Manager, Child Care Licensing

Role Responsibilities

If you have a passion for leadership and to serve Albertan’s, then this may be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for! 

Reporting to a Director of Child Care Licensing, this leadership role is responsible for supporting and strengthening the day‑to‑day operations of the provincial Child Care Licensing program. The position provides strategic and operational leadership to ensure high‑quality, consistent licensing services that protect the health, safety, and well‑being of children and support positive outcomes for families across Alberta.

This role works closely with license holders, community stakeholders, and internal ministry partners. Child Care Licensing operates within the Canada–Alberta Canada‑Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, and this position contributes to meeting established timelines and space‑creation targets associated with the agreement.
 

The Manager oversees Provincial Child Care Licensing teams and provides leadership, coaching, direction, and consultation to Supervisors and Licensing Officers. This includes ensuring services are delivered consistently and in accordance with ministerial legislation, policies, procedures, and accepted practices.

The role exercises delegated authority under the Early Learning and Child Care Act and Regulations and the Family Day Home standards on behalf of the Minister. With a strong focus on risk management, the Manager oversees licensing decisions, compliance and enforcement activities, and the consistent interpretation and application of legislation and standards. This includes approvals, conditions, and enforcement measures in both licensed and unlicensed childcare settings.

The position supports staff and senior leadership through consultation and decision‑making on complex situations, such as program closures, investigations involving harm to children, and Ministry‑reportable incidents. The Manager also oversees responses to public concerns, stakeholder issues, and inquiries from community agencies or other legislative bodies, ensuring decisions are defensible, transparent, and aligned with ministerial expectations and the public interest.

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong leadership capability, with a proven ability to coach, mentor, and support teams in a complex and evolving environment. A commitment to teamwork, staff development, and performance management is essential, including providing timely feedback and guidance.

Strong analytical skills are required to identify organizational risks and opportunities, support effective planning, and ensure efficient use of resources. The role requires the ability to respond quickly and effectively to requests from senior leadership, the broader Ministry, and the public.

The Manager represents Child Care Licensing on Ministry committees and working groups and liaises with senior‑level personnel in community organizations, agencies, and other ministries. Highly developed relationship‑building, collaboration, and public‑relations skills are critical to success.

Role Cont'd

The role also involves providing timely and accurate advice, analysis, and recommendations to the Director, Executive Director, and Assistant Deputy Minister on complex and politically sensitive matters, including the preparation and coordination of Action Requests such as briefing notes, reports, and formal correspondence.  

Strong organizational and communication skills are essential to manage a high volume of provincially delivered work, including oversight of data collection and analysis to support informed decision‑making and continuous improvement.

Additional Information:
This position is responsible for overseeing Child Care Licensing staff (HSW4) and Supervisors (HSW7) and administrative support located across Alberta. Required knowledge and experience include:

• Employee relations and human resources
• Coaching and mentoring
• Financial management
• Early childhood development theory
• Community development
• Stakeholder engagement
• Regular travel to offices across the province is required.

If this position interests you, do not hesitate to apply!

Please click on the link to view the job description.

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

This link will assist you with understanding competencies:
https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

Competencies for this position include:

Agility

• Maintains an open and adaptable perspective to changing priorities, timelines, and unplanned or ad hoc requests from internal and external partners.
• Demonstrates mindfulness and self-reflection by remaining focused and present, intentionally assessing emotions and actions to guide thinking and behavio

Build Collaborative Environments

• Uses strong interpersonal and facilitation skills to build capacity and effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Builds trust and respect to engage staff, encourage collaboration, and foster a positive and inclusive working environment.

Creative Problem Solving

• Applies strong critical thinking, communication, interpersonal, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills to address complex and diverse issues.
• Identifies data quality or process issues that may impact reporting or outcomes.
• Uses innovative and solution-focused approaches aligned with Child Care Delivery (CCD) outcomes and priorities.

Drive for Results

• Understands desired outcomes and maximizes resources to achieve results.
• Maintains accountability to colleagues and external stakeholders.
• Leads with a solution-focused mindset, ensuring team efforts align with CCD outcomes and priorities.
• Role models responsibility for decisions and accountability for results.

