Special Events Planner

Metrolinx is connecting communities across the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Metrolinx operates GO Transit and UP Express, as well as the PRESTO fare payment system. We are also building new and improved rapid transit, including GO Expansion, Light Rail Transit routes, and major expansions to Toronto’s subway system, to get people where they need to go, better, faster and easier. Metrolinx is an agency of the Government of Ontario. At Metrolinx, equity, diversity and inclusion are essential to living our values of serving with passion, thinking forward and playing as a team.

Our Customer Protective Services team is looking for a Special Events Planner to plan, resource and provide site command for special and major events by applying a risk-based and compliance focused approach. The Special Event Lead is responsible for managing and coordinating the overall operation of site operations during special events and coordinating responses to incidents and emergencies. The role will enhance GO’s ability to provide safe and reliable public transportation services.

What will I be doing?

• Lead the development and implementation of crowd management, customer flow, safety, and staffing planning of special events and service disruptions.
• Oversee day to day delivery of assigned events, builds plan to ensure service delivery and implement plan and escalate as required.
• Ensure quality assurance and compliance with corporate standards, develops action planning as needed to mitigate potential issues impacting customer experience during events.
• Analyse effectiveness of services plans, takes corrective action as needed to ensure excellent customer experience.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives, identifies, and recommends process and operational improvements.
• Monitor metrics, build action plans, and provide updates to the Manager, Special Events Management.
• Effectively communicates to staff, Customer Change Readiness committees, and management to ensure they are informed and knowledgeable with all impacts and plans for every service change, event impacts, construction impacts and service disruption coordination.
• Proactively engages internal stakeholders (Service Design, Rail Operations, Service Planning, Safety, NOC, etc) to influence service plans to ensure the customer experience and impacts are understood and addressed to achieve high levels customer satisfaction.
• Maintain site commander position during select events, managing all site operations (Special Constables, Revenue Protection, Customer Service, Maintenance etc) as well as corresponding with internal and external partners (Rail Operations, Bus Operations, Media Relations, Service Planning, Stations, NOC, Transit partners, Emergency services, event organizers, etc)

Unusual Working Conditions:

• Required to work 40 hours per week with varying shifts and off-days
• Regular exposure to extreme weather or undesirable operating conditions
• Exposed to risk of physical harm when performing on site mitigations for service impacts and/or when encountering irate or intoxicated passengers.

What Skills and Qualifications Do I Need?

• Completion of a diploma in Business Administration, or related field – or a combination of education, training and experience deemed equivalent.
• Completion of Incident Management System (IMS) 100. IMS 200, 300, 400 is an asset.
• A valid Ontario Class ‘G’ license with a good driving record is required
• First Aid certification or ability to obtain same is required.
• Effective leader with ability to recognize, coach and engage staff.
• Effective listening and communication skills (both verbal and written)
• Demonstrated ability to influence leaders in higher positions.
• Change agent with strong ability to lead a team through change.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze performance results and develop action plans that close risks.
• Able to prioritize, strong organizational skills.
• Understanding union related collective bargaining administration an asset.
• Strong supervisory and administrative skills to supervise provision of customer service during events and service changes/disruptions.
• Standard office applications, including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, to develop reports and briefings and regular updates. Interpersonal, public relations, oral/written/presentation communication and diplomacy skills to supervise the ongoing delivery of superior customer service, disseminate information, and develop audit reports and recommendations to address operational issues and customer impacts.

Don’t Meet Every Requirement?
If you’re excited about working with Metrolinx but your past experience doesn’t quite align with every qualification of this posting, we encourage you to apply. You just might be the right candidate for this or other roles. We are always looking for great talent to join our team. We invite all interested individuals to apply and encourage applications from members of equity-deserving communities, including those who identify as Indigenous, Black, racialized, women, people with disabilities, and people with diverse gender identities, expressions and sexual orientations. Accommodation:
We value the unique skills and experiences each person brings to Metrolinx and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment. We are committed to the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act so if you require accommodation during the hiring process, please let our Recruitment team know by contacting us at: 416-202-5601 or email before submitting your application. Should it be determined that any background information provided is misleading, inaccurate or incorrect, Metrolinx reserves the right to discontinue with the consideration of your application. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted. WE ARE AN EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE EMPLOYER.