Town of Cochrane redesigns its organizational structure

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The Town of Cochrane is undergoing a significant redesign of its organizational structure to better align with its strategic goals and evolving service requirements of the community.

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Municipal officials announced the changes on Jan. 23.

Earlier this year, council engaged a municipal reorganizational specialist to conduct an in-depth evaluation of the town’s organizational framework and operational context.

This comprehensive review identified key opportunities to enhance leadership, streamline services, find cost efficiencies and improve communication across the organization.

As part of this organizational shift, the town has elected to create a new position of general manager/deputy chief administrative officer.

This role will play a central part in the leadership team, providing strategic direction and oversight of critical service areas within a consolidated department, that includes, infrastructure (roads, water and sewer, solid waste), parks and recreation, planning and building services, information technology and bylaw enforcement.

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The general manager/deputy CAO will also serve as a back-up to the CAO, ensuring continuity in leadership.

Under the restructuring, the CAO will maintain direct oversight of key departments, including Administration and Finance, Human Resources, Economic Development, Protective and Emergency Management Services, Child Care and the Polar Bear Habitat.

A strong emphasis will be placed on advancing strategic priorities and enhanced communications and community engagement — which were identified as a key focus during the organizational review.

This will help ensure alignment with Cochrane’s long-term goals and strengthen connections throughout the community.

“This also represents a shift from the previous four-pillar director structure,” said CAO Monika Malherbe. “Notably, the former Community Services now covers a wider scope of municipal services, bringing together the former Infrastructure, Recreation and Planning and Building departments under a unified leadership structure.”

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The town has been challenged with ongoing vacancies in senior staff positions for several years, accompanied by upcoming retirements.

Town officials said they are actively recruiting the next generation of leadership.

Mayor Peter Politis said, “By realigning responsibilities across departments, we aim to enhance efficiency and position the organization to better respond to council’s needs and strategic priorities.”

The town has launched a workforce restoration initiative to support these changes.

This initiative is aimed at ensuring their resources are optimally aligned to support the community, foster internal collaboration, and create new opportunities for growth within the organization and across the community.

This initiative focuses on enhancing teamwork and ensuring that every role has the tools to contribute meaningfully to the success of the community.

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