TOOLS
Leadership Competency Profile for Senior Leadership
What is a Competency Profile?
A competency profile is a set of competencies selected as the most important for successful job
performance. It lists them and specifies the required proficiency level of each competency
expected for a position.
Senior Leadership Level
Senior leaders plans and directs operational and/or administrative functions of a division in a
police service. They oversee the development and implementation of operational plans, manage
allocation of financial, human, and information resources and coordinate work activities with
other divisions in a police service.
This initiative was funded by the Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program
This is a living document. Last updated January 2011
© POLICE SECTOR COUNCIL
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Leadership Competency Profile for Senior Leadership
Competency Name and
Definition
Proficiency Level and Associated Behaviours
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Facilitates the transition to new
organizational processes in
response to internal and
external needs
Plans change process (Level 4)
 Establishes a transition team for change implementation
 Directs the translation of organizational vision and strategies for change into specific goals
 Communicates the need to include strategies to address the people issues as well as the
business change
 Approves communication and stakeholder engagement plans to support change initiatives
 Provides direction and support to the management team
 Formally acknowledges team contributions and celebrates key milestones with the transition
team
 Establishes strategies to measure impact of change
 Develops change strategies based on change management theories and best practices
COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND
MEDIA MANAGEMENT
Uses media and community
events/resources effectively to
create a positive public image
of the police service, build
strong relationships with the
community, and to assist in the
detection and investigation of
crime
Manages the organization’s public affairs and media relations strategy (Level 4)
 Establishes guidelines regarding the type and amount of organizational information that
can be disclosed to the public
 Manages organizational relationships with the media
 Ensures centralized coordination of public affairs and media relations activities
 Communicates regularly with the media, e.g., holds press conferences
 Effectively manages media during major incidents
 Directs the public affairs and media relations strategy to be operationalized and
communicated internally
 Evaluates impact of police public affairs and media relations campaigns
 Ensures police service is utilizing all available tools/technology to enable effective
communication with all demographic groups
DECISION MAKING
Makes complex decisions in the face of ambiguity (Level 4)
 Makes complex decisions for which there is no set procedure
 Considers a multiplicity of interrelated factors for which there is incomplete and
contradictory information
 Balances competing priorities in reaching decisions
Makes decisions involving
varied levels of risk and
ambiguity
ETHICAL ACCOUNTABILITY
Takes responsibility for actions
and makes decisions that are
consistent with high ethical
policing standards
Sets the standard for policing ethics and values (Level 5)
 Communicates the organization’s values and ethics
 Ensures that standards and safeguards are in place to protect the organization’s integrity
 Develops policies and measures to integrate ethics within the organization (applies)
 Facilitates research on best practices
 Participates in defining ethical policing practice
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Applies financial management
principles and tools to
effectively manage
organizational resources
(operating, capital, and people)
Develops a financial strategy in the area of responsibility (Level 4)
 Works with management team to create a capital plan
 Identifies potential sources of funding for the organization
 Educates jurisdictional authorities about the nature of police business and its implications
for financial planning and management
 Ensures the alignment of financial goals to business plan
 Consolidates data from each unit in area of responsibility
 Educates management team on goals of budget process, including the identification of
performance indicators, development of planning tool for business unit managers;
management of risks and opportunities as they arise, depiction of financial needs, and
support of the business plan
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Leadership Competency Profile for Senior Leadership
Competency Name and
Definition
FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS
Seeks and builds alliances with
internal and external
stakeholders to meet their
needs and further the
organization's objectives. Uses
an understanding of
stakeholder needs, desires and
critical success factors to
influence priorities, initiatives
and objectives and teaches
other to do the same
HUMAN
RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT
Applies, implements, and
directs the development of
human resource management
strategies, processes, policies,
and practices
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
MANAGEMENT
Maximizes the use of state-ofthe-art technology to support
operational and administrative
work of a police organization
INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION
Utilizes communication
strategies in an effort to
achieve common goals,
influence and gain others’
support
ORGANIZATIONAL AWARENESS
Understands and uses
organizational awareness to
deliver optimal services. Seeks
to understand the critical
concerns and most important
issues of stakeholders to find
optimal solutions
PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY
Works effectively within
