Manager AI and Digital Innovation 

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director Information Technology/CIO, the Manager, AI and Digital Innovation is the City’s catalyst for turning emerging technologies into practical, measurable improvements. The role leads the City’s digital innovation roadmap with a strong focus on artificial intelligence, automation, analytics and digital service improvement, bringing business leaders, technology teams and governance partners together to move high-value ideas from concept to pilot to sustainable City-wide capability. By combining experimentation with disciplined governance, the Manager creates a trusted pathway for responsible innovation—accelerating staff productivity, improving services and decision-making, reducing risk and avoiding unnecessary cost. The position builds organizational confidence and capability, and ensures initiatives are responsible, accessible, secure and aligned with corporate priorities and public-sector stewardship.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the City’s AI and digital innovation roadmap by identifying, prioritizing and advancing opportunities that use artificial intelligence, automation, analytics and emerging technologies to improve productivity, service delivery, decision-making and operational efficiency.
• Turn emerging technology into practical solutions by leading discovery, design sessions, pilots, proofs of concept and implementation planning across AI, automation and analytics moving viable ideas from experimentation into secure, repeatable and supportable capabilities.
• Partner with departments and the Transformation Office to identify technology-enabled opportunities improve digital services and staff workflows, and translate operational challenges into actionable solutions.
• Create momentum for adoption and measurable value through targeted communications, learning programs, communities of practice, departmental champions, practical playbooks and change approaches that build confidence, improve digital capability and help staff use new tools responsibly and effectively.
• Make responsible innovation easier to navigate by bringing cybersecurity, privacy, records, accessibility, procurement, architecture, legal and business perspectives together to establish clear guardrails, decision criteria and review pathways that balance innovation speed with public trust and accountability.
• Build compelling cases for investment by preparing business cases, budget requests, cost-benefit analyses, vendor assessments, statements of work and executive materials that clearly connect proposed technology investments to productivity, service improvement, cost avoidance, risk reduction and sustainable operations.
• Develop a strong innovation ecosystem by engaging vendors, consultants, municipal peers, professional networks and internal experts to scan trends, compare practices, assess market maturity and bring relevant ideas and partnerships into the City.
• Lead through influence and evidence by coordinating cross-functional teams, vendors, departmental champions and project resources; tracking adoption, benefits, lessons learned and service impacts; and using results to improve the portfolio and guide responsible scaling.

Education and Experience

• University degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, Public Administration, Digital Transformation, Data/Analytics, Engineering or a related discipline; or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
• PMP, Prosci, ITIL, TOGAF, COBIT, Lean/Six Sigma, privacy, AI governance/responsible AI, Microsoft/Azure/Power Platform, product management, enterprise architecture, data governance, human-centred design or business analysis credentials.
• 7–10 years of progressively responsible experience in technology, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, automation, innovation, business systems, project/program delivery or related public-sector service improvement, including several years influencing or leading cross-functional initiatives.

Required Skills/Knowledge

• Strategic innovation leadership — Demonstrated leadership experience in technology innovation and digital transformation through the use of AI, automation and analytics, with the ability to connect emerging possibilities to corporate priorities, service outcomes and long-term organizational readiness.
• Deep artificial intelligence experience — Advanced knowledge of AI strategy, responsible AI governance, generative AI, machine learning concepts, intelligent automation, data readiness, model risk, vendor evaluation and adoption planning, with the ability to translate AI capability into practical, secure and measurable municipal service outcomes.
• Proven automation experience — Strong knowledge of business process automation, workflow redesign, low-code/no-code platforms, robotic process automation, systems integration, controls, exception handling and performance measurement, with the ability to identify repeatable work, simplify processes and deliver secure, scalable automation that improves productivity and service quality.
• Opportunity discovery and solution shaping — Demonstrated ability to uncover high-value business problems, ask the right questions, challenge assumptions and translate ambiguous needs into practical solution options, pilots, roadmaps and sustainable operating models.
• Responsible technology judgment — Sound knowledge of privacy, cybersecurity, records, accessibility, data governance, procurement, architecture and vendor risk, with the judgment to balance experimentation and speed against public trust, accountability and operational sustainability.
• Public-sector and municipal awareness — Understanding of municipal services, governance, budgeting, Council and executive decision-making, public accountability and the operational realities of introducing change across a complex, multi-service organization.
• Executive influence and storytelling —Outstanding communication, facilitation, negotiation and presentation skills, including the ability to make complex technology understandable, create compelling cases for action and influence leaders and teams without relying on direct authority.
• Change leadership and capability building — Experience designing adoption strategies, communications, learning programs, communities of practice and practical guidance that help people build confidence, redesign work and realize value from new technology.
• Outcome and benefits orientation — Ability to define meaningful success measures and evaluate initiatives through measurable improvements in productivity, service quality, decision-making, cost avoidance, risk reduction, adoption and staff or resident experience.
• Portfolio and delivery discipline — Strong skills in business cases, prioritization, project and program delivery, vendor management, budgeting, risk management and benefits realization, with the ability to move initiatives from idea through controlled experimentation to implementation and sustained operations.
• Collaborative leadership in ambiguity — Ability to bring diverse perspectives together, establish clarity where no mature process exists, resolve competing priorities and lead cross-functional teams, vendors and departmental partners through uncertainty and change.
• Digital platform fluency and continuous learning — Working knowledge of Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, Power BI, Power Automate, Power Apps, Copilot, Azure/cloud services and related enterprise platforms and low-code development tools, combined with curiosity and the ability to rapidly assess evolving technologies, market trends and municipal practices.

Leadership Competencies