect to all in a clear and straightforward style. Possesses strong written and verbal communication skills and presentation abilities.
Team Building Skills: Demonstrated success leading a team, talks openly with others, establishes expectations, holds self and others accountable, supports group decisions, shares credit, builds enthusiasm for goals, and resolves conflict appropriately; collaborative.
Community Involvement: Determine new and innovative ways to engage and consult with County residents to determine social priorities and develop programs and services; accordingly, demonstrated experience staying connected within the community.
Interpersonal Skills: An outgoing individual that works well with people from all disciplines and is sensitive and empathic to diverse needs with a proven ability to integrate teams. Has an ability to motivate and work positively with community volunteers and organizations. Encourages inclusivity, with the ability to interact with various groups and people of all backgrounds. Integrity and Trust: Honest, sincere, dependable, authentic, and trustworthy. High ethical standards and an honest, open-minded, and consistent approach to working with staff and stakeholders
Politically Astute/Diplomacy: Knows and understands legislative processes and has an intuitive ability to read the political implications of recommendations and actions. Presents to the CAO and Council with solid and informed recommendations. Diplomatic with well-developed negotiation skills.
Management Skills: Encourages and inspires innovative ideas and approaches. Ensures timely and efficient budgeting, financial and information reporting. Uses resources effectively and efficiently, sets clear expectations and ensures accountability through the performance management system.
Make Decisions: Assess complex/sensitive situations to determine the importance, urgency and risks and make sometimes controversial or tough decisions that are in the best interests of the organization.