Develop Self and Others

• Shares knowledge, expertise, and perspectives to increase collective understanding and capability.
• Coaches, mentors, and supports others to strengthen professional skills and confidence.
• Fosters a culture of learning, self-reflection, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

Systems Thinking

• Maintains awareness of current events, government priorities, and system-wide impacts that present challenges or opportunities.
• Applies legislative and policy knowledge, including the Early Learning and Child Care Act and Regulations, relevant policies and procedures, and related legislation.
• Leads collaborative efforts to reduce duplication and improve efficiency across the unit.

Develop Networks

• Proactively builds and sustains strong networks with diverse stakeholders.
• Builds trust-based relationships to support collaboration and effective service delivery.
• Seeks to understand the perspectives and needs of colleagues, clients, and partners.

Communication

• Engages in and promotes active listening, respectful dialogue, and constructive problem solving.
• Communicates clearly and consistently, ensuring verbal and non-verbal communication are aligned.
• Demonstrates awareness of the impact of communication in both written and oral contexts.

Qualifications

University graduation in a related field and a minimum of 4 years related experience of progressive supervisory experience in managing and leading teams are essential, as well as excellent written and verbal skills.

• • Equivalencies may be considered as listed below:
    •  Master of Social Work and 1-year related experience.
    • Related degree (i.e. Social Work, Early Childhood Education, Child & Youth Care, Psychology and Sociology, Human Service Administration) and 4 years related experience.
    • Related diploma (i.e. Social Work, Early Childhood Education, Child & Youth Care, Psychology and Sociology, Human Service Administration) and 6 years related experience; OR
    • Related certificate (i.e. Social Work, Early Childhood Education, Child & Youth Care, Psychology and Sociology, Human Service Administration) and 7 years related experience.

Preference will be given to those who have experience in:

• Advanced strategic and analytical thinking, strong planning skills, issues management and effective consultative practice is required.
• Developing, evaluating, implementing policy initiatives, programs, and services.
• Knowledge of Signs of Safety Practice and a strengths based/solution focused approach 
• Strong supervisory and interpersonal skills, ability to promote teamwork, collaboration, and partnership.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointments to a job classification. 

Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.

Notes

Role Requirements 
The successful candidate must have a valid Class 5 Driver's License and have access to a reliable vehicle as employees is required to use their own vehicles and receive compensation when government fleet vehicles are not available. Appropriate business insurance is also required and compensated.  

Flexibility to travel within assigned zone and surrounding area as provincial travel is also required. Highway travel is involved and potentially overnight stays away from home.

As per the Health Professions Act, successful applicants must be registered with the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) if:

• They possess a BSW, MSW, or Diploma in Social Work from any university in North America that is accredited by the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE) or the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE); or 
• They have graduated from an approved social work diploma program in Alberta; or 
• They have, within the last five years, been a registered, certified, or licensed social worker in another province or with a member of the Association of Social Work Boards. 

The final candidate for this position will undergo an academic check, intervention record check and provide a suitable security screening. We will accept Criminal Records Check (CRC) that includes Vulnerable Sector check that have been completed within the last six months ap per policy.  

Confirmation of First Aid (Standard First Aid Level C and AED) and ACSW (if applicable) registration details will also be required.  Final candidates may also be required to provide a Standard Driver’s Abstract for the past three years.

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in.

Notes Cont'd

Application Requirements
To be considered, your application must be accompanied by a cover letter that demonstrates how your education and required experience make you suitable for the role. Your cover letter and resume will be used to assess your skills and abilities.  

Applications without a cover letter will not be considered for the position. 

In your resume, please include dates (including months and years) associated with all education and work experience. Please indicate whether your work experience is casual, part-time, or full-time. For example: January 15, 2006 – June 25, 2009: Assistant (PT three 8 hours shifts/week).  Resumes without start and end dates will not be considered for the position. 

Resumes must also clearly identify your supervisory experience.  Details about the experience as well as dates as noted above.  Resumes without identified supervisory experience and details will not be considered for the position.  

Links and information on what the GoA has to offer to prospective employees.
•    Working for the Alberta Public Service - https://www.alberta.ca/advantages- working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx
•    Management Employee Pension Plan (MEPP) https://www.mepp.ca
•    Alberta Public Service Benefit Information - https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-benefits
•    Professional learning and development - https://www.alberta.ca/professional-development-support-directive
•    Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool – https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca
•    Positive workplace culture and work-life balance
•    Leadership and mentorship programs