Assistant City Manager

destinationone Consulting•Surrey, BC

65d•CA$208,000 - CA$275,000

About The Position

destinationone Consulting is pleased to partner with a progressive and growing municipality in British Columbia to recruit an accomplished and strategic Assistant City Manager. This confidential executive search presents a rare opportunity for a senior municipal leader to play a pivotal role in supporting the City Manager and executive leadership team in advancing the municipality’s strategic priorities, operational excellence, and long-term community outcomes. In this dynamic and high-impact role, the Assistant City Manager will serve as the City Manager’s primary internal second-in-command, helping drive corporate strategy execution, cross-departmental coordination, and enterprise-wide initiatives that support Council priorities and the organization’s long-term vision. Working closely with the City Manager and senior leadership team, the successful candidate will help ensure alignment across departments, strengthen organizational leadership capacity, and support the effective delivery of municipal services to a growing and diverse community. This role forms part of the municipality’s long-term leadership succession planning, offering the opportunity for the successful candidate to progressively expand responsibilities while contributing to the continuity of executive leadership within the organization. Reporting directly to the City Manager, the Assistant City Manager is a senior executive responsible for supporting enterprise-wide leadership and ensuring that Council-approved priorities, corporate objectives, and organizational initiatives are executed effectively. The Assistant City Manager works across the organization to coordinate strategic initiatives, remove operational barriers, and ensure that departments are aligned with the municipality’s strategic plan, corporate priorities, and service delivery expectations. The role also supports the City Manager in maintaining strong relationships with Mayor and Council through coordinated briefings, committee participation, and the delivery of high-quality information to support effective decision-making. This position plays a critical role in strengthening organizational leadership, operational execution, and strategic coordination across the municipality.

Requirements

strong municipal governance knowledge
the ability to build alignment across departments and stakeholders
experience advising senior elected officials and executive leaders
outstanding communication, briefing, and presentation skills
the ability to lead complex initiatives and drive organizational change
Business and Financial Acumen
Experience supporting executive-level decision-making related to budgeting, capital planning, and fiscal oversight is essential.
Economic Development and Growth Awareness
Experience supporting initiatives related to:
economic growth
investment attraction
land development
commercial development initiatives
Land Development and Infrastructure Awareness
Understanding of:
development processes
land use planning
infrastructure planning
growth management strategies
Operational Leadership
The successful candidate must demonstrate the ability to:
drive execution across departments
ensure complex initiatives move forward
remove organizational barriers
mobilize teams to achieve results
People Leadership
The role requires exceptional leadership capability including:
supporting senior leaders
building strong internal relationships
motivating teams across departments
achieving results through collaboration
Governance and Legislative Awareness
The successful candidate must demonstrate a strong understanding of British Columbia’s municipal legislative and governance framework, including legislation such as the Community Charter, Local Government Act, and related public sector governance practices.
Cultural Fit
The executive leadership team operates within a collaborative and close-knit environment that values trust, humility, and professionalism.
The successful candidate must demonstrate:
humility
emotional intelligence
strong interpersonal awareness
professionalism and respect for others
The ideal leader is someone who builds trust easily and focuses on results, collaboration, and long-term impact rather than personal recognition.
Master’s degree preferred in Public Administration, Business Administration, Urban Planning, or a related discipline
Minimum 10+ years of progressively senior leadership experience in a complex public-sector environment, with municipal experience strongly preferred
Demonstrated success in corporate strategy execution, cross-departmental leadership, and executive-level advisory roles
Strong understanding of British Columbia municipal governance and legislative frameworks
Valid driver’s license

Responsibilities

Support senior leadership across the municipality on behalf of the City Manager, supporting the coordination and advancement of corporate priorities and initiatives.
Identify and advance key initiatives that require cross-departmental coordination and strategic alignment.
Support the City Manager in providing leadership oversight, coaching, and direction to team members as assigned.
Strengthen organizational leadership capacity through mentorship, leadership development, and succession planning initiatives.
Support the development and execution of the municipality’s Strategic Plan and corporate business planning processes.
Support enterprise performance management and multi-year business planning, ensuring alignment between strategic priorities, departmental work plans, and measurable outcomes.
Lead or sponsor enterprise-wide initiatives such as service reviews, organizational transformation projects, and process improvement efforts.
Monitor progress of corporate initiatives and support corrective action where required to maintain alignment with Council priorities.
Support the City Manager in maintaining effective communication with Mayor and Council on operational and strategic matters.
Provide delegated Council briefings and support Council committees or commissions as required.
Integrate information from multiple departments into clear briefing materials and recommendations to support informed Council decision-making.
Attend Council meetings and committees as delegated to present staff reports, respond to questions, and coordinate follow-up.
Coordinate corporate responses to Council direction by assigning actions across departments and monitoring progress.
Through collaboration with senior leadership, ensure that municipal operations are implemented in accordance with Council policies and approved budgets.
Identify emerging operational risks, strategic issues, and cross-departmental challenges and escalate appropriately.
Lead/support corporate problem-solving on complex files with organization-wide impact, ensuring decisions reflect a corporate perspective.
Maintain a strong internal communication environment so leaders and staff clearly understand corporate priorities and organizational decisions.
Foster collaboration across departments to ensure coordinated service delivery and organizational alignment.
Act for the City Manager when delegated to ensure continuity of executive leadership and organizational decision-making.
Represent the municipality externally as delegated by the City Manager in meetings with other levels of government, regional partners, agencies, and community stakeholders.
Maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders to support collaboration and alignment with municipal priorities.