Manager, Ontario Travel Information Centres (Central)

Acting as a tourism gateway and a one-stop travel information source, the Ontario Travel Information Centres Branch within the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation enhances tourism and contributes to provincial economic prosperity, through the provision of impactful front-line tourism, information and product promotion services to more than 1,000,000 visitors annually.

We are seeking an enthusiast leader to manage the planning and delivery of tourism information, marketing and promotion, special events and sales services delivered in geographically separated Travel Information Centres in the central region of Ontario and the provincial ONroute Centre kiosks.

If this role fits what you are seeking as candidate, consider applying to this Manager, Ontario Travel Information Centres position.

What can I expect to do in this role?

Under the direction of the Director, in this role you will:

1. Manage the operation of Ontario's Travel Information Centres in Barrie and Toronto and oversee the provincial ONroute Centre kiosk program. While providing advice to the Director on tourism priorities, programs and services at the community and regional level.

2. Monitor the achievement of regional goals, objectives, customer satisfaction, program quality and service delivery trends and makes recommendations to the Director for improvements.

3. Establish relationships with key stakeholders, municipalities, tourist associations, vendors and local business/tour operators to explore and collaborate on partnership opportunities to generate revenue to offset program delivery, to enhance service delivery, and to assist partners in promoting regional tourism products (e.g. tickets, reservations, attraction passes, etc.).

4. Implement best practices that will ensure the ongoing provision of high quality and effective services to the public, industry and media partners.

5. Manage the merchandising program and ticketing/attraction sales and reservation services.

6. Act as the primary regional contact with building maintenance and technical service providers.

7. Manage and provides leadership to Centre staff, including: monitoring progress of work; developing work plans, priorities and schedules; hiring staff, determining staff work responsibilities and assignments, providing orientation, coaching, mentoring and training; setting performance standards, evaluating performance, and conducting performance reviews; handling disciplinary and staff relations issues including Stage 1 grievances.

8. Manage, allocate and monitor budgets and assets within the designated centres.

9. Manages the development of training curriculum for all centres and initiates the yearly regional summer student recruitment process and training program. Identifies and initiates potential training opportunities for staff to obtain product knowledge of the tourism industry.

10. As a member of the management team, provides input into annual operational plans and budgets and ensures implementation of approved business and operational plans in centres across the province.

11. Lead the planning and implementation of special events and projects such as the annual conference and Tourism Week celebrations.

12. Lead/participate on a variety of projects, as assigned, with other ministries, cabinet office and stakeholder partners.

13. Act for the Director during absences.

How do I qualify?

Tourism and Industry Knowledge:

• You have the ability to manage the delivery of tourism information services through designated Travel Information Centres and ONroute Centre kiosks.
• You have to ability to manage operations and ensure services and programs align with OTMPC's objectives.
• You have knowledge of Ontario's tourism industry, industry priorities, and political/social issues which impact the delivery of tourism information services in order to develop program plans, and ensure services delivered across centres/kiosks are accurate and relevant.
• You have the ability to develop long term strategic plans for the centres and to participate, as part of the management team, to develop work plans and operational priorities.

Leadership and Relationship Management Skills:

• You possess political acuity to identify impacts of potential partnerships, influence decisions and achieve the OTMPC's goals and objectives.
• The ability to build and maintain partnerships with municipalities, tourist associations, vendors and local business/tour operators to generate revenue required to support programs delivered by OTMPC
• You are able to maintain principles, policies, directives and guidelines that govern the allocation and management of financial, human and physical resources.
• You have the ability to provide ongoing leadership, advice, guidance and information to community partners; build relationships; resolve regional tourism issues; participate in regional seminars and public relations activities.

Change Management and Communication Skills:

• The have the ability to identify issues, diagnose problems, making sound inferences from available information and recommend viable solutions; monitor customer satisfaction, program quality, delivery trends/tools/technology, and the achievement of regional goals and objectives in order to recommend improvements in service delivery models.
• The have the ability to develop long-term Centre strategies or align programs and services with the vision and longer term directions of the OTMPC.
• You have customer service concepts to ensure that the activities and behaviours of Centre staff are focused on client' interests and client value.
• You have the ability to formulate reports, prepare correspondence, broadcast scripts, briefing notes and submissions.
• You have the ability to develop and execute large and small scale events using project management tools and techniques.

All external applicants (including former employees of the Ontario Public Service) applying to a competition in a ministry or Commission public body must disclose (either in the cover letter or resume) previous employment with the Ontario Public Service. Disclosure must include positions held, dates of employment and any active restrictions as applicable from being rehired by the Ontario Public Service. Active restrictions can include time and/or ministry-specific restrictions currently in force, and may preclude a former employee from being offered a position with the Ontario Public Service for a specific time period (e.g. one year), or from being offered a position with a specific ministry (either for a pre-determined time period or indefinitely). The circumstances around an employee's exit will be considered prior to an offer of employment.

Remember: The deadline to apply is Wednesday, May 3, 2017 11:59 pm EDT. Late applications will not be accepted.

We thank you for your interest. Only those selected for further screening or an interview will be contacted.