Director of Operations

Director of Operations

Town of Gibbons, Alberta

Permanent, Full-Time | Executive Management

The Town of Gibbons is seeking a highly capable and experienced Director of Operations to join its Executive Team and provide strategic leadership across a broad municipal portfolio.

Reporting directly to the Chief Administrative Officer, the Director of Operations will oversee and integrate Planning & Economic Development, Public Works and Infrastructure, Utilities, Recreation & Parks, Protective Services coordination, major capital initiatives and asset management .

This is a senior executive leadership position with significant responsibility for translating Council’s strategic priorities into measurable results, strengthening municipal operations, supporting responsible growth and development, and ensuring infrastructure and capital decisions are technically sound and financially sustainable.

The successful candidate will be a strategic and decisive leader with strong municipal, infrastructure, development and organizational experience. They will bring exceptional judgment, financial and technical acumen, strong communication skills, and demonstrated experience leading managers, major projects and complex municipal initiatives.

A relevant university degree or substantial post-secondary education is strongly preferred, together with approximately eight to ten years of progressively responsible municipal, public-sector or closely related leadership experience . Engineering, planning, project-management, municipal leadership or related professional designations will be considered significant assets. For an accomplished municipal leader looking for an opportunity to help shape the future of a growing community, the Town of Gibbons offers an exceptional executive leadership opportunity.

Reports To
Chief Administrative Officer

Classification
Executive Management

Leadership Group
Executive Team

Employment Status
Permanent, Full-Time

Position Summary
Reporting directly to the Chief Administrative Officer and serving as a key member of the Executive Team, the Director of Operations is a senior municipal executive responsible for integrating the Town’s physical, technical and growth-related functions. The Director provides strategic and organizational leadership across Planning & Economic Development, Public Works and Infrastructure, Utilities, Recreation & Parks and Protective Services coordination. This is not a departmental management position; it is a high-level executive role that connects development, infrastructure capacity, asset management, capital planning, service delivery and long-term growth into a coordinated municipal strategy.

Executive Portfolio

• Planning & Economic Development, including planning and development administration
• Public Works and Infrastructure
• Utilities
• Recreation & Parks
• Protective Services oversight and coordination, including Fire Services, RCMP and Bylaw / Enforcement liaison
• Major capital, asset-management and cross-functional operational initiatives
• Other functions assigned by the CAO

Key Accountabilities

• Serve as a senior advisor to the CAO and active member of the Executive Team, contributing to enterprise-wide strategy and major corporate decisions.
• Lead, coach and hold accountable the managers and professional staff within the Operations portfolio, building a capable and increasingly independent leadership team.
• Integrate planning and development decisions with infrastructure capacity, utilities, transportation, asset condition, capital priorities and the Town’s long-term financial capacity.
• Translate Council strategic priorities into departmental objectives, service levels, budgets, multi-year work plans, capital programs and measurable outcomes.
• Provide executive leadership on development agreements, servicing requirements, growth-cost analysis, infrastructure obligations and other complex development matters.
• Provide executive oversight of operating and capital budgets, asset management, lifecycle planning, procurement and major contracts, ensuring resources are aligned with Council priorities.
• Attend Council and Committee meetings, research complex issues, prepare Requests for Decision and business cases, and present clear, evidence-based recommendations.
• Provide strategic oversight across Planning & Economic Development, Public Works and Infrastructure, Utilities, Recreation & Parks and Protective Services coordination.
• Lead major projects, organizational improvement and cross-departmental initiatives requiring coordination among development, infrastructure, finance, consultants, developers and external agencies.
• Establish and evaluate service levels, performance measures and delivery models, and exercise sound judgment during emergencies, politically sensitive issues and other high-pressure situations.
• Maintain strong relationships with Council, staff, regional partners, provincial agencies, developers, engineering and planning consultants, RCMP, Fire Services, contractors, residents and businesses.
• Serve as Acting CAO when assigned.

Candidate Profile
The successful candidate will be an accomplished senior municipal or public-sector leader who combines executive judgment with strong technical and strategic capability. The individual must understand how planning, development, infrastructure, utilities, capital investment and service delivery interact, and be able to translate complex technical information into clear executive advice for the CAO and Council.

• Exceptional leadership of managers, including coaching, delegation, performance management and accountability.
• Strong political acumen and a clear understanding of the Council-Administration relationship.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate land-use planning, development servicing, infrastructure capacity, asset management and capital decision-making.
• Strong financial acumen, including operating and capital budgeting, variance analysis, lifecycle costing, service-level costing and long-term planning.
• Excellent research, analytical, report-writing and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex technical matters clearly.
• Strong organizational awareness and the ability to make decisions from a municipality-wide rather than departmental perspective.
• Exceptional relationship-building, negotiation, discretion and professional judgment.
• Ability to lead through change, manage competing priorities and make timely, defensible decisions under significant pressure.

Qualifications

• A university degree or substantial post-secondary education in Civil Engineering, Engineering Technology, Urban or Regional Planning, Public Administration, Business Administration, Municipal Infrastructure or a closely related discipline is strongly preferred.
• An engineering, engineering-technology, planning, project-management or senior municipal designation is considered a significant asset.
• Eight to ten years of progressively responsible municipal, public-sector or closely related leadership experience, including significant senior-management or executive-level responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience leading multiple departments, managers or diverse technical and operational functions.
• Strong experience in municipal infrastructure, utilities, capital planning, asset management, development servicing, budgeting, service-level analysis and organizational change.
• Experience with development agreements, subdivision or development review, growth-related infrastructure obligations and the relationship between development and municipal servicing capacity is strongly preferred.
• Experience preparing and presenting complex reports and recommendations to elected officials, boards or governing bodies.
• Experience working directly with a CAO, senior executive or governing body, together with formal executive-leadership development, is strongly preferred.

What Success Looks Like

• Planning, development, infrastructure and capital decisions are integrated and supported by clear technical and financial analysis.
• Council’s strategic priorities are translated into coordinated, measurable operational and growth-related results.
• Development agreements, servicing decisions and growth initiatives reflect infrastructure capacity, lifecycle costs and the Town’s long-term interests.
• Reliable, sustainable and financially responsible Public Works, Utility, Recreation & Parks and protective-service coordination.
• Credible operating and capital budgets, disciplined asset management, clear service levels and strong performance reporting.
• A capable, accountable management team and strong cross-departmental coordination.
• High-quality Council advice, timely executive decision-making and successful delivery of major strategic and capital initiatives.

Think strategically. Lead decisively. Communicate

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