Director, Strategy and Policy Development

The City of Spruce Grove is a fast growing, dynamic city committed to building and maintaining a fiscally responsible community that serves our residents, attracts visitors and promotes future growth. Through the actions of the Values We Live By, accountability, communication, leadership, integrity and respect are encouraged, while maintaining a work, play balance.

Position Overview:

The new role of Director, Strategy and Policy Development is in response to the growth in the municipality and the resulting increased complexity of the work and expectations facing the municipality.  As a mid sized City facing several external pressures and needs, there is a need to invest in strategic thinking, complex systems leadership and policy development that will provide Council and Senior Administration with strong foundations and advice in strategy development and building robust macro-level policies.

Reporting to the General Manager of Corporate Services, and with the support of a small but dynamic and agile policy team, this role will work in partnership with other City Department leads, and draw upon the expertise of, a wide breath of individuals and groups locally, provincially and nationally.  Using this broad network of expertise, the Director will lead the development of various policy and strategy files to provide the City with the best possible foundations to support City services and programs. 

Responsibilities for this position include:

Strategy Development

• Leading the Intergovernmental Relations program for the municipality including the development and maintenance of Council Advocacy strategies
• Supporting Council in their engagement journey in the spirit of Reconciliation
• Identifying, developing and maintaining specific organizational strategies in partnership with program departments on matters such as
  • Housing
  • Advocacy
  • Environment
• Initiating, leading and/or participating in coalition building strategies at the various municipal levels (tri-regional, metropolitan, mid sized city, provincial and national level) and ensure robust key relationships with a breadth of partner organizations that are key to elements of the organization’s success.

Policy Development

• Foreshadowing and researching the implications of future municipal policy and program needs
• Engaging in municipal government communities regionally, provincially and nationally to inform the municipal approach to strategic policy design, implementation and evaluation
• Developing, implementing and evaluating the municipal environment policy framework (such as the City’s Climate Change Action Plan)

Qualifications:

• Post-secondary Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Political Science or equivalent.
• Fifteen (15) to seventeen (17) years of related experience, including five (5) or more years managerial experience.
• Certification in Project Management, Change Management or any other area of responsibility is an asset.

• High level of demonstrated experience in development and implementation of strategic plans in public administration
• High level of demonstrated experience in researching, analyzing and crafting macro level policy with a robust appreciation for operational implications
• Demonstrated experience in understanding, interpreting and applying legislation at federal and/or provincial levels
• High level of demonstrated experience in relationship building and achieving client satisfaction
• High level of demonstrated experience in facilitation
• High level of demonstrated writing skills for various audiences: external, elected officials, senior leadership, operational management
• Demonstrated experience in leading a team of high functioning individuals operating in a matrix, client facing operational environment.

Please note that the salary for this position is currently under review.