Senior Vice President / PUC, Northern Waterworks Inc.

Senior Vice President

Sartor and Associates has been retained by Northern Waterworks Incorporated (NWI), a utility company with a focus on safety, community, environmental responsibility, and customer satisfaction, to recruit a Senior Vice President.  The position is a critical leadership role in the company and reports directly to the NWI President & Chief Executive Officer, based in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

BACKGROUND

Established in the Municipality of Red Lake in 1997, NWI operates, maintains and manages 50% of all municipal water and wastewater treatment facilities west of Thunder Bay to the Manitoba border, and employs over 40 professionals dedicated to setting new industry standards and best practices.

NWI has been providing water and wastewater operations, maintenance and management services to Municipal, First Nation and Industrial clients for over two decades and currently operates, maintains and manages 35 municipal water and wastewater subsystems. These systems include over 60 individual facilities that are distributed over a geographical area that is similar in size to that of France and Germany combined.

NWI is a wholly owned subsidiary of PUC Incorporated.   PUC Inc. is a wholly owned private company of the Corporation of the City of Sault Ste. Marie and operates multiple utilities within the City of Sault Ste. Marie and northern Ontario.

NWI STRATEGIC DIRECTION

Mission

As stewards of the environment, Northern Waterworks will comply with stringent regulatory requirements and industry best practices. Northern Waterworks will earn the trust of the residents in their communities and their elected officials by providing uninterrupted water and wastewater treatment services at a fair and reasonable cost. Northern Waterworks will provide their employees with a safe working environment and the opportunity for personal and professional growth.

Vision

Northern Waterworks will be an industry leader in the provision of water and wastewater treatment services. Northern Waterworks will grow by maintaining focus of client satisfaction and accountability, and by expanding capacity to provide a complete management solution.

Values

We will earn the trust of our clients, the residents we serve and our employees through RESPECT:

• Responsibility – in protecting the residents of our communities and environment we live in.
• Excellence – in the way we interact with clients, customers and represent our company.
• Safety – on our strive toward zero accidents and lost time injuries.
• Pride – in knowing that we are industry leaders and set lofty standards and goals.
• Education – in achieving excellence by providing our employees with the skills and knowledge necessary to grow.
• Compliance – in achieving and maintaining 100% compliance with environmental and safety legislation.
• Transparency – that we remain accountable to the residents of the communities we serve and their elected officials.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

As part of the senior executive team, the Senior Vice President provides leadership and assists the President & CEO in achieving corporate goals and objectives.  The Senior Vice President works with Vice Presidents, Regional Managers, Municipal Managers, and PUC/NWI staff in all areas of the organization.

The primary function of the Senior Vice President role is overseeing, directing, aligning, supporting, and integrating company expectations, objectives and strategies for Northern Waterworks Inc.  This position will be responsible for managing and scaling the operations, optimizing financial performance, and developing a high-performance culture across the organization. The position will also provide knowledgeable, tactful and courteous public contact.

Direct Reports to the Senior Vice President (3):  Vice President, First Nations; Regional Manager, Municipalities; Administrative Assistant

DUTIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES

Operational Leadership:

• Develop and implement operational strategies that align with the company’s business objectives and growth plans while honouring the Company’s Core Values.
• Oversee day-to-day operations, ensuring that all business functions are efficient and effective.
• Establish and enforce policies that promote company culture, vision, and operational excellence.
• In conjunction with the NWI Management Team, ensure operational and regulatory compliance requirements are met.
• In conjunction with the NWI Management Team, manage relationships and assist in contract negotiations with municipalities and First Nation communities.
• Provide review and approval of all corporate policies and programs.

Financial Oversight:

• Partner with the PUC CFO to manage the company’s financial resources, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.
• Analyze financial data to identify areas of improvement and implement strategies to optimize financial performance.
• Drive profitability by overseeing cost-control measures and revenue-enhancement initiatives.
• Develops and implements long-term financial plans, including preparation of annual budgets and long-term forecasting.
• With support from the CFO, oversees and directs the financial activities of the company, including cash management, investments, short and long-term debt and preparation of long-term financial plans.
• Focuses on long-term cash flow requirements and develops financing options for Board approval, as well as on-going identification and monitoring of key risks and mitigation strategies.

