Manager, Forestry Maintenance & Operations

Reporting to the Manager of Forestry, you’ll oversee the care and maintenance of trees, and Forestry assets across streets, parks, and City-owned properties. You’ll lead both in-house crews and contractors to deliver top-quality arboricultural and boulevard vegetation management services-balancing proactive and reactive maintenance, emergency response and preparedness, and long-term sustainability. From managing contracts and ensuring quality control to driving innovation and continuous improvement, your work will directly enhance the beauty, safety, and environmental health of our community.

• Directing and leading the planning and delivery of arboricultural and boulevard vegetation management services by the unit in a safe, efficient, and effective manner.
• Overseeing planning, coordination, scheduling and supervision of contractors, personnel, equipment, supplies, and materials to ensure the most efficient and effective use.
• Setting strategic direction, priorities, targets and objectives for the unit, including milestones, timelines, and performance measures, consistent with corporate goals.
• Overseeing the planning, development, tendering, and administration of contracts.
• Overseeing Forestry's emergency response and preparedness for extreme weather events and critical incidents affecting forestry assets.
• Acting as Incident Commander and leading incident response teams.
• Managing, motivating, mentoring, and training assigned staff, including recruitment and hiring, scheduling, assigning, and reviewing of work.
• Authorizing and coordinating standby, overtime, and leave requests.
• Determining staff training and development needs, along with monitoring and evaluating staff performance.
• Providing coaching, performance management, and taking disciplinary action when necessary.
• Developing, recommending and administering the annual operating and capital budget for the unit.
• Ensuring that the unit's expenditures are controlled and maintained within approved budget.
• Developing and implementing strategic plans, policies, procedures, service standards, service level agreements, and strategic initiatives.
• Evaluating operational effectiveness and efficiency, monitors performance, and foster a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Ensuring the timely delivery of quality customer service and resolutions to service requests, complaints, and inquiries from the public, elected officials, or other City staff.
• Developing, preparing, and submitting correspondence, reports, briefing notes, memoranda, and presentations for leadership and Council.
• Cultivating effective working relationships with internal and external partners, including members of Council, staff, other departments, divisions, and sections, and the public.
• Representing the Division at public meetings, committees of Council, inter-divisional, and inter-departmental meetings.
• Directing, participating and/or contributing to working groups, committees, task forces, and project teams.
• Developing and fostering a strong culture of health and safety, ensuring compliance with all applicable legislation and policies (i.e. Occupational Health and Safety Act).
• Ensuring quality of work and services meets legislated, corporate, departmental, divisional, and section standards.

• Post-secondary degree/diploma (Master's Degree would be an asset) in urban forestry, arboriculture, environmental science or related discipline.
• 5-7 years experience in urban forestry and arboricultural operations in a municipal setting, including a minimum of 5 years of supervisory experience
• Certification as a Certified Arborist and Tree Risk Assessment Qualification with the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). (ISA Certified Arborist Municipal Specialist or ISA Board Certified Master Arborist would be an asset.)
• Must hold a valid Ontario Class G Driver’s License or higher with an acceptable driving record.
• Must be willing to obtain a recent driver's abstract at your own expense
• Participation in the Forestry on-call program, including working overtime and providing coverage for statutory holidays as required in accordance with operational requirements