Public Works Operations Manager

Leadership Source Inc.; Dryden; On-site; CAD 118,000 - 129,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Dryden is seeking a Public Works Operations Manager to lead a team, oversee the operating budget, and drive the department’s capital program. You will work across roads, waterworks, waste management, and related systems to deliver reliable municipal services.

The role demands strong supervisory experience in a unionized public works setting, with a focus on safety, compliance, and community impact. This is a hands-on leadership position in Dryden, Ontario.

Qualifications

• Three-year Civil Engineering Technology diploma or equivalent.
• Eligible for certification as a Certified Engineering Technologist.
• Minimum five years in progressive supervisory/management roles in municipal public works.
• Knowledge of transportation, environmental, waste-management and safety legislation.
• Experience with GIS and asset-management systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to public works staff and oversee budgets and capital programs.
• Advance major projects including roads, bridges and water systems.
• Ensure safe, reliable municipal services and effective field operations.

Skills

Municipal leadership

Budget management

Team leadership

Stakeholder communication

Change management

Education

Three-year Civil Engineering Technology diploma

Certified Engineering Technologist eligibility

Tools

GIS

Asset-management systems

Public works maintenance software

Job description

Annual Salary Range: $118,102 to $129,417

The City of Dryden, located in the heart of Northwestern Ontario, is the second largest city in the Kenora District. Located on Wabigoon Lake, Dryden is enveloped by the beauty of tranquil lakes, stunning views, and the boreal forest. Dryden offers something for everyone; the perfect blend of opportunities to raise a family, grow a business, and build a life. It has the conveniences of an urban centre without losing its rural, neighbourly charm.

Some leadership roles are measured in reports. This one is measured in roads travelled, water flowing, neighbourhoods growing, winter routes cleared, and employees returning home safely.

The City of Dryden is looking for a Public Works Operations Manager who sees public works as more than maintaining infrastructure. It is about creating a safe, resilient, and well-run community and building a workplace where people are trusted, supported, and empowered to do their best work.

Reporting to the Director of Public Works, you will provide leadership to a team of employees, oversee the Public Works Operations operating budget, and play a key role in delivering the department’s capital program. The City’s current priorities include significant infrastructure investment, with major projects involving roads and bridges, waterworks, stormwater systems, waste management, recycling infrastructure, and cemetery expansion.

This is a hands-on leadership opportunity with genuine community impact. You will play a key role in advancing several significant municipal infrastructure initiatives while overseeing the essential programs residents rely on every day from road maintenance and winter control to environmental monitoring, waste diversion, and public-space beautification.

A Progressive Approach to Public Works

We are looking for a leader who is ready to challenge “the way it has always been done” with curiosity, practical judgment and respect for the people who know the work best.

You will not be expected to lead from behind a desk. The strongest candidate will be equally comfortable in the field, at the budget table, in a Council discussion and alongside employees solving an urgent operational challenge.

The Leader We Are Looking For

You are a grounded, forward-looking public works professional who earns trust through consistency, openness, and follow-through. You set clear expectations without micromanaging, welcome different perspectives, and understand that innovation succeeds when employees are included in the process.

You bring sound knowledge of municipal infrastructure and operations, along with experience leading people, budgets, projects and change in a unionized environment. You remain composed when priorities compete, communicate clearly with technical and non-technical audiences, and understand that excellent public service is both operational and deeply human.

The preferred candidate will have:

• A three-year Civil Engineering Technology diploma.
• Eligibility for certification as a Certified Engineering Technologist.
• At least five years of progressive supervisory or management experience in a municipal unionized environment, preferably in public works.
• Knowledge of relevant transportation, environmental, waste-management and occupational health and safety legislation.
• Experience with public works maintenance, capital projects, GIS, and asset-management systems.
• Relevant road supervision, landfill operations and playground inspection certifications, or the ability to obtain them.

Why Dryden

Dryden offers the scale to make meaningful change and the closeness to see its impact. Located among the lakes and forests of Northwestern Ontario, the community combines year-round outdoor recreation, family-friendly amenities, and an increasingly diverse economy. Here, your decisions will shape how a community moves, grows, and thrives and the people affected by your work will not be abstract.

If you are ready to lead essential services, develop people and help build a resilient northern city, we would like to hear from you.

For more information or to receive a detailed position profile, please contact Leadership Source at 306-543-1666 or [e-mail].

In accordance with the AODA, as well as the Ontario Human Rights Code, the City of Dryden is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a diverse workplace, individualized accommodations to support employees with disabilities, and an inclusive and accessible environment for all persons.

The City of Dryden is also committed to fair and accessible employment practices that attract and retain talented employees. Accommodations of persons with disabilities are available for all parts of the recruitment and selection process.