About Bruce County
Welcome to Bruce County! We are located within the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, which includes the Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation and the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation.
We are a community where excellence, opportunity, and exploration come together amidst the natural beauty of Southwestern Ontario.
Nestled between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, our community thrives in stunning landscapes, from tranquil rivers and iconic lighthouses to bright starry skies.
Home to nearly 75,000 residents in predominantly rural communities, Bruce County offers a unique blend of small-town charm and big opportunities. Bruce County is a place where you can work, live, and explore to no end.
Guided by our vision of being a welcoming, thriving community committed to the well-being of current and future generations, Bruce County fosters innovation, sustainable growth, and collaboration.
As an upper-tier municipality, Bruce County provides essential services that shape the daily lives of our residents across 12 towns and communities.
Our responsibilities include housing, childcare, Ontario Works, infrastructure, paramedic services, planning and economic development, and long-term care homes, as well as cultural and recreational programs through our libraries and museum.
In everything we do, we uphold our core values: excellence, welcoming community, good governance, environmental stewardship, and financial sustainability.
As one of Southwestern Ontario’s Top Employers, joining our team means becoming part of a dedicated group of public servants committed to making a meaningful difference.
At Bruce County, you’ll find opportunities to grow your career, contribute to impactful solutions, and help shape a sustainable future with us, all while enjoying the exceptional lifestyle this remarkable region offers. Explore with us; your journey starts here.
What You’ll Do
Reporting to the Commissioner, Community Development, and serving as a strategic advisor to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Council, you will provide strategic planning, operational leadership, development and implementation of the following programs in accordance with Provincial/Federal legislation and County policy:
- Children’s Services (Fee Subsidy, Home Child Care, Special Needs Resourcing, Ontario Early Years, Literacy)
- Housing Services (Social Housing, Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative, Investment in Affordable Housing, Utility Support Programs)
- Strategic Community Initiatives and Social Assistance (OW Case Management, Employment Services, Eligibility Review and Family Support).
You will manage strong relationships with provincial and federal ministries, private industry, community agencies, organizations and boards related to human services delivery while planning and delivering services collaboratively to maximize available funding and resources, and evaluating existing legislation, programs and policies to develop human services plans that enhance quality of life in the community.
You will oversee the development of an Annual Business Plan, operating and capital budgets in conjunction with corporate strategic goals to deliver initiatives and services that will meet emerging needs in the County.
You will ensure accurate data collection and reporting to support the Human Services team in program planning, delivery, and monitoring for provincial ministries, County Council, and the Bruce County Housing Corporation.
Researching funding sources, preparing grant applications, and advocating at the provincial and federal levels to ensure sufficient funding for new and existing programs are important parts of the role.
You will direct staff recruitment, performance appraisals, mentoring and training to encourage your team’s individual growth.
You will support a culture of continuous improvement, guiding the team on processes and tools to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery.
You will lead communications with municipal staff, the public and external agencies to promote and increase awareness of the range of human services delivered by the County. You will advise staff in preparing reports and recommendations for meetings of Council, the board of the Housing Corporation, public and external stakeholders, while developing collaborative working relationships with all County departments to enhance service delivery at an individual client and community level.
What We’re Looking For
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in social work, business administration, or public administration
- Seven years of progressively responsible experience in a senior-level position with public sector social service delivery organizations
- Experience with housing and homelessness services will be considered an asset
Skills and Abilities:
- Ability to build and maintain lasting relationships with key external stakeholders
- Ability to delegate, set expectations, and monitor the progress of all direct reports
- Ability to identify issues and implement creative and strategic solutions to overcome problems
- Ability to initiate and model positive change
- Ability to plan, organize, develop, implement, and interpret goals, objectives, and policies
- A clear and solid understanding of the issues faced by the organization and the industry
- Demonstrated ability to build and maintain lasting working relationships
- Demonstrated experience coordinating strategic and engagement-planning initiatives
- Experience with budget preparation and management
- Experience with coaching and development of management-level employees
- Experience with strategic development and initiative-based project leadership
- Intuitive grasp of organizational structure to manage cross-departmental and cross-disciplinary resource allocation
- Proven experience with resource management
- Sound analytical thinking, planning, prioritization, and execution skills
- Sound understanding of risk management
- Strong formal and informal leadership skills
- Valid Class G Driver’s License and Clean Criminal Record Reference Check
What We Offer
- Competitive Salary: $154,099 – $181,290 (2026 rate)
- Hours per week: 35 hours
- 100% Employer Paid Health Benefits
- Dental Benefits
- OMERS pension with an equal employer match
- Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
- Paid vacation days, increasing with years of service
- Paid health and wellness leave
- Parental leave top-up program
- Professional development opportunities
- Employee recognition programs
Your Career, Our Community: Let’s build a Welcoming and Sustainable Bruce County Together!
If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every qualification in this job posting, we encourage you to apply anyway.
You could be the ideal candidate for this or other opportunities.
At Bruce County, we celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive and genuine workplace where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
We are dedicated to fostering an equitable, accessible, and welcoming environment where all individuals feel valued and supported.
Bruce County provides equal employment opportunities to all candidates, including those with disabilities, ensuring that our recruitment, selection, and onboarding processes are barrier-free and fully accessible.
If you require accommodation at any stage of the hiring process, please contact us at the email address below.
The successful candidate for this opportunity will be chosen based on their relevant education, experience, knowledge, and skills, as well as a competency-based interview and formal background reference checks.
We thank all candidates for their interest; however, only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.
How To Apply
To express interest in this exciting opportunity, email your cover letter and resume to:
Patrick Rowan, Partner
Email: prowan@feldmandaxon.com
This job posting is for an existing position with Bruce County. We do not use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to screen or assess candidates at any stage of the recruitment process.