Job Description
The Ministry of Forests is part of a collective of natural resource ministries, responsible for stewardship of Provincial Crown land, cultural and natural resources. Operating on a provincial land base of over 94 million hectares, the ministry ensures integrated decision making of forest, wildlife, lands and water. The ministry works with rural communities to strengthen and diversify their economies and supports related economical and environmental activities. The ministry protects public safety through wildfire prevention, mitigation and suppression strategies, and is responsible for policy development, operational management and implementation, and administration of all or part of 59 statues and associated regulations.
The British Columbia Wildfire Service (BCWS) contributes to managing wildfire emergencies through the four pillars of emergency management: prevention, preparedness, response, recovery/resilience programs. The BCWS works in partnership at the international, national, provincial, Indigenous, and local municipal levels and is a key partner in BC land management and world-wide fire response activities. BCWS operates 33 Fire Zones, 6 Regional Fire Centres, and 2 Provincial Headquarter centres in Kamloops and Victoria. BCWS has approximately 350 full-time staff and over 1700 seasonal employees.
The Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM), BCWS is a primary resource to ministry and provincial senior officials by providing expert strategic advice and developing solutions to complex, high impact issues related to the province’s year-round land management, natural resource emergency preparedness, response, risk, recovery, and Indigenous relations. The ADM provides strategic oversight of the BCWS program and establishes the overall direction, deliverables and service areas that are impacting Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, industry, agriculture, and ecosystems across the province.
The ideal candidate for the ADM, BCWS role is an experienced senior manager with related education and natural resources expertise. They will also have at least five years of demonstrated senior or executive level experience in wildfire management, or in an equivalent organization of size, scale, and complexity. Thriving in a fast-paced, politically sensitive and complex work environment, this tactful and trustworthy leader is confident working with all levels of government. Bringing their proven ability to build relationships with them, they will be skilled in developing partnerships on multiple levels with Indigenous, non-Indigenous, contractor, stakeholder, local government, provincial, national, and international groups to collaboratively solve priority wildfire management issues.
The appointee will be required to consent to a criminal record check. For more information, please visit www.gov.bc.ca/executiveopportunities.
The BC Public Service is committed to creating a diverse workplace to reflect the population we serve and to better meet the needs of our citizens. Consider joining our executive team and being part of an innovative, inclusive, and rewarding organization.