The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is the national voice of municipal governments, representing the interests of cities and communities with the federal government.

Position

Senior Manager, Operational Effectiveness

Department

Green Municipal Fund (GMF) - Operations

Classification

Level 8

Salary

Our salaries generally range from $107,590 - $121,800, and are based on qualifications and experience

Languages

Bilingual English required, French is an asset

Term

Permanent Full-Time

Location

Hybrid (Ottawa)

Why GMF is the place for you

At the Green Municipal Fund (GMF), we create change where it matters most—in Canada’s municipalities. As the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ flagship program and backed by a $2.4 billion endowment from the Government of Canada, GMF helps Canadian municipalities, big and small, invest in their future by supporting homegrown sustainability and resilience projects that work for Canadians by creating jobs, lowering costs, and strengthening local economies.

Through our unique mix of funding, resources and training, GMF is enhancing the quality of life for people in Canada by accelerating a transformation to sustainable and resilient communities.

Since 2000, GMF has invested over $1.6 billion in local projects helping communities avoid 2.9 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, while also contributing $1.24 billion to the national GDP and creating more than 13,000 person-years of national employment.

You in this role

The Senior Manager, Operational Effectiveness plays a strategic role in strengthening GMF’s performance and long-term impact by leading the design and implementation of cross-functional improvement initiatives that enhance efficiency, alignment and staff capability. Reporting to the Senior Director, Operations, the incumbent oversees a team that leads continuous improvement and change management initiatives, ensuring that the organization can consistently deliver value in a changing environment. The role also strengthens organizational capacity by equipping staff with the knowledge, tools and coaching needed to manage projects, lead change and embed continuous improvement practices. Through the integration of Lean methodologies, change management strategies, project management practices, internal communications and performance measurement, the Senior Manager ensures GMF teams are supported in working more strategically, collaboratively, sustainably and cost-effectively. A key aspect of the role involves identifying opportunities to improve productivity and reduce costs, building the business case for change, implementing solutions, and quantifying gains to demonstrate value and inform decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

• Leads a team of five or six individuals to design and deliver cost-effective, scalable and forward-looking continuous improvement and change management solutions that enhance organizational efficiency, reduce operational waste, and strengthen GMF’s ability to adapt and evolve in alignment with strategic priorities.
• Leads an OE working group comprised of senior leaders across GMF (and FCM, as appropriate) to stay connected and aligned on GMF-wide initiatives and increase awareness regarding unit-level initiatives – particularly where there may be resource implications on other teams (frequency and terms of reference for this group to be developed in consultation with peers). Identify and assess opportunities to improve GMF’s cost-effectiveness, productivity and operational performance; develop business cases for change, implement (or support implementation of) approved solutions and quantify results to demonstrate value and support strategic decision-making.
• Identifies systemic barriers to GMF operational effectiveness and develops strategies that address root causes and support long-term effectiveness.
• Designs, implements and monitors GMF-wide Lean sustainment initiatives including monthly clinics, refresher sessions, impact storytelling and a CI Champions Network.
• Provides tailored coaching and training to staff and People Leaders to build internal capacity in Lean, project management and change leadership.
• Acts as a project management office, leading high-impact, cross-functional initiatives that require coordination across units while also building project management capacity across the organization through coaching, training, tools and advisory support to enable staff to plan and deliver projects more effectively.
• Oversees project management and implementation support to GMF’s Internal Control and Integrated Risk Management systems, working in strong collaboration with peers across GMF who are responsible for the content of these systems.
• Works collaboratively with GMF’s Leadership Team and the GMF Operations unit to project manage GMF business planning processes, including GMF’s strategic planning process.
• Drives adoption and effective use of workflow tools like Asana through coaching and support services for staff.
• Leads the design and delivery of change management strategies for cross-functional initiatives and organizational transitions.
• Oversees GMF’s internal communication needs in collaboration with the Internal Communications Advisor to support alignment, clarity and engagement.
• Develops and maintains a portfolio-wide performance evaluation framework to assess the impact and cost-effectiveness of GMF-wide continuous improvement efforts. The incumbent supports the development of key performance indicators that support the monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness (or efficiency) of unit-level initiatives, if required. The OE team also supports the collection, analysis and reporting of those initiatives (if not done by the unit themselves).
• Leads the development of an AI strategy for GMF in collaboration with FCM’s Information Services team, identifying process opportunities and supporting related policies and staff training.

Your skills make us better

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant program such as engineering, economics, business administration or equivalent experience in a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive management experience, including at least 5 years of experience in a senior management role.
• Ability to strategically shape departmental operations within the context of the organizational vision and long-term objectives, with a willingness to innovate and challenge the status quo.
• PMI accreditation or equivalent with strong project management skills including people management, budgeting, work planning and monitoring;
• Proactive, with the ability to prioritize workload, work independently, anticipate needs, adapt to changing priorities, manage multiple tasks, demonstrate attention to detail and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating multi-disciplinary teams, with an ability to negotiate priorities and objectives across all management and employee levels in order to align varying viewpoints and create a unified approach.
• Excellent problem analysis, assessment and resolution/decision making skills.
• Knowledge and experience with the COSO framework for internal control and risk management is considered an asset.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt accreditation or equivalent an asset but practical experience in managing complex projects involving a variety of stakeholder interests is required, and
• Excellent verbal and written communication, interpersonal, negotiation, presentation and influencing skills.
• Bilingualism (English and French) is a strong asset and supports the ability to engage effectively across GMF and FCM teams

Why working here rocks

We prioritize work-life balance with our flexible model:

• When we say flexible work model, we mean that in collaboration with your manager and based on what your team needs, you have the flexibility to determine when you work so that you can enjoy a healthy balance between work and personal demands.
• While you do need to live in Canada for this role, you can primarily work from home. Travel may be required to Head Office in Ottawa periodically. The majority of the GMF team operates from the National Capital Region.
• We do like to visit the areas we are impacting and it allows us to see unique and wonderful parts of our country. You may find yourself traveling nationally no more than 10% of the time.

We don’t just talk about employee wellness, we live it:

• Summer hours between July 1 and Labour Day:
  • 7-hour workdays rather than 7.5
  • Every Friday off in the summer
• Flexible work arrangements to support productivity and well-being
• Commitment to employee development
• Competitive range of employee benefits and services
• Office facilities located in the Byward Market and Ottawa’s downtown core

We’re committed to fostering an organizational culture that embraces equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging, where individuals from diverse racial and ethnic identities, nationalities, social economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression and physical and mental abilities can thrive and be fully engaged at their best level.

We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the recruitment and selection process.

How to apply

If this role speaks to you and the impact you want to make, we’d love to hear from you! Apply today.

The deadline to apply is September 24th, 2025, or until the position is filled.

The future of work at FCM includes a hybrid work model; therefore, this role will be a combination of virtual and on-site work. The successful candidate is required live within 80kms of downtown Ottawa and be authorized to work in Canada.

For additional information on this posting, or for further information on FCM, access our website at www.fcm.ca. Learn more about the Green Municipal Fund at https://greenmunicipalfund.ca/