President & Chief Executive Officer


Rideau St. Lawrence Utilities Inc
Prescott, Ontario


Last Day to Apply: May 07, 2021

Sartor and Associates has been retained by Rideau St. Lawrence Utilities Inc. to recruit a new President and Chief Executive Officer who will advise and be responsible to the Rideau St. Lawrence Utilities Board of Directors for all facets of corporate strategic planning, development, coordination and leadership in the distribution of the electrical services of Rideau St. Lawrence Utilities Inc. to its customer communities. The CEO ensures compliance with all applicable legislative, financial and governance matters. The CEO will provide leadership and guidance to the management team of Rideau St. Lawrence Utilities and carries out responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws.

 

BACKGROUND

Rideau St. Lawrence Utilities is a local electricity distributor that serves approximately 6,000 customers located in the Villages of Cardinal, Iroquois, Morrisburg, Westport, Williamsburg and the Town of Prescott.   Rideau St. Lawrence Utilities is owned by our four municipal shareholders, the Township of South Dundas, the Township of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal, the Village of Westport, the Town of Prescott and FortisOntario. Rideau St. Lawrence Utilities provides dependable utility services governed by and for the benefit of its customers in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. Rideau St. Lawrence Utilities is committed to their customers, community and shareholders.

Rideau St. Lawrence Utilities currently has 14 employees. The Management Team includes the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the 2 direct reports to the CEO, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and the Operations Manager.

 

CANDIDATE PROFILE

The essential duties and responsibilities of the job include but are not necessarily restricted to the following.

 

Board of Directors

  • Reports directly to the Board of Directors.
  • Develops and manages all appropriate policies, procedures and other related matters with the purpose of enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the Corporation for reporting and approval of the Board.
  • Develops solid relationships with Shareholders, Municipal Government Representatives and members of the business community in order to secure and maintain the anticipated market share for Rideau St. Lawrence Utilities Inc.
  • Develops and presents to the Board for final approval of company plans and budgets.
  • Develops and seeks business growth opportunities as directed by the Board of Directors.

 

Corporate Management Team

  • Provides leadership and guidance as a participating member of the Corporate Management Team.
  • Plan, design and direct work in coordination with management team in the setting of a Corporate Strategic and Business Plan.
  • Work with the CFO to direct the internal auditing of the Corporation and assumes the ultimate responsibility for operational and financial controls.
  • Reviews and approves, within guidelines or budgets established by the Board, capital acquisition and expenditure plans.
  • Ensures that all corporate activities and operations are carried out in compliance with local, provincial, and federal regulations and laws governing business operations as well as professional industry practices.
  • Work closely with the Management Team on HR areas including compensation discussions, employee benefits, health and safety, labour relations, contract administration.
  • Acts as chief spokesperson for the Corporation in communicating with the media, customers, suppliers, competitors, other utilities, government agencies, and professional societies and in negotiating major contracts.
  • Ensure all employee relations and labour relations are conducted in a manner that maximizes benefits to the Company and recognizes the valid concerns of employees.
  • Responsible for the collaborative approach to the coordination, development and implementation of the Union/Management Collective Agreement that will be subject to Board approval. Provide support where appropriate in resolving grievances, conciliations’ and arbitrations’ between the corporation and union members.
  • Ensure a well-trained, competent workforce is available to meet the company’s future needs.

 

Legal

  • Directs and administers all legal matters of the corporation with the support of external legal counsel as required.
  • Be fully familiar with all Board of Directors policies and procedures as they relate to the position and observe same.
  • Be fully familiar with the Shareholders Agreement.

 

Safety

  • Observe all company safety standards.
  • Provide Health & Safety oversight to the Operations Manager
  • Collaborate on ways of improving the safety of the work environment.
  • Ensure work practices are in compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and any other applicable legislation.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

 

Education and/or Experience

  • Thorough knowledge of Utility regulation, university degree in Business, Commerce or Engineering with 5 to l0 years related experience
  • Demonstrated customer service and marketing skills through past experience and accomplishments.
  • Ability to respond appropriately to inquiries, suggestions or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, municipal government representatives and members of the business community
  • Thorough knowledge of Ontario electrical utility financial procedures.
  • Experience in executing multiple concurrent projects, working in cross-functional teams
  • Must have a good understanding of “Shareholder” AND “Board of Directors” processes and how it applies on a corporate level.
  • Experienced and proficient in delivering effective presentations to management, public groups, government groups and Board of Directors.

 

Language Skills

  • Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
  • Ability to interact with Board of Directors both formally and informally by responding appropriately to inquiries, suggestions or complaints.
  • Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
  • Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
     

Reasoning Ability

  • Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
  • Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

 

KEY ATTRIBUTES & COMPETENCIES

Visioning & Alignment

The President & CEO must have an excellent understanding of the Ontario electricity sector and in conjunction with the management team and Board of Directors, be able to shape a compelling and inspired vision and strategy for the future state of the Corporation. Together they must be ready to exploit new opportunities for growth, take advantage of new technological advancements, and seize opportunities that will increase shareholder value.

 

Motivational Change Leadership

The President & CEO manages continuity, change, and transition. A model of integrity and professional behavior, they deal effectively with demanding situations, able to quickly design and implement interventions. He/she confidently builds and develops teams, fosters a respectful and ethical work environment, mobilizes the workforce and champions and delegates courses of action towards the achievement of the strategy and vision of the Corporation. This individual develops people and builds teams, and knows how to influence and enable others and address the impact of attitude and action.

 

Business & Financial Acumen

The President & CEO understands and uses the workings, structure, climate, and culture of the Corporation and the industry to achieve business and growth outcomes. They use and understand of financial information to make business decisions, maximize value, and maintain financial health of the Corporation. This position also requires demonstrated knowledge and experience in integrating and coordinating diverse areas of business management, including Human Resources, Finance, Operations, Customer Service, Regulatory, Information Technology, Risk Assessment and Mitigation, oral and written communications, planning and evaluation, and governance.

 

Commitment to Results

The President & CEO is a systems thinker who is customer focused and goal driven. This individual identifies relevant information and helps transform this information into individual and organizational knowledge and learning. The President & CEO is action orientated and innovative. They anticipate and solve problems and take advantage of opportunities, is a self-starter and team player.

 

Political Conscientious

The President & CEO understands and operates sensitively and effectively within the political structures and climates of the position.

 

Relationship & Network Building

The President & CEO seeks and builds alliances, maintains effective relationships, communicates in a compelling and articulate manner instilling commitment, and fosters open, respectful, two-way communication channels, internally and externally, to further the strategy and vision of the Corporation.

 

Negotiation & Consensus Building

The President & CEO actively listens for underlying nuances and messages and uses persuasion to build consensus, manage and/or resolve conflicts, and reach mutually agreeable outcomes.

 

Decision Making

The President & CEO analyses and synthesizes information to understand issues, identify options, and make appropriate, realistic, and timely decisions based on consideration of the available facts and alternatives and sound calculation of risks.

 

Resilience

The President & CEO must remain energized, positive, and focused in the face of ambiguity, change or strenuous demands.

 

APPLICATION INFORMATION

To explore this opportunity further, please email your resume (filename - “Last name, First name - CV”), with “Rideau St. Lawrence Utilities – Chief Executive Officer” in the subject line, in confidence to Larry Sartor at larry@sartorandassociates.com and Mark Fukuzawa at mark@sartorandassociates.com.

 

It is Rideau St. Lawrence Utilities’s 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.

 

April 7, 2021

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