A month after Red Deer city manager Craig Curtis retired from his job, city council still hasn’t officially replaced him.
The top job is being done by senior city staff who have been filling in as interim city manager on a rotating basis.
While Curtis gave about one year’s notice that he would be retiring just after the 2019 Canada Winter Games, Red Deer Mayor Tara Veer feels council is on track in the hiring process.
It was expected the procedure to find a new city manager would take about a year, she added.
Executive search company Boyden Canada Opportunities was hired last fall, after the contract went to tender.
Veer said the company advertises to potential candidates globally.
On the city’s website, the ideal candidate to fill Curtis’s shoes is described as “an emerging or established leader who has excelled at leading a multi-faceted public or private-sector organization and is recognized for getting things done” — with a track record of successes.
Strong communications and project management skills and financial acumen are a must, as well as a “community-minded orientation,” honesty, integrity and “the confidence to develop others through empowerment and trust.”
The city manager’s role is described as being key to identifying critical issues, objectives and strategies. The person who is hired for the top job will have to envision how the City of Red Deer will meet “the needs of its various constituencies” in future, as well as putting that vision into operation.
While there’s no strict time frame for hiring, “we are nearing the completion” of the process, said Veer, who can’t say much more because of the confidentiality of human resources matters.
In the Boyden listing for the city manager position, Red Deer is described as being one of Canada’s most entrepreneurial cities, with access to more than 81 per cent of Alberta’s four million people within a two-hour drive.
“With a diverse workforce, strong average family income and ideal geographic location, Red Deer is a highly desirable place to live and do business,” it says.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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