Screening Officer

Reporting to the Senior Screening Officer, this position will act as the first point of contact at the City of Winnipeg for citizens wanting to contest a by-law penalty notice and will provide screening of all matters under the Municipal By-law Enforcement Act (MBEA). The role of a Screening Officer is to ensure compliance with the requirements of the MBEA and all applicable City of Winnipeg By-laws, maintain a high-level of knowledge of all offences designated under the MBEA to educate the public and conduct hearings in a controlled, professional manner.

This position is highly specialized and technical in nature and requires the incumbent to make sound decisions in a high volume/stressful environment. The incumbent will have independence in the assessment, interpretation and application of municipal by-laws and, within the framework of the MBEA, in their ability to uphold, reduce or cancel administrative penalties up to $1000 in the negotiation of compliance agreements.

As the Screening Officer you will:

• Conduct review of by-law penalty notices in order to meet the administrative needs of the Municipal By-law Enforcement Act (MBEA) and MBEA Enabling By-law.
• Maintain compliance with legislative requirements by ensuring that required administrative processes under the Municipal By-law Enforcement Act are followed.
• Provide information regarding offences under various City of Winnipeg by-laws to ensure members of the public are educated and able to maintain compliance with by-law requirements.
• Determine compliance agreements with the general public in accordance with City by-laws.

Your education and qualifications include:

• Bachelor's Degree in Business or Public Administration, Criminal Justice, Political Science, Law, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

• Minimum of one (1) year of experience in a related field (litigator, justice/staff justice of the peace, adjudicator, screening officer, or arbitrator).

• Minimum of one (1) year of experience with the interpretation and application of by-laws, regulations, acts, statues and agreements with the ability to provide written recommendations and guidelines.

• Experience researching and analyzing technical or complex information and reducing it, in writing, to plain language.

• Experience working with confidential information.

• Law or by-law enforcement experience is preferred.

• Experience with, and proficient in the use of, Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook).

• Ability to problem solve, exercise sound judgment and discretion to make effective decision.

• Knowledge of provincial acts and regulations, municipal by-laws and court administrative and judicial functions.

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of stakeholders and foster a team environment.

• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to work under pressure to meet workload demands and deadlines while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail in a fast-paced environment.

• Ability to perform under pressure in a high stress or emotionally challenging environment.

• Excellent customer service skills including the ability to effectively deal with people in a professional and diplomatic manner while maintaining composure and decorum during the hearing process.

• Effective verbal communication skills including the ability to explain complex information and de-escalate emotionally charged situations.

• Strong written communication skills with the ability to reduce legal jargon to plain language when communicating with the public.

• IMPORTANT: Applicants who have been educated outside of Canada must have education which is comparable to the minimum qualification in Canada. Applicants submitting foreign credentials require an official academic assessment report issued by a recognized Canadian assessment service at application.

Conditions of employment:

• The successful applicant must maintain legal eligibility to work in Canada. If the successful applicant possesses a work permit, it is their responsibility to ensure the permit remains valid.
• A Police Record Check satisfactory to the employer will be required from the applicant(s) or successful candidate(s), at their expense.
• The successful applicant must maintain a membership in good standing with Canadian Council of Administrative Tribunals (CCAT) – within 3 months.