About Us:
As one of the fastest growing cities in Alberta, the City of Airdrie is a recognized leader in building a vibrant and sustainable community through innovation.
At the City of Airdrie, incredible opportunities happen every day in a flexible work environment that is tailored to each department. Our inclusive culture and values create a workplace where we welcome aspiring, driven and creative individuals to help us accomplish our business and community goals. We are supportive of one another, and we have fun while we serve our community.
We are passionate about improving the lives of our residents through care and respect; that is the foundation of our organization. At the City of Airdrie, we learn, grow and accomplish great things together. We’re proud to foster a workplace culture built on dedication, teamwork, and genuine care.
Our commitment to creating a positive environment is reflected in our employee feedback from the 2025 Employee Engagement Survey, with 92.8% of employees saying they enjoy their work, and 92.6% feeling equipped with the resources they need to stay safe on the job.
If you have a passion for building a better community and are ready to join the excitement, we’d love to hear from you!
The Opportunity:
The Director, Community Growth & Investment (G&I;) is a member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and is responsible for defining and delivering the City’s long-term growth strategy, investment attraction, and intergovernmental positioning. As part of ELT, the Director contributes to organizational leadership, culture, and the achievement of Council’s strategic priorities by ensuring growth and development decisions are aligned with legislative requirements, financial sustainability, and community outcomes.
The Director leads a multidisciplinary portfolio focused on strategic growth planning, development coordination, government relations, advocacy, investment attraction, and corporate growth strategy. The role ensures that growth patterns, development outcomes, and investment strategies are integrated across all City directorates and aligned with infrastructure, community services, environmental stewardship, and economic objectives. This role requires a systems thinker who can connect policy, planning, infrastructure, finance, and governance balancing Council direction, legislative frameworks, and market realities to guide sustainable growth.
A key differentiator for this role is the responsibility to lead the City’s growth in a rapidly evolving municipality, ensuring decisions are legally sound, strategically aligned, and operationally integrated across the organization. The portfolio includes current planning, policy planning, building inspections, growth application services, government relations and grants, economic development and tourism, transit, and housing.
Responsibilities include
- Provide strategic leadership at the Executive Leadership Team level by aligning directorate priorities with Council’s strategic direction and translating organizational goals into actionable growth strategies
- Lead the development and integration of long-term growth strategies, land use planning, and policy frameworks, ensuring alignment between development planning, long-range planning, economic development, and environmental sustainability objectives
- Ensure all growth-related decisions, recommendations, and processes are aligned with applicable legislation and governance requirements, working closely with Legislative Services to support Council processes, bylaws, and public accountability
- Advance the City’s interests through proactive intergovernmental relations, advocacy, and strategic pursuit of grant funding and external investment opportunities, while aligning regional growth, infrastructure, and economic development priorities
- Lead and oversee complex negotiations with developers, regional partners, and other stakeholders,
including intermunicipal agreements, servicing arrangements, and major development initiatives
- Drive integrated, cross-directorate service delivery by aligning growth planning with infrastructure, environmental, transportation, corporate property, and community service considerations, ensuring coordination across development approvals, permitting, inspections, and customer-facing services
- Ensure growth strategies and development decisions support long-term financial sustainability by aligning with municipal finance, funding models, and lifecycle cost considerations
- Provide strong organizational leadership by mentoring and developing managers, fostering a high-performance culture, and building leadership capacity within the directorate
- Lead organizational change and innovation by guiding modernization initiatives, including digital transformation, e-permitting, modernization of development and inspection services, and the strategic adoption of emerging AI technologies
- Communicate complex growth, development, and strategic issues clearly and effectively through reports, briefings, and presentations to Council, senior leadership, and external stakeholders
You Bring:
- Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Land Use Planning, Political Science, or a related field
- Master’s degree (e.g., MBA, MPA) considered an asset
- Municipal excellence leadership program or equivalent municipal certification / designation (e.g., CLGM, NACLAA, or equivalent) considered an asset
- Six Sigma or Lean Training considered an asset
- IAP2 Certificate considered an asset
- Economic Development designation considered an asset
- Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership responsibilities and experience
- Previous municipal government experience is required
