Assistant City Manager

destinationone Consulting | Direct Placement

Assistant City Manager

Lower Mainland, Canada | Posted on 09/26/2026

destinationone Consulting has been retained by the City of Maple Ridge to recruit an accomplished and strategic Assistant City Manager.

This executive leadership opportunity presents a rare chance for a seasoned municipal leader to play a pivotal role in supporting the City Manager and executive leadership team in advancing the City’s strategic priorities, operational excellence, organizational transformation, and long term community growth. As one of British Columbia’s fastest growing municipalities, the City of Maple Ridge continues to make significant investments in infrastructure, community development, public service delivery, and sustainable growth, creating an exciting environment for forward thinking leadership and meaningful impact.

In this dynamicand high-impact role, the Assistant City Manager will serve as the City Manager ’s primary internal second-in-command, helping drive corporate strategyexecution, cross-departmental coordination, and enterprise-wide initiativesthat support Council priorities and the organization’s long-term vision.

Working closelywith the City Manager and senior leadership team, the successful candidate willhelp ensure alignment across departments, strengthen organizational leadershipcapacity, and support the effective delivery of municipal services to a growingand diverse community.

This role formspartof the municipality’slong-term leadership succession planning,offering the opportunity for the successful candidate to progressively expandresponsibilities while contributing to the continuity of executive leadershipwithin the organization.

TheOpportunity

Reportingdirectly to theCity Manager, the Assistant City Manager is a seniorexecutive responsible for supporting enterprise-wide leadership and ensuringthat Council-approved priorities, corporate objectives, and organizationalinitiatives are executed effectively.

The AssistantCity Manager works across the organization to coordinate strategic initiatives,remove operational barriers, and ensure that departments are aligned with themunicipality’s strategic plan, corporate priorities, and service deliveryexpectations.

The role alsosupports the City Manager in maintaining strong relationships with Mayor andCouncil through coordinated briefings, committee participation, and thedelivery of high-quality information to support effective decision-making.

This positionplays a critical role in strengthening organizational leadership, operationalexecution, and strategic coordination across the municipality.

KeyResponsibilities

ExecutiveLeadership and Corporate Coordination

• Supportsenior leadership across the municipality on behalf of the City Manager,supporting the coordination and advancement of corporate priorities andinitiatives.
  
• Identifyand advance key initiatives that require cross-departmental coordination andstrategic alignment.
  
• Supportthe City Manager in providing leadership oversight, coaching, and direction toteam members as assigned.
  
• Strengthenorganizational leadership capacity through mentorship, leadership development,and succession planning initiatives.
  

StrategicPlanning and Enterprise Performance

• Supportthe development and execution of the municipality’s Strategic Plan andcorporate business planning processes.
  
• Supportenterpriseperformance management and multi-year business planning, ensuring alignmentbetween strategic priorities, departmental work plans, and measurable outcomes.
  
• Leador sponsor enterprise-wide initiatives such as service reviews, organizationaltransformation projects, and process improvement efforts.
  
• Monitorprogress of corporate initiatives and support corrective action where requiredto maintain alignment with Council priorities.
  

CouncilRelations and Governance Support

• Supportthe City Manager in maintaining effective communication with Mayor and Councilon operational and strategic matters.
  
• Providedelegated Council briefings and support Council committees or commissions asrequired.
  
• Integrateinformation from multiple departments into clear briefing materials andrecommendations to support informed Council decision-making.
  
• AttendCouncil meetings and committees as delegated to present staff reports, respondto questions, and coordinate follow-up.
  
• Coordinatecorporate responses to Council direction by assigning actions acrossdepartments and monitoring progress.
  

OperationalLeadership and Risk Management

• Throughcollaboration with senior leadership, ensure that municipal operations areimplemented in accordance with Council policies and approved budgets.
  
• Identifyemerging operational risks, strategic issues, and cross-departmental challengesand elevate appropriately.
  
