Assistant City Manager
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.
Working closely
with the City Manager and senior leadership team, the successful candidate will
help ensure alignment across departments, strengthen organizational leadership
capacity, and support the effective delivery of municipal services to a growing
and diverse community.
This role forms
part of the municipality’s long-term leadership succession planning,
offering the opportunity for the successful candidate to progressively expand
responsibilities while contributing to the continuity of executive leadership
within the organization.
The
Opportunity
Reporting
directly to the City Manager, the Assistant City Manager is a senior
executive responsible for supporting enterprise-wide leadership and ensuring
that Council-approved priorities, corporate objectives, and organizational
initiatives are executed effectively.
The Assistant
City Manager works across the organization to coordinate strategic initiatives,
remove operational barriers, and ensure that departments are aligned with the
municipality’s strategic plan, corporate priorities, and service delivery
expectations.
The role also
supports the City Manager in maintaining strong relationships with Mayor and
Council through coordinated briefings, committee participation, and the
delivery of high-quality information to support effective decision-making.
This position
plays a critical role in strengthening organizational leadership, operational
execution, and strategic coordination across the municipality.
Key
Responsibilities
Executive
Leadership and Corporate Coordination
- Support
senior leadership across the municipality on behalf of the City Manager,
supporting the coordination and advancement of corporate priorities and
initiatives.
- Identify
and advance key initiatives that require cross-departmental coordination and
strategic alignment.
- Support
the City Manager in providing leadership oversight, coaching, and direction to
team members as assigned.
- Strengthen
organizational leadership capacity through mentorship, leadership development,
and succession planning initiatives.
Strategic
Planning and Enterprise Performance
- Support
the development and execution of the municipality’s Strategic Plan and
corporate business planning processes.
- Support enterprise
performance management and multi-year business planning, ensuring alignment
between strategic priorities, departmental work plans, and measurable outcomes.
- Lead
or sponsor enterprise-wide initiatives such as service reviews, organizational
transformation projects, and process improvement efforts.
- Monitor
progress of corporate initiatives and support corrective action where required
to maintain alignment with Council priorities.
Council
Relations and Governance Support
- Support
the City Manager in maintaining effective communication with Mayor and Council
on operational and strategic matters.
- Provide
delegated Council briefings and support Council committees or commissions as
required.
- Integrate
information from multiple departments into clear briefing materials and
recommendations to support informed Council decision-making.
- Attend
Council meetings and committees as delegated to present staff reports, respond
to questions, and coordinate follow-up.
- Coordinate
corporate responses to Council direction by assigning actions across
departments and monitoring progress.
Operational
Leadership and Risk Management
- Through
collaboration with senior leadership, ensure that municipal operations are
implemented in accordance with Council policies and approved budgets.
- Identify
emerging operational risks, strategic issues, and cross-departmental challenges
and escalate appropriately.
- Lead/support corporate problem-solving on complex files with organization-wide impact,
ensuring decisions reflect a corporate perspective.
Organizational
Communication and Alignment
- Maintain
a strong internal communication environment so leaders and staff clearly
understand corporate priorities and organizational decisions.
- Foster
collaboration across departments to ensure coordinated service delivery and
organizational alignment.
Executive
Leadership Continuity
- Act
for the City Manager when delegated to ensure continuity of executive
leadership and organizational decision-making.
External
Representation
- Represent
the municipality externally as delegated by the City Manager in meetings with
other levels of government, regional partners, agencies, and community
stakeholders.
- Maintain
strong relationships with key stakeholders to support collaboration and
alignment with municipal priorities.
Requirements
Ideal
Candidate Profile
The ideal
candidate is a collaborative and strategic municipal leader who
brings strong political acumen, business judgment, and the ability to navigate
complex organizational environments.
They are a
trusted advisor capable of balancing competing priorities while maintaining a
corporate perspective that aligns resources, risks, and strategic objectives
across the organization.
The
successful candidate will demonstrate:
- strong municipal governance knowledge
- the ability to build alignment across
departments and stakeholders
- experience advising senior elected officials and
executive leaders
- outstanding communication, briefing, and
presentation skills
- the ability to lead complex initiatives and
drive organizational change
Core
Leadership Capabilities
Business and
Financial Acumen
The successful
candidate will demonstrate strong commercial thinking and operational
discipline, approaching municipal leadership with the strategic focus and
financial accountability of a well-run organization.
Experience
supporting executive-level decision-making related to budgeting, capital
planning, and fiscal oversight is essential.
Economic
Development and Growth Awareness
Experience
supporting initiatives related to:
- economic
growth
- investment
attraction
- land
development
- commercial
development initiatives
Land
Development and Infrastructure Awareness
Understanding
of:
- development
processes
- land
use planning
- infrastructure
planning
- growth
management strategies
Operational
Leadership
The
successful candidate must demonstrate the ability to:
- drive
execution across departments
- ensure
complex initiatives move forward
- remove
organizational barriers
- mobilize
teams to achieve results
People
Leadership
The role
requires exceptional leadership capability including:
- supporting senior leaders
- building
strong internal relationships
- motivating
teams across departments
- achieving
results through collaboration
Governance
and Legislative Awareness
The successful
candidate must demonstrate a strong understanding of British Columbia’s
municipal legislative and governance framework, including legislation such as
the Community Charter, Local Government Act, and related public sector
governance practices.
Cultural Fit
The executive
leadership team operates within a collaborative and close-knit
environment that values trust, humility, and professionalism.
The
successful candidate must demonstrate:
- humility
- emotional intelligence
- strong interpersonal awareness
- professionalism and respect for others
Required
Qualifications
- Master’s
degree preferred in Public Administration, Business Administration, Urban
Planning, or a related discipline
- Minimum 10+
years of progressively senior leadership experience in a complex
public-sector environment, with municipal experience strongly preferred
- Demonstrated
success in corporate strategy execution, cross-departmental leadership, and
executive-level advisory roles
- Strong
understanding of British Columbia municipal governance and legislative
frameworks
- Valid
driver’s license
Compensation
The anticipated
compensation for this executive leadership role is up to approximately $208,000
- $275,000 annually, along with comprehensive municipal executive benefits (depending on the band).
About
destinationone Consulting
destinationone
Consulting is a North America based strategic recruitment, executive search,
and HR advisory firm serving purpose-led organizations across high-impact
industries. Our sector expertise spans CleanTech, Education and EdTech, Health
and Med Tech, Healthcare and Wellness, Government (Municipal, State, and
Federal), Non Profit, Sustainability and other public sector domains.
How to Apply
If this
opportunity aligns with your skills and career goals, please apply with an
updated resume in MS Word format.
While we may
not be able to contact everyone, we will connect with candidates whose profiles
most closely match the requirements of the role.
Rest assured,
your profile will remain in our network, and we will reach out when a suitable
opportunity arises.
To learn more
about us and stay updated on opportunities, follow destinationone
Consulting on LinkedIn.