Member LoginApplication deadline: April 18, 2025
Job Description / Duties
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate has a distinguished senior policing career with unquestioned character, a reputation for focusing on stakeholder involvement and community partners and demonstrated abilities to build healthy and effective relationships both internally and externally. The ideal candidate is:
• A trustworthy and community-focused leader who fosters strong relationships with both the public and members of the police service. They prioritize transparency, fairness, and open communication, ensuring that trust is consistently built and maintained.
• An outstanding communicator who seeks out opportunities to share information with service members and the community.
• ‘Present’, paying close attention to the needs of the service members and the community.
• Humble yet decisive, recognizing that leadership is about the needs of others. They will actively listen to concerns from both officers and the community, demonstrating empathy and responsiveness.
• A shrewd allocator of resources, ensuring that the department operates efficiently, maximizing the impact of available resources while maintaining public safety. They will make data-driven decisions to allocate personnel and equipment yet still using common sense.
• Accountable, up and down. They set clear expectations for officers yet are accountable to them as well. The Chief will lead by example while remaining accountable to residents through the BOPC.
Ultimately, the Police Chief will create an environment where officers feel supported; and the community feels safe, heard, and respected.
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
The Police Chief has the singular responsibility for overseeing and directing all law enforcement activities within the City of Moose Jaw. That is the “WHAT”. But the most important criteria are the “HOW”.
The Police Chief will lead the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) in the following ways:
• Lead the capacity for organizational change and transformation.
• Model and promote a culture of accountability and trust – both internally and externally to the department.
• Provide direction to the organizational financial management strategy and ensure appropriate accountability.
• Establish and lead the direction of the MJPS’s relationship with the community.
• Make effective decisions in the face of ambiguity, involving collaborative input processes, while managing risks and fostering innovative and adaptive problem solving.
• Set, promote, and embody the values and standards for ethical and accountable policing.
• Promote a policing culture that embraces difference and inclusion.
• Communicate effectively across a range of situations and with a diversity of stakeholders.
• Operate effectively across a broad spectrum of political, cultural and social environments.
• Promote a vision and set expectations for community safety and well-being, and,
• Encourage strategic thinking and flexibility.
Qualifications / Required Skills
EXPERIENCE
Candidates should possess at least ten years experience in law enforcement with five years in progressively senior administration and supervisory policing positions.
EDUCATION
The candidate should have a degree in criminology, law enforcement, public administration or a related field; a combination of experience, education and training may substitute for formal education.
The candidate should demonstrate the ability to foster a culture of continuous learning including knowledge of emerging trends and technologies in law enforcement.
LEADERSHIP
Strong leadership skills are essential, including the ability to set the Service’s vision, goals, and strategic priorities.
Demonstrated business acumen is expected, including experience in the preparation, effective management, and execution of operational and capital budgets.
Demonstrated history in developing a high level of force morale, successfully leading high performing teams, change management processes and the proven ability to lead and motivate a diverse workforce and foster a culture of physical and mental wellness, safety, and inclusion are expected.
Experience in engaging with police unions, including labour relations, is required.
The candidate must be able to uphold ethical standards and cultivate an atmosphere of strict accountability and adherence to provincial standards.
POLICING EXPERTISE
Candidates should have experience in frontline policing, crime prevention, and investigative work. The candidate must ensure the effective deployment of resources to ensure an effective and efficient police service.
A deep understanding of Canadian law enforcement standards is crucial, including knowledge of the Criminal Code, provincial Police Acts, and municipal policing regulations.
POLICY DEVELOPMENT
The successful candidate should have experience in policy development and risk assessment. Modern policing requires an understanding of issues such as mental health response, homelessness, and substance abuse, along with strategies to address these challenges in collaboration with community partners.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Candidates should have demonstrated ability to work closely and effectively with police oversight boards, mayors, city councils and provincial agencies.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Effective police chiefs have a proven track record in building community relationships (e.g. businesses, schools, community groups and other key stakeholders) a commitment to community-oriented policing, and an ability to effectively engage with community stakeholders in ways that build public trust.
Experience working with Indigenous communities and cultural awareness training is particularly relevant.
Top-tier communication and conflict resolution skills, both written and oral, are essential, as the role often involves handling media relations and public outreach.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Candidates must be a Canadian citizen, possess a valid Canadian driver’s license and must pass a security clearance and disciplinary background investigation.
Additional Information
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY
The City of Moose Jaw is located along the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province of Saskatchewan. Established in 1882 when the Canadian Pacific Railway expanded west, the community was incorporated as a City in 1903. The estimated 2024 population of Moose Jaw is a little more than 33,500 which makes it the fourth largest City in Saskatchewan.
The City’s economy is driven by industries such as agriculture, manufacturing and tourism. Moose Jaw is home to the famous Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) 431 Air Demonstration Squadron (Snowbirds) and 15 Wing’s NATO Flight Training Centre. In terms of tourism, the City of Moose Jaw is renowned as Canada’s Most Notorious City! There are a host of tourist attractions associated with this notoriety including the Tunnels of Moose Jaw. Other additional tourist attractions include Temple Gardens Mineral Spa, Casino Moose Jaw, and various restored historic buildings such as the Yvette Moore Gallery and Café and the magnificent Grant Hall Hotel.
The advantages of living in the City of Moose Jaw are outlined in the Get a Life campaign – a historical municipality, urban green spaces, vibrant downtown street culture, modern services, low crime rates, a variety of career opportunities, and affordability. The median price of an average residential home in 2022 was $248,000 (CAN). Moose Jaw ranks #2 in Canada’s Top 20 Small Cities to Live!
Salary: ~$200,000
Contact Information
To apply please send your cover letter and resume in confidence to:
Mark Hutchison, Partner
HumanEdge Global
email: mark@humanedgeglobal.com
www.humanedgeglobal.com
Application Deadline is April 18, 2025
https://humanedgeglobal.com/opportunities/police-chief/
Employer Profile
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
Following the recent retirement of the current Chief, the Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners (BOPC) has embarked on a search for the City’s next Police Chief. The Chief of Police reports directly to the five-member (Mayor, two Councilors, two Community Members) BOPC and leads a senior management team which includes one Deputy Chief and two Superintendents.
The MJPS has a long and rich history of providing exemplary policing and safety services. Although much has changed in the city and the police service since the first constable was sworn in 130 years ago, its commitment to keeping Moose Jaw a safe, harmonious and inclusive community remains a priority.
Today, the roughly 100 personnel of the MJPS continue to serve the community with pride, integrity and dedication. It values treating everyone with dignity and respect, improving effectiveness and efficiency, and policing with transparency and accountability. MJPS is innovative, challenging itself to improve its responses to crises and crimes. It is collaborative, working closely with community organizations to bring multifaceted, evidence-based approaches to crime prevention, community development, and complex problems. These values provide the framework for its community policing model of crime prevention, problem solving, peace keeping, and community building.
More information on the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) may be found at https://mjpolice.ca