Position Overview:
Lead Essential Services. Drive Operational Excellence. Enhance Community Impact.
The City of Saint John is Canada's oldest incorporated city and one of Atlantic Canada's most historic and evolving municipalities. Nestled on the Bay of Fundy, Saint John is a vibrant urban centre with a rich heritage, strong industrial foundation, growing multicultural population, and a bold vision for the future. Guided by its mission to "Grow the City. Serve the City. Be the city of choice," the City is committed to delivering exceptional services, fostering growth and inclusion, and creating a thriving community for residents and businesses alike. The City employs more than 600 permanent staff who work together across six service areas to provide essential municipal services and support continued community growth.
As part of a newly designed executive leadership structure, the City is creating greater alignment across services and strengthening its ability to deliver high-quality, sustainable, and efficient municipal operations for the benefit of residents and businesses.
The Opportunity
The City of Saint John is seeking an accomplished operational leader to serve as its next Chief Operating Officer (COO). Reporting directly to the Chief Administrative Officer and serving as a key member of the executive leadership team, the COO will provide strategic and operational leadership for the City's core service delivery functions, including Public Works, Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Services, Transit, Parking, Traffic, Fleet, and other essential operational services. The COO will lead many of the services residents rely upon every day while helping shape the future of municipal service delivery through operational excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
This role offers an exceptional opportunity to lead large-scale operational teams and oversee critical infrastructure and services that support the City's growth, sustainability, and quality of life. Working closely with Council, the CAO, and executive colleagues, the COO will advance operational performance, strengthen service delivery frameworks, enhance workforce effectiveness, and establish meaningful measures of productivity, service levels, and community outcomes.
Essential Qualifications:
As the ideal candidate, you are an accomplished operational executive with a demonstrated track record of leading large-scale service delivery functions within complex, highly accountable, and operationally intensive environments. Whether your experience has been gained within municipal government, utilities, transportation, infrastructure, public works, logistics, industrial operations, or a similar sector, you understand what it takes to deliver critical services safely, reliably, and efficiently. Experience leading unionized workforces and navigating complex labour relationships is essential.
You have successfully led diverse teams while balancing competing priorities related to operational performance, infrastructure stewardship, workforce management, service delivery, and stakeholder expectations. You bring experience implementing modern management systems, performance frameworks, and continuous improvement initiatives that enhance accountability, efficiency, and service outcomes. Experience with operational analytics, performance management, Lean methodologies, or process improvement disciplines would be considered valuable assets.
A strategic yet practical leader, you are comfortable leading through change, building trust with employees and labour partners, and connecting long-term organizational priorities with day-to-day operational realities. You possess strong relationship-building, communication, and leadership skills, along with the judgment and political acumen necessary to succeed within a publicly accountable organization
Above all, you are motivated by the opportunity to improve the quality, reliability, and effectiveness of the municipal services that communities depend upon every day.
How to Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this exciting opportunity, please apply online at http://www.kbrs.ca/Career/17824078299270000008kmi. For more information or to ask any questions, please contact Daniella Sam at [email protected], Katherine Risley at [email protected], or Erin MacDonald at [email protected].
Diversity and Accessibility Statement
The City of Saint John is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we live and which we serve. We encourage and support applications from Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minority groups. Candidates who belong to such groups, and who are qualified, will be given preference at the time of selection.
KBRS will provide support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that considers an applicant’s accessibility needs. If you require accommodation to participate as a candidate in the recruitment process, please contact [email protected] or communicate your needs to our team.
