Leadership Where Aviation, Public Safety, and Emergency Response Meet
Are you a senior leader who can balance the demands of a regulated aviation environment with the realities of emergency response? Do you bring the judgment, credibility, and people centered leadership needed to guide complex aviation operations while preparing for future modernization?
The Ministry of Natural Resources is seeking a strategic and experienced leader to join the
Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services Branch as the Assistant Director, Aviation Services. This role provides senior level oversight of Ontario's provincial aviation program within a federally and provincially regulated, safety critical environment supporting provincewide emergency response, non-schedule air transportation program, and natural resource flying.
In this role, you will ensure aviation operations are safe, compliant, and effective, while leading planning for future fleet expansion, infrastructure, and workforce readiness. You will provide leadership over a complex aviation operation supporting wildland fire management, working closely with operational, business, and emergency response partners.
If you are interested in shaping Ontario's aviation services through strong leadership, collaboration, and sound judgment, this opportunity may be the next step in your leadership career.
The Ontario Public Service: Strengthening Ontario, together.
A career in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) is driven by purpose. We're building a stronger Ontario by delivering programs and services that make a real difference in people's lives. If you share this ambition, you'll find a workplace that reflects the diversity of the people we serve and empowers you to lead with confidence.
Why Your Leadership Belongs Here
- Purpose that drives you: Lead work that matters. Your leadership will shape policies, programs, and services that improve lives across the province—every day.
- A culture that supports you: Thrive in a flexible, inclusive, and respectful workplace that values your well-being and empowers you to bring your whole self to work.
- A career that grows with you: Explore leadership opportunities across ministries and sectors. With access to mentorship, learning, and mobility, your career can evolve here.
- Recognition that reflects your impact: We value the difference you make. You'll receive competitive pay, a defined-benefit pension, and benefits that support your well-being—plus meaningful recognition for your contributions.
We believe great leadership starts with high standards and strong support. In the OPS, that means showing up with authenticity, acting with integrity, and having the courage to do what's right, even when it's hard.
As a leader, you'll shape a team culture that sparks innovation, supports collaboration, and champions inclusion. You'll help build a workplace that is diverse, anti-racist, and accessible, where everyone feels safe, respected, and able to thrive.
You won't be doing it alone. We invest in our leaders through mentorship, learning opportunities, and cross-ministry networks that help you grow your impact and connect with peers across the organization.
Leadership is about impact, and in this role, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful one.
You will:
- Provide senior leadership over a regulated provincial aviation operation
- Oversee the safe, compliant operation of Ontario's aviation fleet
- Lead planning and integration activities for new aircraft, facilities, and infrastructure
- Provide oversight of capital planning, workforce planning, and operational readiness
- Lead and support senior managers responsible for aviation services
- Translate technical and regulatory requirements into clear, executive level decisions
- Support branch wide modernization, risk management, and continuous improvement initiatives
- Build strong relationships with regulators, partners, vendors, and internal stakeholders
Meet Your New Team
The Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services Branch (AFFES) is part of Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources and provides leadership and service delivery for the Ministry's wildland fire management, emergency management and aviation services.
AFFES leads the province's wildfire management program, including prevention, detection, and suppression of forest fires. It also operates Ontario's fleet of specialized aircraft for firefighting and emergency response, supports all-hazards emergency management (such as floods and natural disasters), and provides expertise, personnel, and coordination in complex, multi-agency emergency situations across the province.
The Aviation Services team delivers safe, reliable, and responsive aviation support for wildland fire management, emergency operations, and broader Ontario Public Service needs. It operates a non-scheduled air transportation program, with more than half of the fleet dedicated to forest fire operations during peak season, while also supporting critical activities such as wildlife surveys, fish stocking, and rabies prevention across the province. The team ensures compliance with federal aviation regulations and provincial safety standards while maintaining a high level of operational readiness during increasingly complex and extended fire seasons. In addition, the team plays a key role in positioning the program for the future by supporting fleet renewal initiatives, infrastructure planning, and continuous improvement efforts to meet evolving public safety requirements.
- This role requires mandatory travel.
- Leadership Experience: You bring established experience leading people and teams, with clear accountability for results, team development, and performance. You lead by setting direction, coaching others, and building a culture of trust, inclusion, and high performance.
- Setting Direction and Priorities: You provide clear priorities, performance expectations, and strategic focus in complex and evolving environments.
- Judgement and Accountability: You demonstrate strong judgment, integrity, and accountability in executive level decision making.
- Dispersed Operations Leadership: You support and lead teams and response systems operating across diverse, geographically dispersed regions.
- Change and Modernization Leadership: You lead organizational change, navigate ambiguity, and help teams adapt during periods of modernization.
- Clear and Executive Level Communication: You communicate complex information clearly and confidently to staff, executives, and stakeholders.
- Trust and Credibility Building: You are known for building trust and credibility quickly through transparent and respectful communication.
- Stakeholder and Partner Engagement: You maintain strong, constructive relationships across internal teams, external partners, and intergovernmental stakeholders.
- Representation at Senior Tables: You represent the organization effectively at executive, intergovernmental, and external forums.
- Communication Under Pressure: You exercise sound judgment and composure when communicating in high pressure, sensitive, or time critical situations.
- Enterprise Level Thinking: You bring strong strategic thinking skills and the ability to operate effectively at an enterprise level.
- Complex Issue Analysis: You assess complex issues, risks, and tradeoffs to support well reasoned, defensible decisions.
- Balancing Short and Long Term Objectives: You balance immediate operational needs with long term strategic goals and public service outcomes.
- Judgment in Ambiguity: You make timely, thoughtful decisions in ambiguous, rapidly evolving, or high stakes environments.
- Turning Strategy into Action: You translate strategic priorities into clear plans, actions, and measurable results.
The following would be considered an asset:
- Regulated Aviation Operations Leadership: You bring leadership experience in a federally and provincially regulated, safety critical aviation environment where compliance and risk management are essential.
- Aviation Safety and Compliance Oversight: You understand aviation safety systems, regulatory requirements, and occupational health and safety obligations, and support safe, compliant operations.
- Strategic Oversight of Aviation Services: You provide executive level oversight of aviation operations that support emergency response, balancing operational effectiveness with long term sustainability.
- Fleet, Infrastructure, and Capital Planning: You contribute to planning related to aircraft fleets, facilities, and supporting infrastructure, including preparation for future expansion and modernization.
- Translating Technical Issues into Executive Decisions: You interpret complex technical and regulatory information and translate it into clear, strategic advice and decisions at the executive level.
If you are excited about this position and meet most, but not all, of the listed qualifications, please still consider applying. We recognize that no one person might have every qualification in this job ad, and you just might be the right candidate!
Think this role could be right for you?
We're here to support you every step of the way. These short videos can help you feel confident and prepared:
- Navigating Our Hiring Process(2 min) – Get a clear overview of each stage in our structured hiring process so you know what to expect and how to prepare.
- Application Preparation Tips(4 min) – Learn how to showcase your leadership experience in ways that align with how we evaluate applications during the screening stage, increasing your chances of being shortlisted.
Take a few minutes to explore these resources. They're designed to set you up for success.
We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.
Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's
Human Rights Code and the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please contact us.
Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace:
- diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
- accessibility
- Anti-Racism Policy
