Assistant Director - Public Works

Closing date: Open until Filled

Assistant Director – Public Works (Regular Full Time)

Engineering and Public Works Department

Victoria is a vibrant and sustainably focused city, renowned as a globally recognized tourist destination welcoming over 3.5 million visitors annually and a place with an exceptional quality of life for its residents. Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island and the capital of British Columbia, Victoria is home to over 80,000 people and is the economic and cultural centre for the Capital Region’s 350,000 residents. The city is experiencing change and growth with increased levels of development, and major City-building initiatives on the horizon.

The Assistant Director, Public Works is the head of the City’s Public Works Division, comprised of over 200 multidisciplinary employees. The City is seeking a highly motivated individual with exceptional technical and leadership abilities. The successful candidate will combine their extensive municipal operational planning and management experience with exemplary problem solving and communication skills to lead the City’s public works and operational services, which include streets, utilities, cleaning services, fleet, surface infrastructure and administration operations.

This individual will be a highly professional leader, relationship-builder and team-player, committed to fostering a culture of engagement with all internal and external stakeholders. The successful candidate will the lead City’s trades to operate, maintain, and enhance the City’s infrastructure in a safe, effective, and sustainable manner. This highly influential role presents an opportunity for the successful candidate to use their experience and abilities to impact and shape Public Works for the City.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Director of Engineering and Public Works and directly accountable for oversight of the Public Works Division, the Assistant Director (AD) Public Works partners with the two other Assistant Directors in the Division, responsible for Engineering and Transportation respectively. The Assistant Director is responsible for the effective delivery of a full range of operational and capital programs to support City infrastructure needs for residents, visitors, business and other City departments.

Major Accountabilities:

This position is responsible for developing and managing the provision of Public Works management, operations, construction and maintenance programs including:

Participating with senior management in the development of Departmental strategic direction, organizational and performance outcomes, priorities and administration.
Coordinating the preparation and management of Public Works operating budget.
Developing approaches to improve the Division’s organizational culture and climate to build the employee commitment and pride in work to provide optimal service to the City.
Providing professional advice, reports and recommendations to senior leadership, community stakeholders and elected officials.

Direct and manage the over 200 managerial, technical, construction and labouring staff of Public Works including:

Providing leadership and development to a team of section managers and their staff to enable, understand and support positive change and continuous improvement.
Selecting and recruiting leadership staff and determining Division staffing direction.
Directing the Division’s leadership and supervisory team in managing employee conduct, performance and attendance; responding to grievances.
Overseeing the Division’s safety program and creating a culture of accountability and prioritization of employee and public safety.

Professionally represent Public Works across all City departments and achieve required results and outcomes by:

Representing the City with all other external organizations, including private, public and government agencies.
Establishing effective relationships with all stakeholders and working collaboratively alongside contractors, union representatives, regulatory and other stakeholder groups.
Working with other public works organizations to develop and implement best practices, innovate, and establish benchmarks.
Responding appropriately to public service enquiries, requests, and complaints.

Manage the delivery of public works operations, construction and maintenance services including:

Overseeing operations to ensure the delivery of sustainable, high quality, cost effective and socially and environmentally responsible services.
Responding to issues regarding work performance and adherence to standards, public expectations, and work methods.

Perform other related activities as and when required.

Qualifications:

A preferred Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering or Diploma in Civil Engineering.
A preferred Professional Engineer (PEng) or Applied Science Technologist (AScT).
10 years of progressively responsible management experience in municipal engineering construction and management.
An equivalent combination of qualifications and experience will be considered

Competencies:

Proven leadership ability and a demonstrated track record in municipal Public Works strategic leadership and the skills to tactfully navigate, prioritize and manage complex operational and workforce issues.
Adept at establishing relationships with stakeholders at all levels of a complex interdisciplinary organization in order to inform and affect positive change.
Demonstrated leadership development and influence capabilities that enable positive operational and cultural change in a dynamic and challenging environment.
High levels of personal resilience and stability used to provide structure, confidence and empower continuous improvement to teams addressing multi-faceted challenges and opportunities in a politically sensitive environment.
Superior interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills and conflict resolution skills.
Strong analytical writing and public speaking skills.

To apply for this opportunity you will need to create an online profile or log back in to our career portal at www.victoria.ca/jobs - only online submission will be considered. All applications must be submitted online. Please be prepared to provide proof of qualifications and supporting materials as outlined in your resume

City of Victoria is an equal opportunity employer committed to establishing an inclusive, equitable, and accessible environment for all. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status or any other basis protected by applicable law.

We are committed to ensuring that reasonable accommodations are made available to persons with disabilities during the recruitment cycle and will provide reasonable accommodations upon request. If you require assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please email us at HR@victoria.ca