General Manager, Community & Protective Services

Where Opportunity Meets Community

Nestled along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, the Town of Edson is perfectly positioned to welcome travelers, businesses, and industry alike. With one of Alberta’s busiest travel routes bringing nearly 10,000 vehicles through town each summer day, Edson is a vibrant hub of activity and growth.

Edson is more than just a place to stop—it’s a place to stay, play, and thrive. Their growing community boasts a wide range of recreational and cultural experiences for every season. Enjoy the scenic trail system, the newly expanded Leisure Centre, and live performances at the Hatlen Theatre. Whether you’re there for adventure, culture, or community—Edson truly has something for everyone.

Please visit www.edson.ca

For additional information about what Edson has to offer, go to the Choose Edson website www.chooseedson.ca

THE ROLE

As a member of the Town’s Executive Leadership Team, the General Manager of Community & Protective Services provides visionary, strategic leadership for the organization and the department. Through four direct reports, the General Manager is responsible for providing strategic leadership for several essential and important public services to the community; including Recreation Services and Community Services and Protective Services which encompasses both Fire Services and Enforcement Services, as well as overseeing the Town’s Emergency Management Program.

All Managers are responsible for modeling, upholding, enforcing, and contributing to a workplace culture of communication, creativity, kindness, respect, and teamwork.

Key Responsibilities

Primary Responsibilities and Authority

• Provide advice to the CAO and Elected Officials in the establishment of strategic objectives, policies, and programs for the delivery of municipal services.

• Analyze, review options, assess risks, provide advice, and make recommendations for the successful delivery of fire, protective, enforcement, and community-related services.

• YCE Multi-plex Project

  • Oversee planning, execution, and delivery of the recreation project.

  • Manage capital and operating budgets; ensure financial accountability.

  • Work with internal departments, consultants, and contractors to meet project milestones.

  • Communicate with CAO, Council, community, and partners to ensure transparency and support.

  • Identify and address risks; ensure safety and regulatory compliance.

  • Provide regular updates on progress, issues, and financials.

  • Ensure the project supports long-term municipal goals, programming and service levels.

• Liaise with external government agencies regarding relevant regulations, policies, and funding.

• Work in collaboration with other departments as required, ensuring needs are met and policies adhered to and developing a coordinated approach to cooperative functions.

• Attend and present at Council, Committee, or external agency meetings as required. Ensure reports and recommendations are well-researched, accurate, and comprehensive.

• Understand and comply with all relevant legal, regulatory, and policy parameters affecting the department at all levels of government.

• Perform additional related duties as assigned by the CAO.

• Manage personal professional development budget within established parameters.

• Ensure compliance with all Town procedures and policies and legislated regulatory requirements pertinent to Community and Protective Services.

• Develop and implement a long-range departmental planning framework by means of 3-year operational plans, 5-year capital plans, and Council-approved master plans.

• Research and align operations with best practices and emerging trends.

• Respect organizational and staff confidentiality.

• Serve as Acting CAO as assigned.

Protective Services

• Be responsible and accountable for the following disciplines within Protective Services:

• Fire Services

• Enforcement Services

• Municipal Emergency Management

• Regional 911

• RCMP

• Ensure a high level of service is provided in all areas of the Protective Services Department.

• Prepare and/or provide aid in the development of tender documents for the Department’s operational and capital projects, including specifications, proposal requests, contract awards, and contact provisions.

• Work in collaboration with Mutual Aid Partners.

• Responsible for review and maintenance of the Municipal Emergency Plan and be a member of the Emergency Operations Centre team.

Community Services

• Oversee all Community Services functions, establishing effective systems, policies, procedures, controls, and checks and balances; ensure a balanced portfolio of service offerings.

• Maintain high service standards across all operational divisions; regularly monitor and update programs to ensure utilization, user satisfaction, and strategic alignment. Respond appropriately to user complaints.

• Communicate consistently and effectively with the public, community groups, and volunteers in the development, delivery, and use of services, ensuring transparency and fairness while enabling the objectives of same.

• Communicate/engage with the public, community groups, and volunteers in the development, delivery, and use of services; facilitate and enable the efforts of community organizations and volunteer groups.

• Establish and maintain contracts with community groups, businesses, and consultants.

• Provide input for land development applications and permits affecting parks and other public spaces.

   

Recreation Services

• Provide overall direction for recreation and cultural services.

• Align departmental goals with municipal strategic plans and community priorities.

• Advise the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Council on recreation-related policies, programs, and initiatives

• Communicate consistently and effectively with the public, recreation groups, and volunteers in the development, delivery, and use of services, ensuring transparency and fairness while enabling the objectives of same.

• Communicate/engage with the public, community groups, and volunteers in the development, delivery, and use of services; facilitate and enable the efforts of community organizations and volunteer groups.

• Establish and maintain contracts with recreational groups, businesses, and consultants.

• Ensure delivery of diverse recreation programs (sports, aquatics, cultural events, fitness, etc.).

• Evaluate program effectiveness and community satisfaction.

• Promote inclusion and accessibility in all recreation services.

Leadership Responsibilities

People Leadership

• Manage employees in their day-to-day responsibilities.