Strategic Planning:

• Collaborate with the NWI Board of Directors, CEO and other senior leaders to define the company’s strategic direction.
• Lead the execution of business strategies and initiatives that support long-term growth and market leadership.
• Monitor industry trends and market dynamics to anticipate challenges and identify new opportunities.
• Manage risk in delivering shareholder value, balancing net income, return on equity, environmental regulations, and rapid advances in information technology, etc.
• Ensures an effective and efficient organizational structure is in place to achieve Division responsibilities.
• Develops and maintains appropriate benchmarks to measure and compare performance against industry standards.

Team Development & Management:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing management team to ensure alignment with company goals.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and innovation across all departments.
• Implement performance management systems to evaluate and enhance team productivity and effectiveness.
• Support retention and succession planning strategies by identifying and implementing learning and development.
• Provide guidance and support in all administrative functions for NWI Inc., with oversight of the service integration model with PUC.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Represent the company in meetings with key stakeholders, including investors, partners, and regulatory bodies.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, suppliers, and industry.
• Communicate company performance and strategic initiatives to the Board of Directors and shareholders.
• Performs other related duties such as:
• Ensures that effective safety measures are established and adhered to for the protection of employees and the general public.
• Manages resources by setting clear expectations, creating accountability, and enhancing collaboration to meet or exceed service level and quality expectations.
• Ensures an effective and efficient organizational structure is in place to achieve corporate responsibilities.
• Acts as an officer of the company as defined under the Business Corporations Act.
• Represent NWI at PUC Senior Leadership Team and Board of Directors meetings.

Other Accountabilities:

• Establishes and maintains good working relationships with all governing agencies, stakeholders, customers and employees.
• Demonstrates proven analytical, evaluative and problem-solving abilities.
• Maintains all required licenses, certificates and documents required of the position.
• Develops and ensures the maintenance of policies, procedures, and processes to comply with regulatory and company requirements.
• Ensures the performance of work and management of staff and systems produce the legislated/directed results in an accurate and timely fashion.
• Manages resources by setting clear expectations, creating accountability, and enhancing collaboration to meet or exceed service level and quality expectations.
• Interacts with the public, external agencies and authorities, suppliers, contractors and staff in a manner that results in positive actions and outcomes.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience:  Minimum of fifteen years of progressive management experience, including recently in a senior or executive leadership role.  Proven track record of driving operational excellence and financial performance in a complex, high-growth environment.  Experience in an operations or regulatory environment is highly desirable. Experience presenting at an executive and board level.
• Education: University degree in Business Administration or a related field or equivalent experience.  Master of Business Administration is an asset. 
• Knowledge: Strong business acumen with a deep understanding of financial management, strategic planning, and organizational development.  Strong understanding of project management principles.
• Skills: Exceptional leadership and management skills, with the ability to inspire and drive a culture of high performance.  Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels.
• Other: Demonstrated ability to effectively lead, influence, motivate and mentor staff towards achieving company objectives.

KEY ATTRIBUTES & COMPETENCIES

The candidate possesses managerial courage, integrity, credibility, honesty, inspires and develops others while managing performance.

• Leadership and ability to drive change. The Senior Vice President will need to have a willingness to lead and influence others.  An ability to convince others in an honest, respectful and sensitive manner in order to get them to buy-in to organizational objectives. 
• Management competency to prioritize goals for multiple groups. The ideal candidate is accountable, strategic, proactive, organized, priority/results focused and service oriented. 
• Teamwork that creates progress toward common goals. With a focus on excellence, the Senior Vice President fosters a teamwork environment, is analytical, logical, conceptual, and innovative with strong interpersonal capability. 

APPLICATION INFORMATION

To explore this opportunity further, please email your resume (filename - “Last name, First name - CV”), with “NWI Senior Vice President” in the subject line, in confidence to Larry Sartor at larry@sartorandassociates.com and Mark Fukuzawa at mark@sartorandassociates.com.

It is PUC Inc. policy to comply with all applicable laws and regulations which prohibit unlawful discrimination because of race, religion, creed, colour, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability or marital status or any other protected class.

We thank all those that apply for the position, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Thank you for your understanding.