Director, Surveys and Specialty Services

Role Responsibilities

The Director, Surveys & Specialty Services (SSS) provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for survey and specialty registration services delivered in Edmonton and Calgary. This role ensures the consistent, accurate, and timely intake, examination, and registration (or rejection) of survey plans and specialized documents, while supporting legislative compliance and service excellence.

The Director is accountable for operational performance, professional judgment on complex registration decisions, workforce capacity, and stakeholder relations. This position plays a critical role in protecting Alberta’s property rights and maintaining the integrity of the Land Titles system. This team and the Land Titles System team is undergoing a significant transformational change within this fiscal year, and this leader will help shape the change.

By asking peers, direct reports and the team, staff are looking for a leader that will provide:

• Strong, people-centred leadership. The SSS environment includes multiple internal groups within two locations, creating natural silos. The director must be able to bring these groups together, foster collaboration and consistency, and actively support staff morale.
• A forward focus, particularly in relation to systems modernization. Current Land Titles systems are outdated. While digital submission is seen as beneficial, it is not sufficient on its own if underlying opportunities for innovation aren’t taken advantage of. The role therefore requires strategic thinking about how modernization can genuinely improve service delivery.
• Proactive change leadership is needed to drive effective change to procedures, policy, and legislation. The objective is to reduce delays, address long-standing inefficiencies, and improve how Albertans interact with Land Titles services more broadly. This positions the role as one of active reform and continuous improvement, rather than passive stewardship.

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate the following skills: 

• Leadership & Service Delivery: Leads multi-site teams and ensures consistent, efficient, and high-quality delivery of regulatory services. 
• Regulatory Judgment: Interprets and applies legislation, policy, and procedures, exercising sound professional judgment in complex and non-standard situations. 
• Strategic Problem Solving: Analyzes complex issues, manages risk, and implements practical solutions to improve outcomes and protect service integrity. 
• Stakeholder & Communication Skills: Builds strong relationships and communicates clearly with staff, senior leadership, and diverse internal and external stakeholders.

Please click on this link to view the job description for this position.

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.

• Agility: Adapts effectively to change by anticipating impacts, managing risks, and supporting others through evolving priorities.
• Drive for Results: Takes accountability for achieving operational and strategic objectives while aligning decisions with APS and ministry priorities.
• Build Collaborative Environments: Builds strong working relationships and promotes open communication to achieve shared goals across teams and stakeholders.
• Creative Problem Solving: Analyzes complex issues, considers multiple perspectives, and develops practical solutions to improve service delivery and outcomes.

Qualifications

University degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Engineering, or a related field, plus 7 years of related experience.

Required:

• 3- 5 years of progressive experience in management and leadership roles within a public sector environment. 
• Demonstrated experience with effective change management from planning, seeking approvals through to implementation.
• Strong leadership, communication, analytical, and decision-making skills.
• Proven ability to collaborate across teams, branches, departments, and external stakeholders.

Equivalency: Directly related education or experience considered on the basis of:

• 1 year of education for 1 year of experience; or
• 1 year of experience for 1 year of education 

The following will be considered as asset:

• Experience with Land Titles, Survey mines and minerals, foreign ownership or registry services.
• Knowledge of related legislation including the Land Titles Act.
• Experience managing complex stakeholder and public inquiries.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.

Notes

This is a permanent position located in Edmonton or Calgary.

Location: Edmonton John E. Brownlee Building 10365-97 or Calgary 710 4 Ave SW.

Applications must include a well-written cover letter and resume that indicates how your experience aligns with the scope of this position in order to be considered for this competition.

Final candidates will be required to undergo a security screening. 

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.

Links and information on what the GoA have to offer to prospective employees

• Working for the Alberta Public Service - https://www.alberta.ca/advantages-working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx. 
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) - https://www.pspp.ca.
• Management Employees 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.