Utility Services Strategist

Friday, May 3, 2024

Rocky View County values our employees and provides a welcoming and stable work environment where positive energy, creativity, and a service mindset are encouraged. We seek individuals who enjoy making a difference and contributing meaningfully to a vibrant community.Our valued and diverse team of 500+ employees are provided with the same concern, respect, and caring attitude as the over 40,000 people who call Rocky View County home.

At Rocky View County we value employee work/life balance. Staff are provided with opportunities to grow professionally while being supported with paid training, a competitive salary, benefits after 30 days, 27 paid days off in their first year, plus general holidays, a pension plan, paid sick time, and a hybrid work environment for eligible positions.

Reporting to the Utility Services Manager, the Utility Services Strategist demonstrates and draws on technical expertise acquired from extensive, varied and progressively responsible experience to support the Manager and Executive Director of Operations in the development of the water and wastewater growth and servicing strategies among others.

In coordination with Executive Director of Operations, the Strategist will represent the County’s Utility Services through participation in various associations, governmental, and public committees, working groups, and boards.

The Strategist is also responsible for collaborating and coordinating with business units and other stakeholders to provide an analysis, recommendation, and support for the setting of appropriate utility user rates.

Strategic

• A key contributor to aligning departmental goals and business plans with Council strategies.
• Responsible for generating novel and valuable ideas and developing new or improved processes, methods, and systems
• Provide progress updates to Manager / Executive Director on annual objectives and anticipate the resources required to achieve them.
• Serve as spokesperson for communicating and resolving environmental issues.
• Ensure service levels and water and wastewater quality parameters can be achieve or exceed Best Management Practices
• Be well informed of everything that goes on in the Department of oversight. This includes staff, budget, corporate assets, and all other corporate resources, to help make the best use of them in order to raise the Department service levels as well as the County profile.
• Develop, implement, administer and maintain Department policies and procedures, aligned with the Rocky View policy framework.
• Assist in Department planning, development, and delivery of programs and services, and foster changes and improvements that make these programs and services cost effective and efficient delivering quality services that support and improve the quality of life of County residents and ratepayers.
• Increase the County’s utility customer base, enhance County service delivery, and to provide business analysis and recommendations as to the efficiency, effectiveness, competitiveness and scope of County utility service activities.
• Attend related meetings and the meetings of such boards, committees, authorities, commissions, or other bodies as assigned or deemed necessary.
• Be prepared and submit reports, answer questions, and provide appropriate recommendations regarding the above-mentioned areas

Leadership

• Lead by example, by providing superior customer service as well as following and promoting industry best practices and County values and objectives.
• Provide support and technical guidance, coaching and mentoring to Utility Services staff along with other internal stakeholders.
• Demonstrated leadership skills, conflict resolution, business/technical writing skills, coaching and mentoring abilities in addition to time management, organizational, problem solving and decision making ability.
• Well-developed communication and interpretation skills, with the ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team.
• Resolve issues expeditiously and ensure that employee resources are in place and utilized effectively to meet the service delivery standards of the County.
• Actively participate during County emergency response situations.

Fiscal Management

• Participate in all short- and long-term financial planning processes.
• Ensure the County’s Utility systems are moving towards a cost recovery methodology.
• Participates in the preparation of annual budgets for operating and capital programs in accordance with guidance from the ELT pursuant to the Municipal Government Act.
• Monitor and provide updates to the Manager on budgets; and in particular report on variances between budgeted and actual expenditures.

Specific Duties:
Utility Customer Enhancement

• Provide focused leadership at increasing the number of customer connections, meeting customer demand and user revenues for existing utility systems.
• Engage with future customers to determine servicing needs and how to meet these needs given opportunities and limitations of the County’s systems.
• Negotiate and develop agreements with customers and other non-County utility service providers related to the provision of municipal utility services
• Coordinate the preparation of information programs and materials for dissemination to the general public regarding County utility service delivery.
• Meet regularly and effectively communicate with the public, other service providers, consultants, and customers so that the County’s best interests are represented.
• Support municipal growth objectives by anticipating and analyzing utility growth opportunities as appropriate.
• Develop, implement, and update servicing strategies, infrastructure plans, and service policies.

Utility Financial Analysis and Reporting

• Design and undertake research studies that analyze strategic issues and business related challenges faced by the County so that department management decision making is informed by facts and comprehensive analysis.
• Identify, confirm, and allocate all internal costs, assets, and debts to the appropriate utility system.
• Assist with and/or develop budget forecasts in conjunction with department management.
• Guide and execute the development, monitoring and regular reporting on County utility system costs, revenues, connections, assets, obligations, and system performance.
• Review user rates and make recommendations for annual rate adjustments. Develop long range rate setting strategies.
• Analyze and make recommendations for optimal organizational structure to achieve corporate goals and objectives.

Development and Implementation of Utility Servicing Strategies and Policies

• Lead in the development and implementation of utility servicing strategies
• Update County Policy, Bylaws, and Standards related to utility services as needed.
• Plan for and facilitate the consolidation of non-County utility service delivery entities.
• Develop Franchise Agreements with consolidated entities.

Other

• Ensure work results are in alignment with the strategic plan for the County and department.
• Undertake the personal development necessary to maintain leading-edge knowledge of analysis techniques and external trends in municipal utility service delivery.
• Attend and participate in inter-jurisdictional meetings and activities on an ad hoc basis as required.
• Prepare for and attend regularly scheduled meetings of Council and committees as required.
• Display a professional and ethical responsibility to protect privacy, use of information appropriately, and maintain the confidentiality and security of all information related to employees, business, and residents of the County.
• Work in accordance with the requirements established by the RVC Health and Safety Program and the Alberta OHS Act, Regulation and Code.
• Take reasonable care to protect their health and safety and other persons at or in the vicinity of the worksite while they are working.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Position Requirements

Completion of a Bachelor’s Degree in a related field along with a minimum ten (10) years of progressively responsible and diversified experience in Municipal utilities.

• possess positive public relations and have exceptional oral verbal, written and presentation skills;
• applied knowledge of principles and methods of strategic planning, program evaluation, performance measurement and results reporting, in addition to the principles and practices of project management
• possess a strong ability for attention to detail, accuracy, timing and scheduling of work for this position, with the ability to meet demanding deadlines;
• have proven ability to work on tight deadlines;
• have superior organizational skills;
• be proficient in MS Office suite; and,
• demonstrate knowledge of a municipal government organization and maintains a working knowledge of departmental rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and functions.

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