• Lead/support corporate problem-solving on complex files with organization-wide impact,ensuring decisions reflect a corporate perspective.
  

OrganizationalCommunication and Alignment

• Maintaina strong internal communication environment so leaders and staff clearlyunderstand corporate priorities and organizational decisions.
  
• Fostercollaboration across departments to ensure coordinated service delivery andorganizational alignment.
  

ExecutiveLeadership Continuity

• Actfor the City Manager when delegated to ensure continuity of executiveleadership and organizational decision-making.
  

ExternalRepresentation

• Representthe municipality externally as delegated by the City Manager in meetings withother levels of government, regional partners, agencies, and communitystakeholders.
  
• Maintainstrong relationships with key stakeholders to support collaboration andalignment with municipal priorities.
  

Requirements

IdealCandidate Profile

The idealcandidate is acollaborative and strategic municipal leaderwhobrings strong political acumen, business judgment, and the ability to navigatecomplex organizational environments.

They are atrusted advisor capable of balancing competing priorities while maintaining acorporate perspective that aligns resources, risks, and strategic objectivesacross the organization.

Thesuccessful candidate will demonstrate:

• strong municipal governance knowledge
• the ability to build alignment acrossdepartments and stakeholders
• experience advising senior elected officials andexecutive leaders
• outstanding communication, briefing, andpresentation skills
• the ability to lead complex initiatives anddrive organizational change

CoreLeadership Capabilities

Business andFinancial Acumen

The successfulcandidate will demonstrate strong commercial thinking and operationaldiscipline, approaching municipal leadership with the strategic focus andfinancial accountability of a well-run organization.

Experiencesupporting executive-level decision-making related to budgeting, capitalplanning, and fiscal oversight is essential.

EconomicDevelopment and Growth Awareness

Experiencesupporting initiatives related to:

• economicgrowth
• investmentattraction
• landdevelopment

LandDevelopment and Infrastructure Awareness

• developmentprocesses
• infrastructureplanning
• growthmanagement strategies

OperationalLeadership

Thesuccessful candidate must demonstrate the ability to:

• removeorganizational barriers
• mobilizeteams to achieve results

PeopleLeadership

The rolerequires exceptional leadership capability including:

• supporting senior leaders
• buildingstrong internal relationships
• achievingresults through collaboration

Governanceand Legislative Awareness

The successfulcandidate must demonstrate a strong understanding ofBritish Columbia’smunicipal legislative and governance framework, including legislation such astheCommunity Charter, Local Government Act, and related public sectorgovernance practices.

Cultural Fit

The executiveleadership team operates within acollaborative and close-knitenvironmentthat values trust, humility, and professionalism.

Thesuccessful candidate must demonstrate:

• humility
  
• strong interpersonal awareness
  
• professionalism and respect for others
  

The idealleader is someone who builds trust easily and focuses onresults,collaboration, and long-term impact rather than personal recognition.

RequiredQualifications

• Master’sdegree preferred inPublic Administration, Business Administration, UrbanPlanning, or a related discipline
• Minimum10+years of progressively senior leadership experiencein a complexpublic-sector environment, with municipal experience strongly preferred
• Demonstratedsuccess in corporate strategy execution, cross-departmental leadership, andexecutive-level advisory roles
• Strongunderstanding ofBritish Columbia municipal governance and legislativeframeworks
• Validdriver’s license

Compensation

The anticipatedcompensation for this executive leadership role isup to approximately $208,000- $275,000 annually, along with comprehensive municipal executive benefits (depending on the band).

Aboutdestinationone Consulting

destinationoneConsulting is a North America based strategic recruitment, executive search,and HR advisory firm serving purpose-led organizations across high-impactindustries. Our sector expertise spans CleanTech, Education and EdTech, Healthand Med Tech, Healthcare and Wellness, Government (Municipal, State, andFederal), Non Profit, Sustainability and other public sector domains.