Director, Emergency Management

Duties and Responsibilities

• Legislative Compliance & Governance
  • Ensure compliance with Ontario EMCPA, Ontario Regulation 380/04, and applicable standards.
  • Develop, maintain, and annually update the Emergency Management Program and required reporting.
  • Act as liaison with regulators (e.g. Emergency Management Ontario) and monitor legislative changes to ensure alignment.

• Emergency Management Program Leadership
  • Provide strategic leadership for enterprise emergency management framework, including risk assessment, emergency response, business continuity, and recovery.
  • Establish governance structures, policies, and performance metrics and integrate emergency management into enterprise risk and operational planning.

• People Leadership & Team Management
  • Lead and develop the Emergency Management team by setting objectives, managing performance, and providing coaching and feedback.
  • Oversee workforce planning, including staffing, succession, and organizational design.
  • Manage employee relations and in accordance with company policies and collective agreements, while fostering a high-performing, collaborative culture.
  • Manage departmental budgets and identify opportunities for cost optimization while maintaining service excellence.

• Risk Assessment & Preparedness
  • Lead enterprise-wide Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) activities to identify and prioritize risks.
  • Translate risk assessments into mitigation and preparedness and response strategies.

• Emergency Planning & Incident Management
  • Develop and maintain Emergency Response Plans and Incident Command System (ICS) frameworks.
  • Lead or support senior decision--making within Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), including escalation protocols.

• Training, Exercises & Readiness
  • Deliver training programs and lead simulations to ensure organizational readiness and compliance.
  • Maintain records to support audit readiness and regulatory requirements.

• Business Continuity & Infrastructure Resilience
  • Oversee development, testing, and continuous improvement of Business Continuity Plans and recovery strategies.
  • Partner with operations and engineering to strengthen infrastructure resilience and align with industry standards (e.g. NERC).

• Partner Coordination & Crisis Support
  • Maintain relationships with municipalities, regulators, and emergency partners, and participate in joint planning and exercises.
  • Support crisis communications and executive decision-making during emergencies.

• Continuous Improvement & Assurance
  • Establish key performance indicators, audit processes and benchmarking practices.
  • Drive Continuous improvement through after-action reviewed and lessons learned.

Qualifications

• Education: Undergraduate degree in Emergency Management/Disaster Management/Public Safety/Public Administration, Business, Risk Management or related field.
• Certifications & Professional Designations required: Relevant ICS certifications may be required, including but not limited to(ICS 100, 200, 300, 400; ICS 402 for executives); CEM required (AEM considered only if progressing towards CEM).

Experience:

• 10+ years of experience in utilities, energy or other critical infrastructure sectors, specializing in emergency management or public safety,
• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience
• Demonstrated experience leading Emergency Management Programs aligned with legislative and regulatory requirements, particularly within highly regulated environments (Ontario preferred)
• Proven expertise leading incident response at an organizational or regional level.
• Direct knowledge of EMCPA, Ontario Regulation 380/04, and regulatory compliance, including audits and reporting.
• Experience working within unionized environments

Other Requirements:

• Ability to travel and be on-site as required
• Availability for:
  • 24/7 on-call rotation
  • Required to work extended hours during emergencies.