Chief Administrative Officer/Secretary-Treasurer

The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) is one of Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities committed to conserving, restoring, and managing the natural resources of the Niagara Peninsula watershed spanning the Regional Municipality of Niagara, City of Hamilton and Haldimand County. As an environmental leader, NPCA collaborates with municipal governments, businesses, community groups, and landowners to deliver programs that protect and enhance our natural environment, safeguard communities and infrastructure from natural hazards, and ensuring a sustainable and healthy watershed for present and future generations.

Chief Administrative Officer/Secretary-Treasurer

The NPCA is seeking an experienced and visionary Chief Administrative Officer/Secretary-Treasurer (CAO) to lead their organization. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CAO will provide strategic direction, operational leadership, and financial oversight to ensure the continued achievement of NPCA’s mission and strategic goals. This role requires a dynamic leader who can inspire a high performing, multi-disciplinary team, foster collaboration, and build strong relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

• Board Advisor:  Serve as the principal advisor to the Board of Directors, facilitating effective communication between the Board and staff.
• Organizational Guardian: Maintain public trust and accountability with full transparency. Mentor, support and empower staff to create a thriving workforce. Support NPCA’s strong volunteer base.
• Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement strategies & plans in alignment with NPCA’s mission, providing visionary leadership to staff and stakeholders, ensuring the effective and timely delivery of conservation programs and services.
• Operational Management: Oversee the day-to-day operations & administration of NPCA, ensuring operational excellence, internal and external communication, change management, and compliance with regulatory requirements. Lead annual reporting on Key Performance Measures (KPI’s) and other regulatory requirements.
• Financial Stewardship: Provide leadership and oversight to organizational budgets and municipal levy, long term business planning, and fiscal management. Ensure the organization’s financial health and sustainability through sound financial practices, funding diversification, and reporting. Provide support to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Foundation as a charity of choice for environmental giving
• Government & Stakeholder Relations: Build and maintain strong relationships with government agencies & political leadership, academic institutions, community partners, and stakeholders. Provide exceptional client service Represent NPCA at public events and forums.
• Risk Management: Identify and mitigate organizational risks. Provide sound oversight to NPCA’s regulatory, hazard management and land operation programs as well sound asset management and state-of-good-repair financing for a long stream capital improvement. Develop and Implement policies and procedures to ensure compliance and operational continuity.

The ideal candidate comes with demonstrated leadership experience in the public or broader public sector, ideally within conservation or environmental management.  You will have a proven track record in government relations, business planning & funding diversification, inspiring a positive work culture, and operational excellence. Your ability to negotiate and influence outcomes with tact and diplomacy with a strong network across multiple sectors and experience working in a unionized environment will be an asset.  You are an authentic leader with exceptional communications skills, strategic thinking, and the ability to inspire and lead a diverse team with empathy.

WHY NPCA?   Join NPCA and be part of a high-performing team driven by purpose and dedicated to making a tangible impact on the communities and watershed they serve. NPCA offers competitive compensation and benefits, including participation in OMERS pension plan.  Their company culture, core values, and highly skilled team of professionals makes it an ideal ecosystem for innovation, learning and growth. Their network of professionals across Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities provides a strong support system for sharing and advancing innovative business models, diverse funding sources, and best practices to ensure continued service delivery and organizational growth. By joining NPCA, you will help continue the momentum and drive key initiatives that strengthen our impact on the community and the environment.

VISION:  Nature for All | MISSION:  To create a common ground for conservation-inspired action and accountability to nature | GUIDING PRINCIPLES:  Watersheds transcend municipal boundaries. Natural green infrastructure is critical to life. Diverse experiences and ideas lead to better and stronger collective impact and outcomes.
Innovation requires learning from each other and the past. | VALUES: Integrity. Respect. Customer Service. Conservation Leadership.

APPLICATION PROCESS: To explore this opportunity further, please submit your cover letter and resume to npca@hra.on.ca by July 22nd, 2024.

NPCA is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals.