Competition #: N#21
Director, Parks and Cemeteries
Job code: 0354
POSITION OVERVIEW:
The City of Kitchener is a vibrant and dynamic city of approximately 240,000, in the heart of southwestern Ontario. As the largest municipality in Waterloo Region, Kitchener continues to be poised for development and growth, enhancing its reputation as a leader in city-building and innovation, with nationally recognized strategies to build its neighbourhoods, its digital infrastructure and its diverse economy. Home to thriving technology and advanced manufacturing sectors, balanced by a strong maker economy and vibrant arts community, Kitchener continues to enhance its competitiveness as the western anchor of the Toronto-Waterloo Region Innovation Corridor. Forward-thinking, the city is in the midst of developing a corporate climate action plan that will further its efforts to create a sustainable city.
As a visionary and strategic leader, you are a creative problem solver with a collaborative approach, and will champion the mission and values of the City to foster a positive and innovative workplace culture. You have proven confident, proactive leadership capabilities and are a strategic thinker who has demonstrated success in a senior management role within the public sector. Your exceptional interpersonal skills have earned you a reputation for building a positive, accountable work culture and developing and inspiring strong management teams and staff. A model example of exceptional commitment to customer service, you set the standard for a division that strives to provide the highest quality of services to Kitchener citizens.
Reporting to the General Manager, Infrastructure Services as the Director, Parks and Cemeteries, you will have the opportunity to lead the quality and efficient delivery of Park and Cemetery core services to the public.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Director, Parks and Cemeteries will provide strategic leadership to a team of approximately 150 full-time and seasonal staff, with respect to long and short range operational, workforce and master planning, financial resourcing, resource management, and employee relations. The team is responsible for the planning, design & maintenance of horticulture features, parks, urban forests, sports fields, and cemeteries.
As a strong leader and mentor, your key responsibilities will be:
- Developing a positive, accountable and service-focused work culture; ensuring staff understand their role in maintaining a respectful workplace.
- Ensuring efficient utilization of the Division's human, physical, and financial resources.
- Strategic, administrative, and financial planning for the Division.
- Establishing service level agreements with key stakeholders and staff.
- Providing direction, in addition to setting and managing the performance standards and service levels for the division.
- Ensuring divisional practices remain compliant with current legislation.
- Instilling a culture of personal and collective accountability related to service to the community.
- Providing leadership and counsel to divisional staff; ensuring continued staff/divisional quality by providing opportunities and resources for employee development, performance management, succession planning, and recruitment.
- Actively participating as an engaged member of the senior management team for the Infrastructure Services department.
- Engaging stakeholders and developing positive relationships across the organization.
- Ensuring that cross-departmental work programs are performed as required.
- Participating in cross-municipal service delivery discussions to develop common goals and best practices.
- Writing and presenting reports to Council as required, and approving reports authoured by staff.
- Representing the City on various Regional and area municipal committees and project teams.
- Acting as media contact for the division, and ensuring consistent messaging by others from the division who speak to the media.
- Ensuring appropriate levels/forms of communication are used by the division to inform the public and Council of services provided.
- Remaining current on industry best practices.
- Other duties as required.
First Year Priorities:
- Lead activities to continue building a positive, respectful, and engaged workplace culture.
- Champion an ongoing program of work to ensure efficiency and customer service, including service level definition for core service levels.
- Lead the successful integration of the Cemeteries Services section into the division.
- Foster project management excellent in the delivery of parks projects.
REQUIREMENTS:
Qualifications
- Minimum 4-year degree in a related field (Environmenal Science, Landscape Architecture, Business Administration, etc.), coupled with a minimum 7 - 10 years' relevant experience in a senior leadership role in a municipal or public sector environment.
- Demonstrated success in developing and implementing shared vision, strategies, and business plans with wide-ranging interests and impacts.
- Demonstrated success in leading teams to develop effective, efficient and responsive service delivery strategies and processes.
- Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, influence and work collaboratively and effectively with a broad spectrum of employees.
- Ability to work effectively and credibly with a variety of professional disciplines.
- Strong financial management experience and business acumen with demonstrated ability to ensure fiscal integrity and accountability.
- Highly developed analytical, negotiation and problem-solving skills.
- Effective organizational and time management skills. Ability to weigh competing demands, set priorities and goals, and achieve objectives and results in a timely manner.
- Solid communications and interpersonal skills to effectively cultivate relationships internally and externally, and foster a high-performing work environment.
- Demonstrated ability to support and project the organization's core values of trust and respect, collaboration, and change and growth, as well as our leadership traits, which are reflected in employees who:
- Lead by example and expect the same of others;
- Recognize accomplishments;
- Collaborate with others to realize shared outcomes;
- Enable others to be their best;
- Look beyond today.
To apply: To explore this opportunity please visit our website at www.kitchener.ca.
Please note that as per Human Resources Policy #II-110, Employment of Relatives of Staff Members and Elected Officials:
"The immediate relatives of staff of the Human Resources Division, all Directors, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, or the Chief Administrative Officer and Elected Officials shall not be employed by the City in any capacity.
The immediate relatives of all other Management personnel shall not be employed where such employment would be:
- within the same Department in the case of permanent full-time, temporary full-time and part-time classifications.
- within the same Division in the case of students."
We are committed to diversity and inclusion, and thank all applicants in advance. Accommodations are available during all stages of the recruitment process in accordance with the Human Rights Code.
We thank all applicants for their interest, however only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.
Department: Infrastructure Services Division Operations
Union Affiliation: Non-Union/Management
Job Status: Full Time Permanent
Posting Added Date: 4/6/2018
Posting Closing Date: 4/27/2018
Posting Closing Time: 11:59pm
Location: Kitchener Operations Facility (131 Goodrich Dr., Kitchener, ON)
Compensation Range: $124,115 - $155,143 (under review) Grade/Band 13 (under review)
