New Job Director, Council Services And Protocol In Alberta

Director, Council Services and Protocol

Job Number : 47179

The Role:
Reporting to the City Clerk, the Director, Protocol and Council Services leads a team of professionals that advance Edmonton’s reputation by supporting the Mayor and Councillorsl through their role as community ambassadors and spokespeople. The Director and the team provides written and ceremonial products - including briefs, speaking notes, letters, messages, certificates and proclamations - that assist elected officials in creating effective relationships and dialogues with residents, businesses, agencies and other city-building partners. On occasion, the Director is also called upon to plan and deliver large scale corporate events.

Protocol and Council Services responds to the unique needs and preferences of Edmonton’s elected officials while adhering to the corporate direction as reviewed in ConnectEdmonton, The City Plan and related Council Policies, Administrative Directives and Administration Procedures. In addition to the communications services provided to Council, the Director is also the relationship lead for Edmonton’s city-building military partnerships and the administrator of the Edmonton Salutes Committee. The Director of Protocol and Council Services is both a strategist and a tactician — the ideal candidate seamlessly shifts backs and forth between these two spaces to provide excellent service. This is a fully involved role requiring strong leadership and technical skills.

As a member of the Office of the City Clerk Leadership Team, the Director supports the critical governance operations that ensure the proper functioning of City government and support decisions that are legislatively compliant, understandable and enforceable. The Director is accountable for providing a safe, healthy and inclusive workplace where staff are empowered to pursue excellence as they deliver quality service to each other and to Council.

Goals and deliverables:

• Develop a foundational knowledge of Council’s extended governance model in a timely manner
• Deeply understand the role of the Mayor and Council as the organization’s community ambassadors in the context of Edmonton’s place and corporate brand
• Ensure content developed for members of City Council incorporates an integrated perspective of different City departments and reflects the political, economic, environmental, social and technological shifts in the larger ecosystem
• Collaborate closely with the City Clerk to navigate issues, identify priorities and provide timely advice to members of Council and their offices
• Work in partnership with leadership team of the Office of the City Clerk to ensure seamless service provision to Mayor and Councillors
• Work in complementary and integrated practice to the centralized communication unit (led by the Chief Communications Officer) and the department communications teams (led by Account Directors)
• Identify opportunities to integrate the Council Service experience with the Council Office Liaison Team (who provides support to elected officials through a broad range of operational and legislative support services)
• Build trust and establish strong relationships with key internal stakeholders, civic agencies, boards and commissions and external stakeholders such as other orders of government and community organizations
• Lead employee development and coaching, performance evaluation and feedback, health and wellness, safety, conflict resolution, staff recruitment and succession planning
• Anticipate business opportunities, influence policy, planning and initiatives, and foster a culture of accountability through performance measurement

Qualifications:

• Applicable knowledge, training and/or education in communications, marketing, political science or related disciplines
• Knowledge, training and/or education in strategic management, policy development, public administration and/or municipal government
• Corporate communications experience, including that of reputation management and event management, in a senior leadership role within a large, complex organization
• Experience in the public service and/or in a communications agency is desirable
• Accreditation with the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and/or the Canadian Public Relations Society is considered an asset
• Excellent people leadership skills to lead and manage change, build organizational talent and capacity and achieve organizational outcomes

What does success look like?

• Anticipate, assess and readily adapt to changing priorities, while maintaining resilience in times of uncertainty
• Effectively work and lead in a changing and ambiguous environment
• Contribute to building a respectful workplace culture through a values-based influencer approach and working collaboratively
• Work with a high degree of independent judgment, integrity, and self awareness
• Effectively interact, communicate, influence and collaborate with a variety of partners and stakeholders including executive and senior leadership, staff at all levels, union representatives, City Council, and the public
• Develop an understanding of complex municipal subject matter and building influential relationships with City Council, external agencies, orders of government, community organizations, and internal departments and branches
• Communicate with strong political acumen, strategic planning, issue resolution and decision-making skills
• Present complex ideas to diverse audiences, build positive relationships and establish clear expectations
• Deliver service excellence, embracing diversity and promoting inclusiveness
• Demonstrate alignment with the Cultural Commitments of Safe, Helpful, Accountable, Integrated and Excellent, fostering an environment for others to do the same. For more information on the City’s Cultural Commitments, please visit edmonton.ca/our-culture
• Demonstrate the foundational competencies, key behaviours and attributes of the City’s six leadership competencies: Courage, Inclusivity, Values-Based Influencer, Collaborative Networker, Systems Thinker and Creative Innovator. For more information on the City’s leadership competencies, please visit edmonton.ca/our-culture

The City of Edmonton is committed to inclusive, respectful and equitable workplaces that represent the communities we serve. We continuously improve our systems, policies and practices to remove barriers and ensure our employees, in all their diversity, can succeed. We encourage applications from courageous leaders who intentionally promote respect and inclusion on their teams. To learn more, see the Art of Inclusion: Our Diversity and Inclusion Framework (https://bit.ly/3hd2d95) and the Indigenous Framework (https://bit.ly/3cMgnPU).

The City of Edmonton strives to provide reasonable access and accommodations throughout the application and selection process. If you would like to request an accommodation at any stage of the process, please contact [email protected].

1 Permanent, Full-time position

Talent sourced through this process may be considered for similar opportunities within the City of Edmonton

Hire is dependent on Criminal Information Check satisfactory to the City of Edmonton; there may be a cost associated with this requirement

Hours of Work: 36.9 hours per week, Monday - Friday, working outside of regular business hours is required. Primary work location is City Hall.

Salary: $99,242.00 - $141,775.00 (Annually)

Talent Acquisition Consultant: JM/JB

Posting Date : Jul 17, 2023

Closing Date : Aug 09, 2023 11:59:00 PM (MST)

Number of Openings (up to) : 1 - Permanent Full-time

Union : Management

Department : Office of the City Clerk

Work Location(s) : City Hall, 3rd Floor, 1 Sir Winston Churchill Square Edmonton T5J 2R7