General Manager, Economic Development And Tourism

About Our Organization

When you join the City of Guelph, you join a team of 2,000 full and part-time employees who deliver services the community relies on every day. Together, Guelph’s employees bring to life a vision of an inclusive, connected, and prosperous city where employees and citizens look after each other and their environment. As a regional top employer, the City of Guelph values its employees and offers competitive salaries, excellent benefit packages, opportunities for professional development, a healthy work-life balance, and many roles with flexible work options. Guelph’s corporate values are integrity, service, inclusion, wellness, and learning. Guelph is consistently ranked as one of the best places in Canada to live, work, and play—all good reasons to consider a career in this beautiful city.

Job Summary

Reporting to the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (DCAO) Infrastructure, Development and Enterprise (IDE) Services, the General Manager, Economic Development and Tourism oversees the day-to-day operations of the Economic Development and Tourism divisions including the Guelph Junction Railway. The General Manager is responsible for planning, directing, and implementing activities that serve to support the City’s economic development vision, mission, and strategic economic goals in areas related to small business, urban investment, downtown community development, and business development. Additionally, it is expected that the General Manager will work collaboratively with staff in the Culture division to champion the arts and culture sector, as well as special events. The General Manager will establish and maintain strategic, high-level relationships with key partners among local, regional, and international business clients and partners. Guided by the goals and objectives of the City of Guelph Corporate Strategic Plan and committed to the Corporate Values of integrity, service, inclusion, wellness and learning, the General Manager will aid in the achievement of the Community Vision for an inclusive, connected, prosperous city.

Primary Responsibilities

Leadership:

• Recruit, train, and lead staff, establish and monitor performance and development plans, and provide coaching and discipline as required.
• Develop goals and objectives for the area and set action plans to achieve them. Align goals and objectives with the City’s Strategic Plan and the Economic Development & Tourism Strategy as approved by Council.
• Grow relationships with the community and users.

Department And Financial Management

• Develop and monitor capital and operating budgets, track actual performance against budgets, provide financial forecasts, report on variances and mitigating strategies.
• Recommend and prepare staff reports and presentations for Council and executive teams, as required. Represent the department at Council as required.
• Manage and develop business plans that ensure the sustainability and growth of the Guelph Junction Railway.
• Ensure compliance with collective agreements, City policies, Council resolutions/by-laws and other applicable federal and provincial legislation. Support all legislated inspection and safety programs.

Relationships And Networking

• Liaise with local, provincial, and federal government economic development programs to realize economic development benefits for the city.
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with local, regional, provincial, national, and international investment networks and stakeholders.
• Connect clients to local, provincial, and federal economic development programs and opportunities.
• Develop working knowledge and intelligence for key industry clusters and leverage relationships with key partners at local, regional, provincial, and federal levels.
• Conduct outreach calls and/or visits to maintain ongoing relationships with prospect generators and other business influencers.
• Be the point of contact for potential investors interested in coming to Guelph, providing advice to businesses in navigating City processes to promote development.

Qualifications

• Ability to deliver results on strategic objectives through effective planning, team management and problem-solving.
• Considerable experience in destination marketing and promotion. Experience in multiple mediums and digital platforms.
• Extensive experience related to the duties listed above, normally acquired through a degree in business, commerce, urban planning, marketing, economic development, tourism, or a related field.
• Experience in economic development including one or more of the following areas: planning, real estate and land development, business development, sales, and marketing. Candidates with an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Leadership skills acquired through previous experience leading and motivating staff.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to communicate with all levels of staff, stakeholders, Council and the public.
• Must possess a valid Class “G” driver’s licence with a good driving record. Successful candidates will be required to provide a current driver’s abstract before their start date to confirm their license is held in good standing and that it has not been suspended or revoked under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) or Criminal Code of Canada in the last five (5) years. The City of Guelph will take into consideration the number of demerit points and/or nature of the infractions to determine if it meets our requirements.
• Ability to initiate, develop, influence, and maintain collaborative relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders both internally and across a variety of industries and sectors.
• Experience fostering relationships and partnerships with businesses, a variety of local and regional agencies, City departments and community organizations.
• Professional membership in one or more of the following: Canadian Institute of Planners, Ontario Professional Planning Institute (or equivalent), Economic Developers Association of Canada, Economic Developers Council of Ontario.
• Must be able to travel periodically both within Canada and abroad.

Diversity and accommodation

The City of Guelph is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity in the workplace. We are happy to accommodate any individual needs in keeping with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. If you require accommodation to participate in the hiring process, please contact us to make your needs known in advance. Personal information collected through the recruitment process will be used solely to determine employment eligibility.

How To Apply

To express interest in this exciting opportunity, email your cover letter and resume to:

Patrick Rowan, Partner, Feldman Daxon Partners

45 St. Clair Avenue West, Suite 700, Toronto, ON M4V 1K9

Tel: 416-515-7600 x254 | Email: [email protected]

About Feldman Daxon Partners

Feldman Daxon Partners is Canada’s longest-standing national provider of executive search, career transition, and coaching/leadership development services. For over 30 years, we have been at the forefront of innovation in human resources consulting by integrating these three services. Our Executive Search practice has been locating top talent for senior executive and managerial positions on a retainer-fee basis since our firm was founded in 1991. Our unwavering set of core values and dedication to client service has allowed us to build and maintain relationships with hundreds of clients in every market sector, and across Canada. Regular communication, high-quality candidate shortlists, industry knowledge, judgment, and expediency in our retainer search services are all reasons Canada’s leading companies choose to partner with the professionals at Feldman Daxon.