Assistant Director, Research

Role Responsibilities

The Assistant Director, Research reports to the Director, Public Engagement and Research and plays a central role in helping government understand Albertans’ values, attitudes, and expectations. The position delivers corporate public opinion research services, manages research programs, and supports evidence‑based policy and communications decision‑making.

Key responsibilities include:

1. Conduct professional public opinion research

• Design and execute public opinion research projects.
• Use in‑house tools and contracted research services to conduct all project phases, including evaluation, data interpretation, and reporting.
• Attend research events (e.g., focus groups) and provide insight on findings to support policy and communications recommendations.
• Oversee environmental scans and secondary research.

2. Support management of research projects

• Assist the Director with vendor selection, procurement, and relationship management.
• Develop templates, frameworks, and tools to support research delivery.
• Oversee client use of in‑house research platforms and ensure data integrity across deliverables.

3. Ensure accountability for corporate research services

• Lead procurement activities and manage branch research contracts.
• Identify and support research tools such as survey platforms and data analytics software.
• Ensure compliance with ATIP, government policy, and professional research standards.
• Maintain tracking and reporting of research activities.

4. Build research capacity across government

• Provide day‑to‑day research services: survey design, programming, data analysis, procurement support.
• Deliver research products, presentations, and training sessions.
• Support effective use of in‑house tools and appropriate use of AI (e.g., Copilot).

5. Lead a small research team

• Outline expectations and deliver clear feedback.
• Support staff development and team‑building initiatives.
• Advance staff skills in research and analytics tools (Power BI, SPSS, NVivo).

6. Advance best practices and continuous improvement

• Monitor research innovations, trends, and best practices.
• Develop networks across the GoA and with external research partners.
• Recommend and implement improvements to research programs, systems, and tools.

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.

Position‑specific competencies include:

• Creative Problem Solving – Anticipates research needs, recommends proactive approaches, and develops innovative methodologies.
• Drive for Results – Manages high‑volume, time‑sensitive research while maintaining quality and accuracy.
• Systems Thinking – Designs systems for long‑term tracking and analysis of public opinion trends.
• Agility – Responds quickly to emerging issues, shifting priorities, and changes in public sentiment.

Qualifications

Requirements for this role include:

• Master’s degree, typically in Arts or a related field such as social sciences or research methodology.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in applied research and/or public sector roles involving public opinion research, program evaluation, qualitative and quantitative research methods, survey design, data collection, statistical analysis, and project management.
• Experience with research tools (e.g., SPSS, survey platforms, qualitative analysis tools).
• Experience leading and supervising in a research or analytical environment

Equivalencies may be considered (e.g., related diploma plus additional years of experience).

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

Hours of work: 36.35/week

The location of this role is in Edmonton, AB (Queen Elizabeth II Building).

Final candidates may 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.

Applicants are advised to provide information that clearly and concisely demonstrates how their qualifications meet the advertised requirements, including education, experience and relevant examples of required competencies.

In your resume, please include dates (including months and years) associated with all education and work experience. Please also indicate whether your work experience was part-time or full-time. For example: January 15, 2006 - June 25, 2009: Executive Director of Job Title (Full-time).

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.
• 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.