Overview
Community Services touches the lives of thousands of residents every day through sport, recreation, neighbourhood development, community engagement, and city-building initiatives. As a Service Improvement Specialist, you'll have the unique opportunity to help shape how these services evolve, improve, and respond to changing community needs.
We're looking for a strategic thinker and self-starter who thrives in ambiguity, enjoys solving complex organizational challenges, and can turn ideas into action. You'll work on high-profile and confidential projects that cross departments, bring together diverse perspectives, and help leaders make informed decisions that improve services for residents.
You will be trusted to identify opportunities, navigate competing priorities, bring the right people together, and transform complex information into clear recommendations that drive meaningful change.
Reporting to the Manager, Service Coordination & Improvement, you will lead strategic initiatives, service reviews, organizational assessments, and continuous improvement projects that support Community Services and corporate priorities.
The decisions and recommendations developed in this role will influence how Community Services operates today and how it grows in the future. Whether leading a service review, facilitating a strategic planning process, improving customer experience, or helping shape major organizational initiatives, you'll play a direct role in improving services for residents and supporting the City’s priorities.
Responsibilities
Lead Meaningful Change
- Lead complex projects from concept through implementation, often involving multiple divisions, stakeholders, and competing interests.
- Identify opportunities to improve how services are planned, delivered, and evaluated.
- Conduct service reviews, organizational assessments, business process improvements, and strategic initiatives that create measurable outcomes for residents and staff.
- Translate broad organizational goals into practical actions, recommendations, and implementation plans.
Bring Clarity to Complexity
- Analyze complex issues, competing viewpoints, data, and operational challenges and synthesize them into clear, actionable recommendations.
- Prepare high-quality reports, briefing notes, presentations, and Council reports that support informed decision-making.
- Develop business cases, research findings, and strategic recommendations for senior leadership and Council.
Facilitate Collaboration and Build Consensus
- Bring together the right people at the right time to move projects forward.
- Facilitate discussions with staff, leaders, consultants, community organizations, and residents to gather insight and build alignment.
- Navigate differing perspectives, competing priorities, and organizational sensitivities with professionalism and diplomacy.
- Lead engagement processes that encourage meaningful participation and constructive dialogue.
Drive Continuous Improvement
- Apply Lean and continuous improvement principles to improve service delivery, customer experience, and operational effectiveness.
- Challenge existing processes while building support for change.
- Support organizational planning, service excellence, and strategic priority initiatives across Community Services.
Manage Complex Projects
- Develop and manage project plans, timelines, budgets, governance structures, risk mitigation strategies, and reporting processes.
- Coordinate the work of project teams, consultants, and contractors to ensure initiatives remain on track and deliver results.
- Monitor progress, manage issues proactively, and adjust plans as priorities evolve.
Education
- 3-year degree/diploma in Business Administration, Political Science, Public Administration, Communications, or a related discipline.
Experience
- Minimum 4 years of progressively responsible experience leading complex projects, organizational initiatives, service reviews, or strategic planning work.
- Experience leading cross-functional teams and engaging diverse stakeholder groups.
Additional Requirements
- Lean Yellow Belt certification preferred; experience applying Lean methodologies and continuous improvement principles to improve service delivery and operational efficiency is an asset.
- Experience leading service reviews, business process improvements, organizational reviews, needs assessments, or strategic planning initiatives is considered an asset.
- Reliable with a good attitude and employment record.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Demonstrated ability to independently manage projects in environments where priorities and requirements may evolve.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to transform complex information into clear and actionable recommendations.
- Exceptional written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills.
- Experience preparing reports and recommendations for senior leaders, boards, committees, or elected officials.
What Success Looks Like
The ideal candidate is someone who:
- Doesn't need a detailed roadmap before getting started.
- Can take a loosely defined problem and create a clear path forward.
- Quickly earns trust and credibility with staff at all levels of the organization.
- Knows how to ask the right questions and uncover the real issue behind the symptoms.
- Can facilitate a room full of competing opinions and help participants reach consensus.
- Writes exceptionally well and can distill complex issues into concise, compelling recommendations.
- Is comfortable presenting to senior leadership and City Council.
- Thrives on variety and enjoys working on projects that are constantly evolving.