Responsibilities
- Designs, develops and implements coordinated, City-wide changes in operating models, processes, practices, reporting and technology, to enhance overall business performance and the efficiency and effectiveness of the City's development review process.
- Contributes to the continuous improvement of development review and divisional performance through analysis and the development and implementation of sound management practices and procedures.
- Provides program management staff with direction and guidance, processes and tools to increase efficiencies and improve effectiveness.
- Provides strategic advice to the Executive Director, Development Review Division, and represents the Executive Director at a number of meetings with both internal and external participants, sometimes in a politically sensitive context, and works to create consensus among all parties.
- Provides leadership and establishes relationships and partnerships with internal and external clients, members of Council, unions, members of the public, industry representatives, etc.
to address and resolve conflicting demands and issues.
- Directs, through subordinate management staff, all activities of the section, delegating management responsibility.
- Leads and motivates a diverse workforce, ensures effective teamwork, provides resolution to controversial labour relations issues, ensures high standards of work quality and organizational performance and continuous learning, and encourages innovation in others.
- Develops, recommends and administers the annual budget for the section, and ensures that the section’s expenditures are controlled and maintained within approved budget limitations.
- Leads the implementation of the recommendations that were developed through the City's interdivisional end-to-end review of the development review process work, including implementation and sustainment of a new operating model to drive system-level collaboration and efficiencies.
- Oversees the identification, assessment and implementation of innovative opportunities for business process re-engineering and technology modernization in partnership with relevant groups, including the standardization of roles, responsibilities, rules, processes and guidelines related to the development review, and implements and sustains business transformation.
- Negotiates the acquisition of products and services from external suppliers, ensuring compliance with Corporate standards, and monitors contract performance.
- Oversees the execution of supporting change management and communication plans to deliver lasting and sustainable change.
- Directs, trains, mentors and coaches a team of multi-disciplinary professionals to support the implementation of high-quality, effective and efficient business transformation within the City, to effect change and continuous improvement.
- Works to be a champion of change, working to bring about a more customer-focused and oriented approach to the development review process.
- Provides ongoing leadership by using effective management techniques, implementing change management processes and developing staff to be able to respond to a changing work environment, enhance the overall performance of the Division and meet the expectations of Council, the community and stakeholders.
- Provides leadership, consultation and recommendations to advance business transformation and modernization initiatives, including addressing critical issues and risks with senior leaders to ensure a cost-effective and sustainable delivery.
- Builds strong relationships with internal and external participants to foster effective partnerships, and improve the development review process, and identifies, addresses and resolves process-related issues such as development application bottlenecks and / or interdivisional conflicts.
- Manages the development and implementation of an overall business transformation methodology and tools to be leveraged by relevant staff to more effectively perform development reviews, from planning to implementation, issues trackers, risk registers and new guidelines / processes.
- Develops policies and procedures for portfolio management to enable a transparent overview of transformation and continuous improvement projects across the City related to development review.
- Develops, implements and leads senior-level governance structure / working group to support the City's development review process by escalating and resolving system-level issues in a timely manner.
- Establishes system-level reporting standards and tracking tools, including project intake, resource utilization, capacity forecasting, project status and milestones, performance measures, benchmarking and others.
- Develops, designs and implements functional policies and programs that make system-level changes in overall business performance based on long-term needs.
- Leads quality assurance function, working closely with all areas of the Division, to ensure standardization, compliance, value for money and effective service delivery.
- Acts as a champion of diversity and inclusion and promotes diverse and diverging viewpoints in a safe space, where all team members feel that they can contribute to city change in a positive environment.
Key Qualifications
- Post-secondary education in urban planning, public administration or a comparable field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Extensive experience leading large-scale transformational change initiatives and delivery of programs that create service improvement and efficiencies.
- Extensive leadership and project management experience of complex urban planning initiatives in a municipal / city environment.
- Considerable senior level experience setting strategic program direction combined with considerable experience planning, developing, implementing, managing and monitoring broad scale, long term objectives and strategies.
- A collaborative leader, experienced with implementing change, encouraging participation of employees and a commitment to organizational values and objectives.
- An effective decision maker, with a track record demonstrating innovation, problem solving, conflict resolution, a commitment to continuous learning, adaptability and improvement.
- Advanced verbal and written communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively, and build relationships at all levels of the organization, including with elected officials, senior management, unions, staff, community groups and the media.
- Highly developed sense of discretion, judgment and political acumen to deal with sensitive matters with the ability to represent the Executive Director Development Review Division at Council and other Standing Committees.
- Sound knowledge of government legislation and policy in the areas of labour, occupational health and safety and human rights with excellent knowledge of Toronto’s Official Plan, relevant legislation and bylaws.
- Membership with the Ontario Professional Planners Institute or the Canadian Institute of Planners is an asset.
30+ days ago