Director, Strategy & Innovation

Who We Are:

Clarington Library, Museums & Archives (CLMA) is a cornerstone of the community, partnering with other organizations to enhance cultural, educational and economic wellbeing. As an active connector for social interaction, learning and dialogue, CLMA fosters an accessible and welcoming environment. CLMA is a significant resource that is widely recognized and supported in the community as an innovative and progressive organization in a knowledge and information-based economy. We operate 4 library locations, 1 heritage centre and an additional 2 heritage buildings that are open by appointment only.

Our Team:

We love new ideas. Collaboration and innovation are at the heart of everything we do. Our team values open communication, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to excellence. Creativity is encouraged, and diverse perspectives are celebrated to foster an environment of inclusivity and continuous improvement. We prioritize professional development, providing regular opportunities for training and skill development. With a culture that encourages both individual autonomy and collective teamwork, you'll contribute to projects and initiatives that make a positive impact on the local community.

Our Values:

• Curiosity & Ideas
• Preservation
• Innovation
• Intellectual freedom
• Community
• Respect
• Accountability

Your Opportunity:

The Director, Strategy and Innovation is an experienced project manager, a decisive decision-maker, and an innovator of service design. You achieve success by developing short-term and long-term financial and operational plans to position the organization as a destination of choice in the community, ensuring service offerings are reflective of community needs and anticipatory of future service evolutions. Clarington is one of the fastest growing municipalities in Ontario and we are seeking a leader who has an appetite for innovation and results, a champion for our employees and who believes in the value of library and museum services in the community. The Director, Strategy and Innovation is a member of the Senior Leadership Team and leads the Collections, Digital Literacy and Community Engagement service areas. You will be involved in charting the success of the CLMA strategic plan by monitoring KPIs to ensure organizational accountability, lead the architectural rollout of Power BI across all service areas, moving the organization from static reporting to a dynamic, automated data culture, and expand the CLMA’s ‘smart-city’ initiative of deploying automated book lockers in key community hubs.

Working Conditions:

Salary Range: $127,484 to $154,958 annually (2026 rate)

Status: Non-Affiliated, Regular Full-Time

Schedule:   35 hours per week, including evenings and weekends as required

Position Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership in the development, implementation, and evaluation of organizational plans aligned with CLMA’s mission, values, and strategic priorities
• Serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to organization-wide planning, performance, and culture
• Act as designate Chief Executive Officer in the absence of the CEO, ensuring continuity of leadership and operations
• Provide direct leadership, coaching, and performance management for managers and staff within the Collections, Digital Literacy, Marketing and Community Engagement service areas, supporting team development, accountability, and effective service delivery
• Champion service design and continuous improvement to ensure services are responsive to community needs and future-focused
• Develop, monitor, and report on key performance indicators to support accountability and alignment with Board and Municipal objectives
• Lead the rollout and adoption of Power BI, advancing a dynamic, automated, and data-informed organizational culture • Integrate data from multiple systems into accessible dashboards that support evidence-based decision-making at all levels
• Oversee the planning and expansion of smart-city initiatives, including automated book locker deployment in key community locations
• Collaborate on financial and operational planning to support sustainable growth and effective resource allocation
• Build and maintain strong relationships with the Board, Municipal Council, staff, community partners, and external stakeholders
• Lead change management initiatives and foster an inclusive, high-performing workplace culture
• Ensure compliance with applicable legislation, policies, and health and safety requirements
• Represent CLMA at community, municipal, and professional forums and prepare reports and presentations as required
• Perform other related duties as assigned in support of organizational objectives

Essential Qualifications:

• Master of Library Science degree or other post-graduate discipline from an accredited College/University to the satisfaction of the CEO
• Five (5) years of leadership experience in a service-oriented environment
• Experience working with a Board, elected officials, municipal staff, and community stakeholders
• An innovator with experience identifying and capitalizing on opportunities
• Proven ability to map data sources (Integrated Library Systems, web analytics, etc.) into unified dashboards that empower staff at all levels to make evidence-based decisions
• Experience in planning, implementing, and evaluating services
• Strategic thinker to foster success, to build strong and enthusiastic staff teams and to align services with the Board’s and Municipal Council’s strategic directions
• Comfort with risk, failure, and ambiguity
• Excellent interpersonal, communications and presentation skills with the ability to network and develop community partnerships
• Excellent English language oral, written, and presentation skills including the ability to teach and present to community groups, partners, boards, and Municipal council
• Other language skills are an asset
• Experienced working with confidential information with discretion and professionalism
• Strong knowledge of the Employment Standards Act, Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians Disability Act and the Occupation Health and Safety Act
• A satisfactory, Standard Criminal Record Check is required prior to commencement of employment

Does this sound like an opportunity you are interested in, but you don’t check all the boxes? Please apply and tell us what you can bring to the role.