Town of Cochrane

Director, Community Growth

The Town of Cochrane is located in the breathtaking Bow Valley corridor in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in southern Alberta. With a population of over 30,000 people, and growing steadily every year, Cochrane is a thriving town, surrounded by world-famous ranch country. Our western heritage is reflected in the Town’s architecture and our friendly people. The Town of Cochrane welcomes innovative and skilled individuals to join our team of over 250 employees.
 
The Town of Cochrane is excited to recruit for the position of Director, Community Growth – overseeing 3 key departments within the municipality: Planning, Economic Development, and Safety Codes. Focusing on building systems and effective interdepartmental service delivery by an engaged team, this role is key in ensuring value for Cochrane residents. The Director, Community Growth will report to the Executive Director, Development and Infrastructure Services and will lead a management team.
 
The development of this new Director role is critical for the organization. There are opportunities to connect issues management and build systems to help managers effectively support their teams and the important day-to-day operational work being done at the Town. The Director supports and contributes to the overall corporate culture, mission, vision, and values through demonstrating corporate leadership competencies and strategic decision making.

We are looking for someone who will lead and support strategy, process, and policy development to help drive organizational outcomes within the section. You will do this by working on building systems with internal and external stakeholders and partners to proactively identify and pursue opportunities; building and maintaining senior relationships within government, industry, and stakeholders; and leading collaborative interdepartmental initiatives.
 
If you want to make a difference in our community and have at least 5 years of experience within senior leadership specializing in Planning, Economic Development or Safety Codes services, we welcome your application for the Director, Community Growth.

Why should you consider working for us?

Our employees enjoy many benefits including competitive public sector pay, comprehensive health and dental benefits package, professional learning and development opportunities and the opportunity to work with other talented municipal professionals.
 
As an organization, the Town of Cochrane has a focus on investing in people. This is not a boring municipality. We are growing into an organization with a focus on transparency, critical thinking, curiosity, reflection and innovation. We support experimentation as part of the growth process and strive for continuous improvement. We are municipal employees, and we are accountable to all the residents of the Town of Cochrane. Want to be a part of this exciting time?

As the Director, Community Growth, you will:

• Ensure the development of service levels and projects are carried out on a priority basis with concern for Council and community priorities, budget expenditures, community growth pressures, operational requirements, human resources and determined timelines in alignment with the Municipal Strategic Plan.
• Translate Council objectives into respective department goals by ensuring clear understanding and communication and ensures that divisional objectives are being met.
• Be responsible for the delivery of municipal service levels, direction, and administration of the Planning, Economic Development and Safety Codes Departments.
• Oversee the departmental operating and capital budget development while ensuring effective financial, business planning and spending practices.
• Ensure policies and legislative requirements of the municipality are implemented and aligned with Administrative and Council priorities according to the Municipal Government Act (MGA) and related applicable legislation.
• Guide and ensure collaborative consultation with the public regarding current and future planning, economic development, safety and environmental matters; working effectively with all stakeholders to resolve any issues.
• Identify opportunities for improvement, directs and implements changes to divisional systems and processes within departments and across the organization.

We are looking for someone who identifies and can demonstrate and compliment our leadership competencies of:

• People Matter
• Inspire a Shared Vision
• Always Learning, Always Growing
• We Are Who We Decide to Be
• Lead Yourself, Influence Others

 
The ideal candidate will have proven career progression within a Planning, Economic Development and Safety Codes context. We value self-driven professional development and will be looking for a candidate who has advanced their education and leveraged their experience to ensure technical and human- centered excellence. For this position, Planning, Economic Development or Business Development post- secondary degree would be advantageous. We are excited to learn about what you can bring to the table in terms of your qualifications and passion for Development and Infrastructure Services in Cochrane!
 
We are committed to providing a healthy and safe work environment for all our employees. You will take reasonable care to protect your health and safety and that of others present at worksites, perform work safely, follow all relevant health and safety legislation, directives and procedures and attend all identified orientations and training.

Still interested? Here’s how to apply:

• Qualified individuals are encouraged to submit your resume, and a letter stating how your experience match the required qualifications, skills and abilities for this position
• All qualified candidates will be requested to complete an online suitability survey
• Applications for this position will be accepted until 9pm MST April 18, 2023 at www.cochrane.ca/jobs

 
We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted. All applicants must be legally entitled to live and work in Canada.
 
Land Acknowledgement
In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.