Chief Administrative Officer

Lead a Region at the Heart of Atlantic Canada’s Growth and Innovation  Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) is a vibrant, diverse, and forward‑looking municipality that serves as the economic, cultural, and educational hub of Atlantic Canada. Home to over half a million residents across more than 200 communities, the Halifax Region blends the character of urban, suburban and rural living with the beauty of over 400km of coastline.

Home to CFB Halifax, the 5th Canadian Division, and major new defence investments—including a $188M naval training facility—the municipality is emerging as a national hub for defence innovation. Recognized as one of Atlantic Canada’s Top Employers and Canada’s Top Employers for Young People, the municipality continues to experience growth and is focused on creating connected communities, economic opportunity, and a resilient, sustainable region.
HRM is now seeking its next Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), a visionary and strategic leader who will work closely with Regional Council to shape the future of this dynamic region.

Key Responsibilities   Lead a workforce of over 5,000 employees in a unionized environment while fostering a culture of collaboration, strategic risk‑taking, accountability and service excellence.
Drive modernization of services and processes and organizational change to improve resident experience and ensure efficient, responsive service delivery.
Steward the municipality’s billion‑dollar budget with strong financial acumen and long‑term fiscal management and sustainability in mind.
Break down silos internally and build cohesion across business units while effectively navigating the Staff‑Regional Council relationship.
Partner closely with the Mayor to shape and advance Council’s strategic agenda and support opportunities to address key challenges.
Advance strategic priorities in housing, planning, infrastructure, transit, and climate action.
Serve as a credible and diplomatic representative of the municipality, fostering constructive community engagement and strong, collaborative relationships with the provincial government.
Embed equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and reconciliation into all aspects of municipal governance and service delivery.
Ideal Candidate Profile   Proven success managing large organizations and significant budgets, with strong fiscal management expertise.
Expertise in governance, strategic planning, and modernizing service delivery in a growth context.
Demonstrated ability to lead cultural transformation and organizational change.
Exceptional political acumen and communication skills, with the ability to navigate nuanced relationships and build consensus.
Courage, resilience, and decisiveness to lead through ambiguity, fiscal pressures, and competing priorities.
A demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and reconciliation.
Equal Opportunity Employer  Halifax Regional Municipality is committed to reflecting the community it serves and recognizing Diversity and Inclusion as one of the Municipality’s core values. We have an Employment Equity Policy and welcome applications from African Nova Scotians and Other Racially Visible Persons, Women in occupations or positions where they are underrepresented in the workforce, Indigenous/Aboriginal People, Persons with Disabilities and 2

SLGBTQ+ Persons. Applicants are encouraged to self‑identify through our online self‑identification questionnaire.

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