• Create a team environment that inspires hard work, dedication, collaboration, and excellence.

• Provide regular honest and constructive feedback.

• Train, mentor, and support staff to ensure their success and professional growth, while delegating sufficient authority to enable independent and creative completion of assignments.

• Familiarize oneself with HR policies and procedures and enforce the same.

• Manage attendance and approve vacations and leaves.

• In collaboration with Human Resources, manage the hiring, terms of employment, evaluation, discipline, and termination of employees.

• Carry out all Human Resources-mandated processes in a timely and consistent manner.

• Manage challenging personal and interpersonal dynamics sensitively and respectfully; respond appropriately to reports of disrespectful conduct.

• Responsibly protect any confidential or sensitive information that falls under the position’s purview.

Health & Safety

• Model and help construct a positive culture in which Health & Safety are highly prioritized.

• Ensure that all health and safety programs and policies are faithfully executed.

• Ensure compliance with all health and safety policies and procedures.

• Ensure all incidents, accidents, and near-misses are reported in a timely fashion.

• Help employees to identify and eliminate or mitigate hazards on a day-to-day basis.

• Familiarize oneself with Health & Safety policies and procedures and enforce the same.

• Conduct regular safety meetings.

• Participate in audits as required.

• Where necessary, monitor modified work programs in consultation with Health & Safety.

Budgetary Authority & Responsibilities

• Prepare annual departmental operating and capital budgets.

• Responsibly manage an annual budget.

• Ensure that all procurement is completed in accordance with the approved budget, the Purchasing Policy, and other legal or policy requirements.

• Ensure fiscal responsibility and efficient revenue generation; pursue alternative funding sources (e.g. grants) wherever possible.

• Familiarize oneself with policies and procedures relating to spending and enforce the same.

• Authorize purchases and accounts within assigned limits.

Community Responsibilities

•  Ensure positive and professional engagement with public stakeholders where necessary.

• Work with Communications to ensure organizational consistency in communicating to the public.

• Attend and present at Council, Committee, or external agency meetings as required. Ensure reports and recommendations are well-researched, accurate, and comprehensive.

• Provide honest and respectful feedback to the Town Council and other stakeholders as required.

THE CANDIDATE

• An undergraduate degree in business or a relevant field. A combination of alternative education and experience will be considered.

• Post-secondary degree or equivalent in Recreation, or a related field.

• Possession of a Certified Local Government Manager (CLGM) designation is considered a valuable asset. A significant and demonstrable record of senior leadership of a multi-faceted operation, preferably in a municipal government.

• Alternative combinations of education and experience which demonstrably provide the required knowledge, and skills may be eligible in certain circumstances.

Core Competencies

• Strong leadership skills, including the ability to provide staff with vision and motivational direction in obtaining clearly defined goals.

• Excellent communication and analytical skills are essential, as is the ability to contribute in a team environment.

• Significant knowledge and experience in municipal operations, systems thinking, strategic planning, organizational processes and systems, government relations, policy analysis, facilitation, and project management.

• Fully conversant in the use of Microsoft Office applications.

Personal Characteristics

• Leader: You are a self-confident leader, able to hold your colleagues accountable and motivate staff with vision and innovative thinking. You build and foster successful relationships and you enjoy managing differing perspectives and opinions. You support staff and foster a healthy work environment.

• Communicative: You enjoy leading robust, critical but respectful discussions and know how to adjust your message to suit the audience at hand. You model accountability and transparency. You write clearly and persuasively and can inspire people with your vision. You listen carefully to discover underlying messages. You are direct, diplomatic and truthful.

• Decisive: You have experience in making high-stakes decisions that have the potential to impact another’s livelihood or reputation, or decisions that impact the reputation or financial viability of a department or organization. You influence, propose and lead strategy to advance evidence-based decision making. You lead with confidence and have a strong, clear value-set balanced by a focus on ensuring due diligence in decisions and actions.

• Creative/Innovative: You are an effective strategist full of ideas and possibilities. You add your personal wisdom and experience to come to the best solution. You can both create and bring exciting ideas to market, and most importantly, you are comfortable considering alternative futures without having all the data at your fingertips.

• Vision and Drive: You have a compelling organizational vision that reflects the complexities and challenges of an ever-changing landscape. You have the drive, knowledge and dedication to shape, prepare and lead an organization into the future. You have a successful track record of driving organizational performance, transformation and continuous improvement.

• Commitment to Continual Improvement: You are not satisfied with the status quo “because that’s how it’s always been done.” You constantly seek improvement in process, people, policy and outcomes. Looking for a “better way” and “better results” is in your DNA.

• Acts with Honour and Character: As a person of high character, you consistently act in accordance with clearly-visible vision and values. You are direct and truthful, and you have no trouble maintaining confidences.

We understand and appreciate our clients’ ever-increasing desire for candidates to reflect the communities in which they work and live. The Vogel Group is committed to inclusivity and diversity as we search for outstanding leadership talent for our clients.

We encourage candidates of all ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, physical challenges, sexual orientations, and identifications to feel confident in exploring and declaring candidacy for any of our search assignments.