Town of Creston
Director of Protective Services
The Town of Creston, (www.creston.ca) is a vibrant small town located on the unceded traditional territory of the Yaqan Nukiy within the Ktunaxa Nations. Nestled between the Selkirk and Purcell mountain ranges, it is the largest community in the Creston Valley, with a population of approximately 6,200 (BC Stats, 2024) and serves as the economic hub to nearly 15,000 people who call the Creston Valley / Kootenay Lake area home.
Creston's economy is diverse, with a mix of industries such as health care, manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, retail, and tourism. The region is known for its fruit production, including apples, cherries, and peaches. It has a growing wine industry with four new wineries developed over the past decade. The natural environment is a vital part of Creston's identity and supports the community's health, economy, and livability. The town offers a significant number of parks, trails, and recreational facilities, including the Creston and District Community Complex, which provides a range of activities for residents and visitors, including swimming, skating, and fitness classes. The Town is near the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, a world-renowned wetland complex that provides habitat for a wide range of bird and wildlife species.
In addition to its natural beauty, Creston has a vibrant arts and culture scene, featuring multiple festivals and events throughout the year, including the Creston Valley Blossom Festival, the Creston Valley Fall Fair, and the Creston Valley Farmers' Market. These events, coupled with the town's diverse economy, bolsters a strong sense of community and a high quality of life for residents and visitors alike.
Recognizing the unlimited potential of this vibrant, can-do community and the importance of hiring top level municipal leaders to achieve strategic corporate goals and objectives, the Town is looking to attract an accomplished executive as Director of Protective Services to lead their community through their next phase of growth and development.
Reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer and working closely with the Senior Leadership Team, , Mayor and Council, the Regional District of Central Kootenay and the Lower Kootenay Band, you will assume complete responsibility for the overall Protective Services function of the Town.
As a key member of the senior leadership team, you will oversee a team of 6 Full time staff that includes; a full time Assistant Fire Chief, two Fire Services Support Coordinators/Captains, one Administrative Assistant and one Emergency Management Coordinator and one Fire Smart Coordinator. You will provide overall supervision and leadership to the team listed above in addition to overall leadership and oversight for more than 50 dedicated paid on-call firefighters operating from four fire stations within the community.
Detailed job specifics include:
Strategic Leadership
- Provide overall leadership and management of the Protective Services Division.
- Develop and implement divisional strategic plans, business plans, policies, and objectives.
- Participate as a member of the Town's senior leadership team and contributes to corporate planning and organizational initiatives.
- Lead continuous improvement efforts consistent with the Town's Service Excellence Initiative and Level of Service framework.
- Advise the CAO and Council on protective services matters, emerging risks, regulatory changes, and service enhancements.
Fire and Rescue Services
- Provide overall direction and oversight of fire suppression, rescue operations, fire prevention, fire investigation, hazardous materials response, training, and public education programs.
- Ensure compliance with applicable legislation, industry standards, and departmental policies.
- Oversee apparatus replacement planning, facility management, workforce development, and operational readiness.
- Direct the implementation of approved Fire Service Master Plan recommendations and service improvements.
- Ensure the fire service meets established operational, training, and safety standards.
Emergency Management
- Lead the municipality's emergency management program, including mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery activities.
- Serve in a senior leadership role during Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) activations.
- Oversee development and maintenance of emergency plans, exercises, continuity planning, and emergency communications processes.
- Build collaborative relationships with external agencies, emergency responders, regional partners, and provincial authorities.
Climate Readiness and Community Resilience
- Lead organizational climate adaptation and resilience initiatives.
- Identify climate-related risks and develops strategies to mitigate impacts on municipal services and infrastructure.
- Collaborate across departments to support sustainability and community resilience objectives.
- Pursue grant funding and partnership opportunities related to climate preparedness and emergency resilience.
Regulatory and Public Safety Services
- Provide oversight of fire code enforcement activities and related regulatory functions.
- Direct public safety education and risk reduction programs.
- Support development of policies, bylaws, procedures, and standards related to protective services.
- Ensure consistent application of legislative and regulatory requirements.
Financial Management
- Develop and administer the Protective Services operating and capital budgets.
- Monitor expenditures and ensures responsible stewardship of municipal resources.
- Prepare budget submissions, business cases, reports, and funding applications.
- Identify opportunities for operational efficiencies and service improvements.
People Leadership
- Lead, coach, mentor, and develop divisional staff and volunteer members.
- Oversee workforce planning, succession planning, recruitment, performance management, training, and employee development.
- Promote a respectful, safe, and high-performing workplace culture.
- Ensure compliance with collective agreements, employment legislation, and occupational health and safety requirements.
Governance and Reporting
- Prepare reports, recommendations, policies, and presentations for Council and senior management.
- Monitor service levels, performance indicators, operational statistics, and strategic objectives.
- Ensure transparent and accurate reporting of departmental activities, outcomes.
To qualify you will ideally have a bachelor’s degree in public administration, emergency management, fire protection, fire service administration, business administration, leadership, in a related field. A master’s degree in one of these disciplines is preferred however not mandatory and may be accredited with an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience. You ideally have a minimum 7-10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in fire services, emergency management, public safety, or a related municipal environment. You have demonstrated experience leading complex operations, managing budgets, and supervising staff and experience working with elected officials, government agencies, and community stakeholders.
You are a “big picture” leader, tactical problem solver, deal effectively with competing priorities and well respected for your ability to work well under pressure. You are an experienced strategic departmental leader known for your ability to execute and deliver results on time and within budget. You have managed multimillion dollar operations and are known for your ability to build award winning teams fully committed to customer service excellence. You are comfortable dealing with a wide variety of stakeholders both internal and external. You have well honed administrative skills and known for your use of logic and data to present opportunities, or to resolve situations. You have experience managing diverse teams and well respected for your professionalism, commitment, and passion. You hold your employees accountable and are known for setting work objectives that are aggressive yet realistic.
This is a unique opportunity to become part of the vibrant future of the Town of Creston. Are you self-motivated, enjoy both responsibility and accountability and ready for the challenges facing this sought after Protective Services leadership role? For more information, please call Grant C. Smith CHRP at (604) 806-7715 or to apply for this position, forward your resume quoting assignment CDPS in Microsoft Word format to: grantsmith@waterhousesearch.com
We sincerely thank all candidates for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
The Town of Creston is an equal opportunity employer committed to establishing an inclusive, equitable, and accessible environment for all. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status or any other basis protected by applicable law.
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