Are you an executive leader with experience modernizing and transforming environmental protections? Are you committed to building relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders who hold varying interests? If you answered yes and want to champion access to clean drinking water throughout the province, please read on.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) is seeking an executive leader who will provide the overall direction for the strategic planning and delivery of innovative, risk informed approaches to improve, monitor, and enforce compliance with the ministry's laws and regulations and the environmental performance of the regulated community for the protection and provision of clean and safe drinking water, air, and land in Ontario.
The Drinking Water and Environmental Compliance Division (DWECD) employs approximately 800 employees located in 5 regional and 22 district/area offices across Ontario. The division provides provincial oversight of environmental compliance and enforcement and supports all communities in Ontario through the delivery of innovative programs that protect clean air, land, and water, including safe drinking water. This role includes building relationships with Indigenous communities and working towards common goals by providing executive direction for the Canada/Ontario long term, ten-year Infrastructure Plan for First Nations' drinking water and wastewater systems.
In addition to your responsibilities as an Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM), you are expected to carry out the Chief Drinking Water Inspector role and be the executive lead for MECP's compliance activities under various ministry environmental acts and regulations.
An effective leader in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) is responsible, innovative, and collaborative. A responsible leader is someone who demonstrates authenticity, accountability, and courage in how they interact with others. An individual who models ethical behavior, and who is honest and capable of making difficult choices. An innovative leader is someone who leads with common purpose, embraces positive disruption, and has a future mindset. An individual who inspires others, values continuous learning, and encourages development and integration. A collaborative leader focuses on helping others to grow, drives people-centered outcomes and promotes an environment of inclusivity. A leader who consistently works to confront bias and systemic barriers while understanding the importance of creating a more diverse and accessible workplace.
OPS Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Anti-Racism:
The OPS is an innovative, responsive, and accountable public service that works hard to be diverse, anti-racist, inclusive, accessible, merit-based, respectful and equitable. Diversifying leadership teams is a top OPS priority with the goal to achieve parity with the Ontario labour force by 2025 for the most underrepresented groups (Indigenous, racialized and persons with disabilities) in leadership positions.
To advance this goal, the OPS is collecting socio-demographic information that will help to address potential barriers and achieve equity in hiring. You are requested to complete the
voluntary survey and contribute to building a more diverse, anti-racist, inclusive and accessible OPS.
The OPS invites all interested individuals to apply and encourages applications from Indigenous and racialized individuals and persons with disabilities.
Visit the
OPS Anti-Racism Policy and the
OPS Diversity and Inclusion Blueprint pages to learn more about the OPS commitment to advancing racial equity, accessibility, diversity and inclusion in the public service.
The OPS offers employment accommodation across the recruitment process and all aspects of employment consistent with the requirements of Ontario's
Human Rights Code. Refer to the application instructions below if you require a disability-related accommodation.
What can I expect to do in this role?
• Provide executive leadership and direction for the strategic planning, priority setting and overall direction of the Drinking Water and Environmental Compliance Division.
• Champion and provide leadership to drive the government's modern regulatory objectives through innovative risk informed and increased use of non-regulatory approaches to improve compliance and the environmental performance of the regulated community.
• Serve as the Province's Chief Drinking Water Inspector and provide advice and recommendations to the Minister on operational policies and standards in relation to drinking water systems, surface and ground water, and air and waste.
• Create and promote a multi-disciplinary teamwork environment and culture of service excellence which respects diversity, encourages all employees to work together to achieve results and contribute to a healthy, rewarding, and productive working environment where personal and team accountabilities are key.
• Provides leadership on ministry oversight of environmental compliance programs by providing the framework, tools and systems for effective management, development, and delivery of risk-informed front-line compliance activities.
• Ensure that the Divisions Information Systems are developed and implemented to support modernization of compliance and enforcement work, streamlining compliance activities, and enabling risk-based practices.
• Direct the provision of sound strategic advice and counsel to the Deputy Minister and Minister regarding key and critical policy, and standards.
• Represent the Branch/Division/Ministry on a variety of intra and inter-ministerial committees.
How do I qualify?
Leadership
• You bring exceptional executive leadership skills to provide strategic direction in the planning and delivery of a range of programs, compliance and operational activities for the protection air, waste, water (surface and groundwater), wastewater and provision of safe drinking water in Ontario, and the successful management of the division.
• You demonstrate your experience creating and promoting a multi-disciplinary teamwork environment and culture of service excellence which nurtures and respects diversity, equity, and inclusion, encouraging all employees to work together to achieve results.
• You have proven experience leading multi-functional teams of senior managers and professional staff to deliver results in a dynamic organizational environment.
Stakeholder Relationships and Political Acuity
• You have evidence of superior communication and executive briefing skills to effectively provide strategic advice to Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and other senior executives.
• You have built sensitive, trusting, and collaborative relationships with Indigenous communities to achieve successful outcomes.
• You are a sophisticated communicator with superior public relations skills to represent government and lead stakeholder, team, and public engagements.
• You possess superior relationship building skills to develop and sustain effective partnerships, other levels of government (federal, provincial, regional, municipal), the broader public sector, the business industry, and with various levels of staff and bargaining agents.
Job Knowledge and Experience
• You have significant experience leading and participating in the development of ministry planning, strategic agenda and priority setting including the development, implementation, and evaluation of ministry performance measures.
• You have demonstrated experience identifying and planning short-term priorities and long-term business, fiscal and policy development work in conjunction with divisional management and critical stakeholders.
• You have an understanding and ability to apply scientific and technical knowledge to a range of complex environmental problems and their technical solutions and the health issues to convey information to a wide range of audiences including health professionals, public, policy makers.
• You have the proven ability to understand the technical quality of evidence used for division operations, initiatives and in the role of Chief Drinking Water Inspector.