Executive Director, Customer Experience

Client Organization: City of Toronto

Position Title: Executive Director, Customer Experience

Reports to: Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services

Location: Toronto, Ontario

THE CITY OF TORONTO

Toronto is Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is home to more than 3 million residents whose diversity and experiences strengthen our great city. A global centre for business, finance, technology, arts, culture, and innovation, Toronto consistently places at the top of international rankings due in part to investments championed by residents and businesses, and in turn, led by Toronto City Council and carried out through the work of the Toronto Public Service.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE DIVISION (CXD)

On January 1, 2023, CXD, formerly known as 311, was launched. The evolution of 311 to CXD brought three Corporate Services groups together under one division: 311, the Customer Experience Transformation Program and parts of the Customer Experience and Innovation team. 

The Customer Experience Division is leading the corporate-wide approach to customer experience and provides support to all City divisions in delivering innovative service experience that is easy and accessible, allowing the public to be served when, where, and how they prefer. The Customer Experience Division will ensure the City offers an integrated customer experience that is consistent, standardized across services, and is continuously improving channels like self-serve digital, contact centres, and in-person hubs.

CXD’s key objectives are to:

• • Improve access to City services: design services for the public that are accessible, equitable and easy to navigate and that allows residents, businesses, and visitors to access services when, how and where they want to.
  • Provide a consistent customer experience:  develop corporate standards and processes to enable consistency across City divisions, services, and channels.
  • Optimize services and deliver in a cost-effective manner:  build processes and tools that enable a seamless and efficient service and that prevent unnecessary escalations and confusion for residents, businesses, and visitors.

• Build trust and confidence in City services:  ensure there is access to data and metrics to report on progress towards customer experience objectives, build accountability into the City's customer experience practices and ensure expectations are met.

THE ROLE

A key member of the Corporate Services leadership team, the Executive Director, Customer Experience (CX) provides leadership in establishing and maintaining a corporate-wide CX vision and strategy, and oversees the planning, coordination, implementation, and operational delivery across all service channels. The Executive Director provides oversight and direction to the CX structure and its integrated teams (Strategy, Insights & Planning; Service Design & Delivery; Channel Operations; Quality & Performance), directly engages City Council and Divisions, coordinates projects and operations, standardizes corporate processes, tracks performance, and leverages evolving technology.

As a champion of change, the Executive Director will continue to modernize the City’s service delivery model and channels to provide a simple, consistent, equitable, and efficient customer experience journey for residents, businesses and visitors. Key first-year priorities will include:

• Establishing credibility, gaining the confidence of and managing relationships/partnerships with CXD, Corporate Services colleagues including Technology Services, City service divisions, and City Council.
• Developing an integrated service roadmap that includes ongoing transition from 311 call centre to other channels.
• Continuing to drive progress on key work plan initiatives while maintaining strong performance metrics.
• Embracing public service and its complex and meaningful work that touches every aspect of life in the City, and how effective customer service management serves to enhance the City’s overall reputation.

The Executive Director reports to the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services and oversees a team of 200 with a current operating budget of approximately $25m. The position is based at Metro Hall with on-site meetings at City Hall on a frequent basis.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following experience, knowledge, skills and attributes:

• Experienced customer service leader in large, complex, multi-channel environments with demonstrated commitment to excellent service delivery.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to establish credibility and collaboratively build and manage inter-departmental, cross-corporate relationships and partnerships.
• Skilled change leader who has successfully managed integrated change and transformation initiatives, including digital, that have positively impacted both customer experience and operational excellence. 
• Strong strategy and planning skills with experience developing and executing comprehensive customer service plans.
• Experience leading, motivating and coaching a team aligned to the City’s values and ensuring a culture that champions equity, diversity and inclusive, respectful workplaces; experience in a unionized environment is an asset.
• Strong political acuity with ability to appropriately navigate the complexities and nuances of government.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and is able to synthesize information and communicate effectively in plain language to all constituents including public, political and media.

The City of Toronto is committed to employment equity and encourages applications from Aboriginal people, people with disabilities, members of visible minority groups and women. The City of Toronto strives to build an inclusive society and provide an accessible environment in which all individuals have access to the City’s services and programs in a way that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities.

Should you require accommodation to participate as a candidate in the hiring process, please communicate your needs to the LHH Knightsbridge project team.

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you’re interested in being considered for this exciting and impactful leadership position, please forward your cover letter and resume to Chris Sawyer at chris.sawyer@lhhknightsbridge.com. Should you have any questions regarding this opportunity, please contact a member of the project team:

Stephen Hime, Partner stephen.hime@lhhknightsbridge.com 416-928-4576

Laura Machan, Partner laura.machan@lhhknightsbridge.com 416-640-4303

Chris Sawyer, Senior Consultant chris.sawyer@lhhknightsbridge.com 416-640-4312 

Oksana Krupa, Executive Assistant oksana.krupa@lhhknightsbridge.com 416-928-4612

About LHH – www.lhh.com