Manager, Strategic Operations and Shared Services (Community Services)

The Role

Manages strategic operations in the delivery and management of centralized business operations for the Department, ensuring organizational effectiveness in alignment with the Department’s long-term goals.
 
Manages projects, working groups, and quality assurance functions for streamlined, coordinated, and comprehensive operational business processes and administration. Acts as the Department’s liaison with corporate partners, including Facilities, Human Resources, ITS, and Information Management and Privacy.

Manages operations and service delivery of the Region’s Welcome Spaces, including integrated access to Region of Waterloo Community Services programs and development/oversight of community partnerships across multiple sites.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Supervises Welcome Space supervisors. Indirectly supervises additional staff in public-facing roles and supporting departmental operations at Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo sites. 
• Manages centralized departmental business operations related to technology, facilities, privacy and information management, new employee onboarding, and health and safety. Develops operational plans to ensure efficient use of resources, avoid duplication of activities, and ensure fit within the framework of departmental and corporate plans and priorities.
• Develops and leads strategic operational planning frameworks and business processes to support departmental directions and priorities. Recommends strategies and initiatives to reduce risks (health and safety, privacy breaches), enhance service delivery, and create operational efficiencies.
• Leads departmental projects, including ideation, project management, implementation, and evaluation for strategic operations. Collaborates with departmental program areas and corporate partners (health and safety, information and privacy, ITS, facilities).
• Chairs working groups to manage and support strategic operations across the Department. Acts as a resource and creates and maintains resources/supports for management and staff. 
• Manages the development and implementation of quality assurance processes and practices. Manages compliance with procedures, policies, directives, and legislation, including those related to social assistance programs and services (e.g., program audits, on/offboarding, access to provincial and federal databases).
• Acts as departmental liaison for corporate working groups. Provides support for data collection, interpretation, analysis, and presentation. Leads departmental rollout and implementation of corporate initiatives. 
• Manages information and privacy, breach of confidentiality, and health and safety concerns/
  incidents highlighted in reports, in collaboration with divisional management and corporate partners.
• Manages the Region of Waterloo’s Welcome Spaces. Ensures operational standards, practices, and plans are in place, including health and safety, building and emergency protocols, and service standards. Handles escalated issues. 
• Leads and facilitates the development of departmental service delivery standards and philosophy, and integration of services for clients (internal and external). 

Additional Duties/Responsibilities

• Prepares long-term strategic plans to improve compliance, support continuous quality improvement practices, and manage risk. Analyzes and monitors data and key performance indicators to inform recommendations and monitor progress.
• Represents the Department on corporate and provincial committees and work teams.
• Builds relationships with community and internal partners for service delivery and co-located services/supports at Welcome Spaces. Prepares and administers service agreements.   
• Provides input to divisional management regarding budgets for services (equipment, facilities, security). Authorizes purchase/cheque requisitions. Oversees ordering and purchase of office, technology, and technical services, ensuring accuracy and tracking of invoicing to divisional areas. 
• Backs up Director and other staff as required.
• Performs related duties as required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge and skills are normally acquired through a post-secondary degree in a related discipline, plus progressively responsible related leadership experience.
• Knowledge and skill in results management (planning, organizing, coordinating, evaluating), business administration, strategic operational planning practices, quality assurance and evaluation, including continuous quality improvement approaches and performance improvement frameworks.
• Knowledge of legislative compliance and requirements for business operations, including health and safety, privacy and freedom of information, and in relation to municipally-delivered social services (Ontario Works, childcare subsidy, housing).
• Knowledge of and ability to comply with policies, procedures, related legislation, and collective agreements. 
• Knowledge of public administration, government processes, municipal government structure (programs, services, priorities, issues), and community and client needs and interests.
• Knowledge and skill in project management principles, procedures, and practices for managing large, detailed projects and work plans that cross multiple programs, divisions, departments, and disciplines.  
• Understanding of trauma-informed principles to incorporate into design and delivery of public-facing services/programs. 
• Strategic thinking, analytical, organization, and problem-solving skills to plan and develop objectives and determine program/project goals; classify and organize work; understand and incorporate policy and legislation requirements; coordinate staff to achieve goals and objectives; and manage departmental initiatives simultaneously.
• Leadership skills to manage, train, motivate, develop, and support staff and lead multi-disciplinary teams, advance priorities, and influence/persuade others.
• Ability to establish and maintain relationships with departmental and corporate partners, community groups, and others to collaborate and work effectively to advance priorities and goals. 
• Ability to participate as an effective team member.
• Ability to prepare and present plans, reports, and policies involving complex technical, analytical, and interpretative writing. Ability to read and interpret legislation, guidelines, data, and reports to apply to programs and projects. 
• Computer skills with ability to use software such as Microsoft Office.
• Ability to participate in an official standby/on-call rotation to respond to legislated or time-sensitive demands beyond regularly scheduled work hours.
• Ability to travel within and occasionally outside Waterloo Region.
• Ability to support and demonstrate the Region’s values.