Director of Community Strategies

Situated on the picturesque Grand River, the City of Brantford is a rapidly growing community of over 100,000 residents, located in the heart of Southern Ontario with direct access to Hwy. 403 and is in close proximity to the GTHA, Waterloo and Niagara regions. As a single-tier municipality, Brantford is responsible for the full spectrum of municipal service areas. We invite you to join our #TeamBrantford corporate culture with many progressive initiatives, including our hybrid work from home arrangement. The City is committed to the professional development of our staff and invite you to come, grow with us

Reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), the Director Community Strategies and Family Support is responsible for strategic leadership and direction for the Community Strategies and Family Support Department. The Director sets the overall strategic direction for the division by establishing goals, objectives and priorities aligned with Provincial legislation, Municipal strategic direction and Council priorities. In particular, the position oversees and coordinates the policy framework and administration of divisional programs, using strong managerial skills to optimize staff performance, promote a culture of inclusion, ensure legislative and financial compliance, and deliver high quality customer service. The Director gives direct oversight to four (4) managers and requires extensive knowledge of staff recruitment, management and labour relations is required, including staff selection, development, retention, performance management, collective agreement interpretation as well as budget reviews and provincial review. This position involves risk management to ensure department operations and policies provide adequate legal protection for workers, members of the general public and the reputation of the City.

**QUALIFICATIONS**
- Graduation from a four (4) year university program in Social Sciences, Public Administration or equivalent.
- Credentials and/or professional development related to strategic planning, project management, program evaluation and continuous improvement will be considered an asset.
- Seven (7) years of management and senior leadership experience within the social services sector or related public sector is preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to plan, organize and deliver corporate and departmental initiatives related to age-friendly planning, newcomer integration, community safety, youth engagement, neighbourhood development and other social policy priorities.
- Sound knowledge of legislation, policies, programs, planning and processes related to municipal social services such as the Child Care and Early Years Act, Housing Services Act and Ontario Works Act, and expertise in the principles, practices and methods of effective human service planning.
- Proven ability to develop relationships with a variety of partners for the purpose of human services planning, evaluation and measurement including, but not limited to the areas of age-friendly community planning; crime prevention; child, adolescent, adult and community health; mental health, addiction, food security; poverty reduction and educational attainment.
- Experience preparing oral and written reports to municipal Council and or Boards on the status of current projects, milestone achievement, fiscal status, change and risk management; the consideration of new service contracts, and the approval of new projects and initiatives.
- Understanding the function and activities of various departments including those outside of the Commission is required in order to plan, coordinate and develop new courses of action with various City departments, e.g., Legal Services, Planning, Property Standards, Recreation, Finance, CAO's office, etc.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.
- Conflict resolution skills are needed in order to achieve consensus or agreements with internal and external stakeholders.
- Experience in negotiating and implementing funding and program contracts with the Provincial and Federal ministries.
- Well-versed in change management with the ability to navigate sensitive situations.
- Analytical and decision-making skills are required.
- Knowledge of finance and purchasing policies and procedural bylaws is required
- Experience in risk management and managing multi-million-dollar budget is required.
- Management of human capital and financial resources is required with the ability to deliver excellence in program management, community development, capacity building and partnership formation.
- Knowledge of legacy and historical programs in recent past (7-10 years) which can be leveraged during provincial contract negotiations, program reviews, and new program development.
- Knowledge of Strategic planning, evaluation methodology and program support.
- IMS 200 Certification or equivalent (ICS200) is considered an asset. Subject to course availability, certification must be achieved with