Deputy Chief of Staff in Toronto

The City of Toronto is looking to hire a Deputy Chief of Staff for our Intergovernmental and Agency Relations portfolio, to provide expert advice and guidance on intergovernmental and agency governance matters. This includes understanding City Council mandates, the City of Toronto budgets, business operations, and future strategies.

Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the Deputy Chief of Staff must provide strategic leadership and direction related to intergovernmental and agency affairs and be able to build highly effective relationships and networks with other levels of government, agencies, corporations, and external partners. Additionally, this role will develop a priority-driven strategy for partnerships with all levels of government and ensure strong and transparent governance frameworks for agencies and external partners aligned with City objectives.

Mandate and Core Responsibilities

Critical to the success of this role, the Deputy Chief of Staff will have the ability to develop effective intergovernmental and agency strategies and policy agendas. The Deputy Chief of Staff must work proactively with other orders of government and City agencies, foster constructive relationships, and provide leadership to the engagement and co-operation needed to advance intergovernmental and agency oversight issues that affect Toronto.

The Deputy Chief of Staff will provide strategic planning and coordination to the City’s interactions with multiple levels of government and its agencies and corporations. They will provide advice and analysis on intergovernmental, agency, and corporation governance matters to the organization, including senior leaders. In this role, you must be able to manage sensitive and controversial matters with a high degree of organizational impact, negotiate and administer bi-lateral and tri-lateral agreements, and ensure that the City’s interests are well developed, articulated, and represented when dealing with other orders of government and city agencies and corporations.

You will lead the development and implementation of frameworks that strengthen accountability, consistency, and alignment across agencies and corporations, ensuring effective oversight and performance monitoring. The successful candidate must be able to design and implement policies and programs that make changes in overall business performance based on long-term needs.

You will lead corporate initiatives and priorities, through the direction of the Chief of Staff, and contribute to the continuous improvement of divisional performance through the analysis of sound management practices. Additionally, you will be expected to provide strategic advice and support to the Senior Leadership and the City Manager on appropriate City positions related to provincial and federal government policies and track and analyze policy and program initiatives of other governments with respect to City impacts.

You will work with the Mayor’s Office and Members of Council to support intergovernmental and agency governance priorities requested through City Council. You will also oversee key agency relationships, providing advice on governance processes, and accountability frameworks that ensure the City’s interests are reflected in agency and corporation decisions.

Finally, we are seeking a leader who can lead and motivate a diverse workforce, ensuring effective teamwork, resolving human resources issues, and promoting high standards of work quality and organizational performance. In addition, the Deputy Chief of Staff will promote continuous learning and encourage innovation in others, administer the unit’s annual budget, and ensure that expenditures are controlled and maintained within approved budget limitations.

What do you bring to the role?

The successful candidate must have extensive experience in the field of government and agency relations, including demonstrated experience leading significant intergovernmental strategies, partnerships, and agency governance initiatives. This includes managing relationships and oversight mechanisms for large public sector agencies or corporations, ensuring alignment with corporate priorities and public accountability standards.

Extensive experience is required in public policy research, analysis, and development in fields related to intergovernmental relations, agency governance and accountability, social and economic development, and government policy. Additionally, you must demonstrate extensive experience writing complex reports, briefings, and policy papers for senior management that offer strategic advice and recommendations on sensitive issues.

You demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, political acumen, and judgment. This includes the ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with external organizations in the context of complex intergovernmental and agency relations, and experience negotiating with external parties on governance, funding or service agreements, or program-related memoranda of agreements.

You have comprehensive knowledge of the City’s legislative framework and decision-making process. You have demonstrated ability to work effectively at local, provincial, and national levels on strategic intergovernmental and agency matters. You are an excellent communicator and can communicate effectively both orally and in writing, at all organizational levels.

You also bring a deep understanding of the interplay between intergovernmental priorities, agency mandates, and long-term strategic planning. You can effectively triage and resolve cross-jurisdictional issues, align City resources to support agency operations, and strengthen integration across divisions and external partners.

You also possess excellent strategic, analytical and conceptual thinking skills, as well as the ability to think and act strategically, anticipate, interpret and respond to the implications of new and changing initiatives, and develop creative solutions to complex problems. A combination of education, professional development, and senior-level leadership experience has prepared you to take on this exciting and unique role.

If you see yourself in this profile and are interested in your next professional adventure, we invite you to apply for this critical opportunity at the City of Toronto.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The City is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to creating a workplace culture of inclusiveness that reflects the diverse residents that we serve.

Accommodation

The City of Toronto is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We are committed to providing barrier-free and accessible employment practices in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Should you require Code-protected accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to meet your needs. Disability-related accommodation during the application process is available upon request.