- Demonstrated experience with providing high-level updates to senior staff, municipal Council and special interest groups
- Prior experience with budget oversight and managing multiple budgets, including an understanding of the impact to municipalities
- Must be skilled in writing reports, briefing notes, public speaking, and presenting to Council and Council Committees or high-profile boards and board committees
- Demonstrated experience in strategy development and implementation
- Experience overseeing multidisciplinary portfolios including planning, development, economic development, environmental services, and customer-facing regulatory or service functions
- Working knowledge of Municipal Government Act, Land Use Bylaws, Safety Codes, Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act
- Knowledge of municipal finance and growth management
- Experience engaging with Council, boards, and senior leadership
- Experience leading strategy, growth planning, and intergovernmental initiatives
- Demonstrated experience in change management and organizational transformation
- Demonstrate a values-driven approach to customer experience, relationship building, and stakeholder engagement
- Lead and inspire high-performing teams, cultivating a positive organizational culture, driving performance, and building leadership capacity through mentoring and development
- Lead through subject-matter diversity by enabling technical experts, asking effective questions, and integrating input across specialized functions
- Collaborate effectively across directorates and with external partners, applying diplomacy, tact, empathy, and strong interpersonal skills to build trusted relationships and influence outcomes
- Navigate politically complex environments by applying sound judgment, political acumen, and effective conflict resolution and negotiation skills
- Think strategically by integrating policy, growth, infrastructure, and financial considerations into cohesive, big-picture solutions that guide organizational direction
- Solve complex problems by synthesizing information, exercising sound judgment, and delivering practical, sustainable, and informed decisions
- Communicate clearly and persuasively through strong verbal, listening, and presentation skills, adapting messaging to diverse audiences including Council and stakeholders
- Lead change and influence outcomes by driving organizational transformation, fostering innovation, and positively influencing internal and external stakeholders
- Demonstrate resilience and emotional intelligence by remaining calm under pressure, managing competing priorities, and guiding teams through challenges with professionalism
- Exercise strong financial and business acumen by understanding municipal finance, growth economics, and resource alignment to support strategic objectives
- Continuously learn and adapt by embracing feedback, encouraging cooperative inquiry, and fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, including digital and emerging technologies
- Leverage technology effectively by utilizing corporate systems, data, and tools (e.g., Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and business systems) to support decision-making and operational efficiency
- Politically savvy, building and maintaining internal and external relationships, paramount
- A strong collaborator with Directors (peers) and a team builder, who empowers their Team with decision making authority, guiding and overseen, but not micromanaging
- Keep an overarching mentality of Airdrie “Open for Business”, reconciling the Economic Development side of the Directorate with the Regulatory side, in a critical balance
We Offer: Along with a competitive compensation program and City paid health and dental premiums, our employees also enjoy:
- Excellent health, dental, paramedical, and benefits plan
- First-in-class pension plan
- Career development and tuition reimbursement
- Employee discounts, annual adult Genesis Place pass, social events, and health & wellness initiatives
Continuous learning through training and development is encouraged as are versatile work arrangements, when possible. We recognize that our people work best when they feel engaged in their environment and are appreciated for their efforts and our overall benefits package reflects that.
Additional Information:
This is a full-time position that works 37.5 hours per week.
Please include a cover letter along with your application.
Next Steps:
Candidates are invited to apply online. We only accept resumes and additional application documents through our online recruitment system. In-person applications, email or other online forms will not be considered.
If you require an accommodation during any part of the application or hiring process, please contact us at
[email protected] and we will work with you to meet your needs.
The City of Airdrie is committed to fostering a workplace culture where belonging, equity, accessibility, and diversity are deeply ingrained into all parts of the City, where employees feel they belong, are treated with respect, and where everyone can thrive and contribute to the City’s success.
Postings close at 10:00 PM MT (Mountain Time) on the closing date listed in the posting. We recommend applying as soon as possible as we are not able to accept late applications.
Please review the job competition carefully and be sure to attach any specifically requested documentation in the My Documents section of your application.
Interviewing and hiring may commence prior to the posted closing date.
Thank you for your interest in the City of Airdrie.
📌 Director, Community Growth and Investment (Airdrie)
🏢 City of Airdrie
📍 Airdrie