parameters of jurisdictional
governance structure (local,
municipal, regional, provincial,
and national) and associated
policing frameworks. Adheres to
Proficiency Level and Associated Behaviours
Sets strategic direction for partnering (Level 5)
 Establishes an infrastructure that supports effective stakeholder relationships
 Identifies and supports creative ways to partner with harder to reach stakeholders
 Profiles excellent examples of partnering within policing organizations and promotes them
to other policing groups
Directs the development of human resources processes (Level 4)
 Advises staff on the development of human resource processes and policies in the areas of
recruitment, selection, training, promotion, and performance management
 Verifies that human resource management processes meet organizational objectives
 Initiates the development of a succession management plan
 Makes final decisions about appointments and terminations
Identifies technology requirements (Level 4)
 Reviews the performance of technology in the police organization to determine if it meets
public safety and organizational needs as well as legal guidelines
 Identifies areas of work where technology could improve efficiency
 Consults with stakeholders (e.g., employees, police services board members) to define
technology requirements for the organization
Communicates strategically (Level 5)
 Communicates strategically to achieve specific objectives
 Uses varied communication vehicles and opportunities to promote dialogue, shared
understanding and consensus
 Understands the underlying needs, interests, issues and motivations of others. Interprets
complex and possibly contradictory or competing signals/messages
 Gains support by capitalizing on the understanding of political forces affecting the
organization
Operates effectively in a broad spectrum of political, cultural and social milieu
(Level 5)
 Demonstrates broad understanding of social and economic context that can impact policing
work
 Understands and anticipates the potential trends of the political environment and the
impact these might have on policing work
 Operates successfully in a variety of social, political and cultural environments
Sets up internal structures of authority and facilitates relationships with external
stakeholder (Level 4)
 Develops systems, policies and processes to ensure internal accountability in the
organization as well as accountability to external stakeholders e.g. a centralized disciplinary
authority to ensure consistency and accountability
 Ensures transparency of decision making in relations with other police services and
organizations
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Leadership Competency Profile for Senior Leadership
Competency Name and
Definition
values of public service.
Understands and uses internal
and external structures of
authority and understanding
the roles and responsibilities of
external stakeholders in police
operations
Proficiency Level and Associated Behaviours
 Assesses the internal structure of authority against relevant legislation
PUBLIC SAFETY
Promotes an intelligence-led
and problem-oriented policing
philosophy that emphasizes
partnerships with community,
intelligence gathering, and
proactive problem-solving that
addresses conditions that can
raise issues for public safety
Builds structures, systems and processes to support an intelligence-led and
problem-oriented policing (Level 4)
 Reviews current organizational structures and business processes to assess their efficiency
and effectiveness in carrying out vision
 Establishes policies for gathering and sharing information and intelligence within the
policing organization
 Conducts regular evaluation of intelligence operations
 Ensures that standards are developed for background investigations of staff and system
users
 Ensures appropriate training for all personnel assigned to or affected by intelligence process
 Establishes security systems, policies and procedures to protect the public and the policing
operations at all levels, e.g., physical, programmatic, personnel-related and procedural
 Identifies success factors and develops evaluation criteria
 Evaluates the success of intelligence and problem oriented policing initiatives
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Creates a strategic plan for the
police organization, translates
strategic objectives into
operational goals, and works
toward their implementation.
Creates opportunities for
continuous improvement
through an ongoing evaluation
of external environment and
internal issues that hinder
organizational sustainability
Develops operational plans to implement strategic objectives (Level 4)
 Translates strategic objectives into specific goals for units and divisions
 Identifies capacity required, timelines and responsibilities for the attainment of goals within
units and divisions
 Identifies new programs and activities that will support organizational strategic objectives
in consultation with division/unit leads
 Identifies ways of overcoming potential or actual barriers for attaining goals within area of
responsibility
 Directs the creation of a strategic plan for the police service
 Communicates the strategic objectives and operational goals to others
 Establishes an effective system for measuring progress toward the achievement of
organizational strategic objectives
VALUING DIVERSITY
Understands one’s personal
attitudes and values related to
diversity and enhancing one’s
own and other’s skills,
knowledge, behaviours and
actions related to diversity
Develops policing practices that support diversity (Level 4)
 Develops policies on operational responses and standards to policing diverse stakeholders
 Contributes to the development of a policing organization that values diversity through the
implementation of effective change management practices
 Implements practices that value diversity in all aspects of policing