Director, Health and Safety

Duties:
Provides senior leadership to the Health and Safety Department by directing the work of professional staff in all matters related to corporate Health and Safety, in alignment with the Human Resource Division goals, guiding principles and management commitments.

Establish and drive Health and Safety Department strategic priorities and outcomes consistent with Division and Corporate objectives and Business Plans. Works closely with members of the Executive Leadership Team and Department Leadership to further the City’s vision and support implementation of the goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan across all City departments.

Strategically plans for the department’s future workforce needs and, inspires, coaches and mentors employees in their career development. Recognizes and acknowledges positive, competent and committed team members and creates a positive and productive team through ongoing feedback, coaching and development processes.

Ensures compliance with legislation, regulations, standards, guidelines, Civic Bylaws, policies, procedures and collective agreements as appropriate. Leads a culture of Safety that promotes the health and safety of employees and the general public in accordance with applicable legislation and the City of Saskatoon’s policies and procedures.

Builds strong relationships with senior leadership, stakeholders and leads the Safety team in effectively delivering integrated Safety solutions. Utilizes influence with senior leadership to move strategic Health and Safety programs and initiatives forward.

Promotes departmental employee engagement through active listening, recognition and action planning, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and employee involvement.

Maintains awareness of changing organizational priorities and proactively shift strategic focus and activities. Creates, implements and leads change management strategies and plans that promote employee adoption of the changes, increase employee buy-in and minimize change resistance.

Implements and oversees a structured environment founded in documented and approved process and procedures. Major objectives /activities of the Department include:

Establish strategic direction of Health and Safety across the Corporation, in line with City strategic plan

Develop and implement Health and Safety best practice programs and initiatives

Provide senior level Health and Safety leadership within the Corporation

Provide advice and guidance for system design, functioning trends, strategy and operational

Develops and implements short and long-term plans, business strategies and objectives for the Department, including the development and implementation of key changes in policies, plans, procedures and structure. Facilitates cooperation between various work units to meet strategic and operational goals and ensure inclusion of health and safety solutions.

Designs, develops and directs proactive and innovative strategies, business processes, policy options and negotiation tactics to support the advancement of the Department objectives and strategic plans. Establishes, promotes and administers best practices including the development of analytical tools, reporting, and category management.

Prepares written and oral reports for City Council, Committees of Council, Senior Management and the public. Represents the policy position and is the Health and Safety spokesperson of the Division, Department and Corporation with City Council, the public, media, external partners and clients.

Prepares and controls the annual Department Operating and Capital Budget and Business Plan, manages expenditures, and ensures they are aligned with the City of Saskatoon Strategic Plan.

Confers with applicable and relevant authorities of other government and private agencies, serves on various boards and committees, and maintains public involvement with community groups and stakeholders.

Acts as a standing member of the Command Staff of the Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC) or Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in the role of Safety Officer.

Acts the spokesperson for the City of Saskatoon with media, the public, regulators and government agencies with relation to matters of employee Heath and Safety

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:
Degree in Engineering, Safety or related discipline.

Ten years’ progressively responsible related experience in the field of occupational health and safety building or leading safety programs and strategies within a large-scale unionized industry or municipal government organization, including a five years senior leadership experience

Possession of an appropriate professional designation such as registration as a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP)

Supplementary education/ training Incident Command Systems considered an asset

Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered

Thorough knowledge of provincial legislation related to occupational health and safety, worker’s compensation and human rights.

Demonstrated ability in the design, delivery, implementation and sustainment of safety strategies, programs and tools (health and safety management system, leadership development, learning, safety culture, engagement)

Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, including the ability to prepare and present presentations of a specialized nature.

Thorough knowledge of generally accepted accounting, budgeting and financial procedures.

Ability to lead and model the organizational values (people matter, integrity, respect, trust, safety and courage) and culture by demonstrating behaviours of accountability, transparency, high performance, innovation and collaboration

Demonstrated ability to plan, direct, coordinate, monitor and evaluate the work of professional and technical staff, including mentoring, coaching and developing staff to build a high-performance team.

Demonstrated ability to provide leadership and consultation through problem-solving, consensus, stakeholder involvement and dialogue.

Demonstrated skill in written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation with the ability to effectively communicate and facilitate conversations with exceptional negotiation and consensus –building skill for all levels of internal and external parties.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with civic staff, civic officials, representatives of other agencies and the public.

Ability to exercise sound judgement to make decisions in complex and confidential situations.

Demonstrated ability to build strong, trust-based partnerships with senior leaders across multiple areas. Recognized within the organization as a trusted advisor able to help solve complex problems with practical solutions.

Demonstrated ability in issues management and process improvement, combined with the ability to influence and engage with varying layers of management and employees.

Core Competencies:
Accountability – Takes personal ownership and responsibility for the quality and timeliness of work commitments and departmental commitments to achieve results. Follows City of Saskatoon guidelines, standards, regulations and principles. Demonstrates reliability and integrity on a daily basis.

Adaptability – Adapts and responds to new and changing conditions, priorities, technologies and requirements. Embraces change while developing innovative and creative solutions to emerging issues and opportunities. Applies versatility, reasoning and innovativeness in the face of change.

Collaboration – Demonstrates flexibility in new and changing situations. Works cooperatively and effectively with others to reach a common goal. Gets others excited about and committed to furthering the corporation’s objectives. Participates actively in group activities and fosters a collaborative work environment.

Embraces Diversity – Is sensitive to cultural and other differences in others and responds accordingly.

Effective Communication – Expresses and transmits information with consistency and clarity to a variety of audiences (citizens, colleagues, management). Is an active listener and engages the audience to ensure the message is delivered and understood. Creates a positive first impression with confidence and respect.

Service Orientation – Gives superior service to internal and external customers (citizens, City Councillors, stakeholders, management and colleagues), with a focus on meeting citizen’s needs. Builds value in the work conducted and in results achieved.

Leadership Competencies:
Engagement – Mobilizing employees, citizens, and partners. Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, empower and mobilize individuals and groups to work toward a shared purpose in the best interests of the organization and the City of Saskatoon. Builds and maintains high level of credibility with staff, partners and/or citizens.

Pragmatic Decision Maker – Recognizes priorities and changing approaches. Shows common sense and intuitive judgment abilities to analyze and synthesize a wide array of subjective and objective information to recommend appropriate short term and long-term direction and goals for their department or division.

Turning Strategy into Action – Analyzes and interprets the strategic organizational direction, has a firm understanding of the vision, mission, values and objectives of the workplace, applies these to develop responsibilities, tasks, goals and implement initiatives that align with long term plans and growth. Reflects on past experience, organizational practices and processes in order to determine the correct course of action.

Team Building – Understands and applies concepts and techniques to build and support effective work teams. Sets the tone and standards for team behaviours.

Political Acumen – Politically astute and sensitive to City Council’s issues. Maintains and develops relationships inside and outside of the organization to ensure best practices and enhance general knowledge.

Innovation Management – Has good judgment about which creative ideas and suggestions will work and how to operationalize them. Is deliberate in encouraging the creative process in others.

Salary:
$124,916.16 to $146,775.84 (2019 rates)