General Manager & Regional Governance Modernization Lead

General Manager & Regional Governance Modernization Lead
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Reference #JL-MDY-9785

The Yarmouth Area Industrial Commission (YAIC) is a regional economic development organization focused on supporting sustainable growth and prosperity throughout the Yarmouth region. Through strategic management of key assets, stakeholder partnerships, and economic development initiatives, YAIC plays an important role in advancing opportunities that benefit businesses, residents, and communities.

YAIC is seeking a collaborative and strategic leader to serve as General Manager & Regional Governance Modernization Lead. This unique position combines operational leadership of the Commission with a regional mandate to coordinate governance modernization initiatives across three municipal partners.

The Role

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the General Manager & Regional Governance Modernization Lead is responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of YAIC. The role provides leadership in operational planning, financial stewardship, stakeholder relations, contract management, and governance support while ensuring the organization achieves its strategic objectives.

Approximately 70% of the role is dedicated to General Manager responsibilities, including oversight of port operations, leases, financial management, and organizational performance. The remaining 30% is focused on advancing a regional governance modernization initiative, supporting municipal partners as they explore opportunities to strengthen collaboration, service delivery, and regional governance models.

This position operates within a service delivery model that utilizes contracted and outsourced expertise for selected administrative, financial, legal, engineering, and technical services. The General Manager maintains accountability for oversight, performance management, and coordination of all external service providers.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic advice and operational leadership to the Board of Directors.
• Oversee port operations, leases, tenant relationships, and related business activities.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory, contractual, and governance requirements.
• Lead organizational financial planning, budgeting, reporting, and risk management activities.
• Manage relationships with government partners, tenants, community stakeholders, and industry representatives.
• Represent YAIC in meetings, public engagements, and regional initiatives.
• Develop and manage service agreements with contracted providers and consultants.
• Monitor outsourced services to ensure quality, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, and compliance with organizational expectations.
• Oversee contract administration and performance management of external service providers.
• Identify opportunities to optimize service delivery through a balance of internal and outsourced resources.
• Coordinate and advance regional governance modernization initiatives involving multiple municipal partners.
• Support research, analysis, policy development, and implementation planning related to governance modernization.
• Prepare reports, recommendations, and presentations for municipal and organizational stakeholders.
• Coordinate consultants, funding opportunities, project timelines, and stakeholder engagement activities.
• Support change management efforts and facilitate collaboration among participating organizations.
• Track progress toward strategic objectives and modernization milestones.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Degree in public administration, business administration, finance, economics, governance, or a related discipline. Equivalent experience will also be considered.
• Progressive leadership experience within municipal government, economic development, public sector organizations, not-for-profit entities, or related environments.
• Experience in governance, financial management, contract administration, and strategic planning.
• Demonstrated success managing outsourced or vendor-delivered service models.
• Strong understanding of public sector governance, stakeholder engagement, and organizational accountability.
• Experience leading projects that involve multiple organizations, partners, or levels of government.
• Strong financial and analytical skills with experience interpreting budgets, reports, and performance metrics.
• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and facilitation skills.
• Political acumen and the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities and deliver results in a dynamic environment.

What Success Looks Like:

• Effective oversight and delivery of outsourced services within budget and established performance expectations.
• Advancement and achievement of regional governance modernization milestones.
• Strong financial stewardship and operational performance.
• Positive stakeholder relationships and successful regional collaboration.
• High levels of Board confidence and satisfaction with organizational leadership and strategic direction.

To express interest in this opportunity please apply online directly here.

If you have any questions, please contact Kate Spares, Recruitment Specialist, at [email protected] or Jeff Lanthier, Partner, at [email protected]. If you require accommodation to participate in the recruitment process, please let us know.

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