Director of Public Works & Community Services

Ontario Society of Professional Engineers; Thorold; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Ontario Society of Professional Engineers is seeking a Director of Public Works and Community Services to lead and shape the strategic and financial direction of municipal services, including roads, water, cemeteries, arenas, parks and recreation. The role requires strong governance, stakeholder engagement and cross‑department collaboration.

The successful candidate will manage senior staff, implement continuous improvement, and ensure safe, compliant service delivery while aligning with the

Qualifications

• University degree in Civil Engineering or related field.
• P.Eng. with Ontario registration or CET certification.

Responsibilities

• Lead and direct strategic, general and financial management and day-to-day administration of Public Works and Community Services.
• Oversee roads, water/wastewater, arenas, parks, cemeteries and recreation to ensure timely, compliant operations.
• Prepare reports for Council and stakeholders; provide recommendations to support informed decisions.
• Represent the department in inter-governmental relations and partner with other divisions to ensure coordinated service delivery.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Project management

Time management

Analytical skills

Communication

Presentation skills

Problem solving

Negotiation

Staff leadership

Supervisory skills

Education

University degree in Civil Engineering

P.Eng. or CET certification

Job description

Primary Function

Reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer, the Director of Public Works and Community Services is responsible for leading, directing and engaging the Public Works and Community Services department. This position acts as part of the Senior Management Team involved in the formulation and execution of the City’s strategic plan. Specifically, this position is responsible for the oversight of engineering, infrastructure, public works, cemeteries, arena, parks and recreation services.

Duties and Responsibilities

Department Administration

Leads and directs the strategic, general and financial management, and day-to-day administration of Public Works and Community Services including roads, structures, water/wastewater, arena, parks, cemeteries, and recreation

Oversees cemeteries, parks, public works, water/wastewater and engineering functions ensuring all legislative, regulatory and reporting requirements are met, that appropriate cross-functional and back-up contingencies are in place, and that taxpayers, customers, consultants and staff are dealt with in a well-informed and customer-first service manner.

Attends Council, Council/Committee, community stakeholder, and other public meetings as required; prepares reports and provides recommendations to support informed decision-making

Delivers presentations and provides advice and guidance on roads, structures, water and wastewater, arenas, parks, cemeteries, and recreation matters and strategies.

Monitors emerging trends, as well as significant new and pending legislation and regulatory guidelines, and advises on their potential impacts on the municipality within the assigned portfolio.

Institutes quality assurance and continuous improvement practices. Regularly reviews and evaluates administrative and service delivery processes within areas supervised and on community services processes and systems with a view to ensuring practices are coordinated between departments, appropriate stakeholder consultation occurs, and that practices are innovative/contemporary, meet the needs of the Municipality, and reflect customer service excellence and value.

Financial and Asset Management

Manages and leads the departmental budget, which includes: Operating Budget, Capital Budget, Long Range Capital Budget, General Levy Forecast and Operating Budget Forecast.

Seeks innovative ways to deal with financial restraint and to achieve operational efficiencies.

Responsible for ensuring departmental budgets are adhered to

Contributes to the development of the corporate budget to achieve an optimal balance between cost and levels of service.

People Leadership

Provides leadership to the Public Works and Community Services team to ensure that the management and delivery of services are aligned through the establishment and harmonization of goals, priorities, work plans and the provision of strategic advice and direction.

Assesses departmental staffing needs, and reviews and recommends complement amendments and organizational structure changes, participates in management recruitment processes, and makes effective hiring and/or promotion recommendations/decisions.

Provides leadership to the department management team, including staff development, performance management/review, coaching and mentoring, staff engagement, rewards and recognition, health and safety and discipline.

Undertakes ongoing evaluation of direct reports and determines their capabilities in order to ensure appropriate development plans are put into place; Guides and develops people through performance management, career planning, and development; deals effectively with non-performance.

Assigns work activities, projects, and programs to the management team; reviews and evaluates methods and procedures; meets with Division teams on a regular basis to identify and resolve problems.

Other

Provides director-level oversight and leadership in responding to inquiries and liaising with residents, internal departments, consultants, other governments/agencies, elected officials, user groups, and special interest groups regarding roads, water/wastewater, arenas, parks, cemeteries, recreation, and other municipal matters; assigns and directs Division Leads to address inquiries and complaints, monitors follow-up and resolution, and takes remedial or escalated action where necessary.

Responsible for the short and long term planning and implementation of future infrastructure and operational needs through the development of Master Plans and Service Delivery Reviews

Works with the CAO and the Senior Management team to monitor activities and agreements with service partners affiliated with the Municipality to promote and protect the Municipality’s financial and other interests in these organizations; undertakes representative and/or inter-governmental/board/agency relations activities to foster cooperative working relationships, provide assistance/guidance/resources, and influence decision-making where appropriate.

Through the City’s procurement process, makes recommendations on the hiring of consultants, auditors and/or other external resources to assist with/undertake major projects/studies related to the portfolio; prepares RFP Terms of Reference and evaluates bids; monitors consultants’ work and administers the agreements in accordance with policies/procedures.

Undertakes representative duties as the Director of Public Works and Community Services with the community, province, businesses/industries, professional associations, and inter-municipally as required/directed; takes a leadership role in the event of a community emergency; acts in the absence or on behalf of the CAO, as assigned.

Undertakes special projects and performs other duties as assigned, in accordance with corporate objectives

• University degree in Civil Engineering or related field
• A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in a senior management position, in a municipal environment
• Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) registered with the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario or Certified Engineering Technologist (C.E.T) registered with the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists.
• Excellent interpersonal, project/time management, analytical, communication, presentation, problem-solving, facilitation, negotiation, and staff leadership and supervisory skills.
• Ability to think and act strategically in a political and corporate service environment, to foster corporate thinking and a healthy workplace environment, to build strong and enthusiastic staff teams and external alliances/partnerships.
• Thorough knowledge of municipal operations and comprehensive knowledge of the functions of Engineering, Public Works, Parks, Cemeteries, Arenas, and Recreation to provide effective overall leadership for these functions and to represent service needs to the Senior Leadership Team, Council and the Community.