Chief Information Officer/Director, Digital Services

Job Description

Are you a visionary technology leader who can turn digital possibilities into meaningful organizational impact?

The City of Red Deer is seeking a dynamic and forward-thinking Chief Information Officer (CIO) / Director, Digital Services to help shape the future of technology and digital service delivery across our organization. This is an exciting opportunity to lead enterprise technology strategy, champion innovation and modernization, and build the secure, reliable digital foundations that support essential municipal services. If you thrive at the intersection of technology, people and organizational transformation, this is your opportunity to make a lasting impact on how we work, serve and grow.

The Opportunity:
The City of Red Deer is seeking an accomplished and innovative technology executive to join our Corporate Performance and Supports Division as Chief Information Officer (CIO) / Director, Digital Services.

Reporting to the Deputy Executive Director, Corporate Performance and Supports, the CIO will provide strategic and operational leadership for the City's enterprise technology environment, guiding digital modernization while ensuring the reliability, security and sustainability of the technology services that support municipal operations and community service delivery.

Leading a diverse team of approximately 50 professionals, the CIO will play a pivotal role in shaping the City's technology future, strengthening organizational capabilities and translating emerging digital opportunities into practical, sustainable solutions.

With responsibility for a broad enterprise portfolio, the successful candidate will provide leadership in six key areas:

• Digital Strategy, Governance and Modernization: Shape and advance the City's enterprise technology strategy, architecture and roadmap. Champion innovation, automation and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to enable organizational improvement and enhance municipal service delivery.
• Technology Infrastructure, Cybersecurity and Resilience: Provide executive oversight of the City's technology infrastructure, cybersecurity and disaster recovery capabilities, ensuring critical systems and services remain secure, reliable and resilient in an increasingly complex digital environment.
• Enterprise Solutions and Technology Delivery: Lead the planning, integration and modernization of enterprise applications and technology solutions, working collaboratively across departments to align investments with organizational priorities and deliver sustainable business value.
• Technical Services and Customer Experience: Foster a service-oriented technology culture, strengthening technical support, operational performance and the employee experience through responsive, reliable and continuously improving digital services.
• Enterprise Data Architecture and Integration: Advance the technical foundations that enable secure, connected and accessible organizational data, supporting effective integration, analytics and informed decision-making across the City.
• People Leadership and Financial Stewardship: Inspire and develop a high-performing Digital Services team, strengthen leadership capacity and oversee significant technology investments, partnerships and service delivery models to ensure accountability, sustainability and value.

As the City's senior technology advisor, the CIO will work closely with executive leadership, departments and Council, as required, to navigate complex technology decisions, balance competing priorities and position the organization for long-term success.

The ideal candidate brings deep technical expertise, strong business acumen and a demonstrated ability to lead complex enterprise technology environments. They are a strategic thinker and accomplished people leader who understands the importance of operational excellence while embracing opportunities for innovation and transformation.

They bring sound judgment, exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, and the ability to translate complex technical considerations into clear, practical advice. Equally comfortable setting long-term direction and navigating immediate operational challenges, they inspire confidence, build collaborative partnerships and lead meaningful organizational change.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a technology leader who wants to do more than manage systems. It is an opportunity to shape digital direction, build organizational capability and help transform how municipal services are delivered for the community of Red Deer.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, Computer Engineering or a related technical field. An equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible technology leadership experience may be considered.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in Information Technology or Digital Services, including 5+ years in a technology leadership role with significant responsibility for enterprise technology services, teams and operations.
• Experience developing and implementing organization-wide technology strategies, including infrastructure, enterprise applications, cybersecurity, data management and digital modernization.
• Experience leading complex technology and data transformation initiatives and supporting teams through organizational change.
• Experience managing significant operating and capital budgets, technology investments, vendor relationships and contracts.
• Strong technical understanding of enterprise architecture, cloud technologies, cybersecurity, data governance and emerging technologies.
• Ability to provide sound strategic and operational advice to senior leaders. Strong judgment and the ability to explain complex technology matters to non-technical audiences.
• Experience leading collaborative, accountable teams, developing leaders and building strong working relationships across an organization.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Graduate education in a related field.
• Professional certifications in enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, cloud technologies, data and analytics, artificial intelligence, technology service management or project management.
• Senior technology leadership experience in a municipality, public-sector organization, utility or similarly complex organization.
• Experience assessing different technology service delivery options, including internal services, managed services, cloud solutions and external partnerships.
• Experience leading organization-wide digital modernization and introducing emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
• Knowledge of municipal operations, public-sector accountability, privacy legislation and regulatory requirements.

What we offer:
In addition to the competitive wages, we offer an excellent benefit package, pension plans, spending accounts and professional development opportunities to support your career growth.

We are committed to a healthy, vibrant, and sustainable community. Our employees are the cornerstone of our organization and working with us will provide you with work-life balance, career growth and job stability.

The opportunity to work in an ever-growing environment and to work with a dedicated and passionate group of people.

Affiliation: Exempt
Status: Regular Full-time
Remuneration: $75.63 to $94.53 per hour ($148,045 to $185,042 per annum)
Hours of Work: 75 hours biweekly; Monday to Friday, some evening and weekend work may be required when needed.

Additional Information: Closing date is November 25, 2026, or until a suitable candidate has been found.

The City of Red Deer does not permit the use of unauthorized internet resources or Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (for example, Copilot, ChatGPT or any other form of AI) during interviews or any supervised or timed assessments. Any violation may be investigated and result in serious consequences, including the rejection of your application.

We thank you for your application. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.