Branch Administrator

Role Responsibilities

The position has two main administration roles: (1) provide administrative support services to the Executive Director of the Stakeholder Engagement and Student Supports Branch, (2) provide administrative support to the Directors, Managers, and the teams in the Stakeholder Engagement and Student Supports branch. This branch includes two units: Stakeholder Engagement and Student Supports Coordination. The position requires in depth knowledge of branch responsibility areas and the information technology systems used by staff, such as 1GX, Action Request Tracking System (ARTS), and the Learner Pathways System (LPS). It performs a lead role and coordinates the operational needs of the areas. This includes the delivery of administrative support services in a fast paced, high-volume environment; coordination of information requests received from internal and external clients; liaising with staff from across the division, the Assistant Deputy Minister's and Deputy Minister's offices; the timely coordination of the workflow of correspondence, briefings, and ministerial requests for the branches utilizing ARTS; and acting as the workplace administrator in 1GX. 

Other responsibilities include drafting documents, calendar scheduling, coordinating travel/accommodations, maintaining office equipment and supplies, managing and improving paper and electronic records, coding and verification of invoices in 1GX, and processing human resource reports.

The position provides an advisory role to other staff within the division for inquiries and training on administrative policies and procedures for the department, ministerial correspondence, letters, memoranda, briefings, 1GX, and ARTS protocols, policies, and procedures. 

Responsibilities:  
 

1. Office Administration: Ensuring the efficient and effective operation of Executive Director's offices and branches within the division. 
 

• Provide administrative assistance and support to the Executive Directors, Directors, Managers, and branch staff as required. 
• Establish and prioritize daily office activities of the Executive Director's offices by reviewing calendars; scheduling appointments with staff, clients, and stakeholders; booking boardrooms; assembling and organizing logistics and background materials for meetings; and, organizing various engagement activities, from events such as orientations as well as high-level ministerial functions such as Ministerial receptions or town halls. 
• Make travel/accommodation arrangements and schedule meetings. 
• Manage the supply needs of the branches by ordering, receiving, and verifying ordered supplies and stock and by processing and routing packing slips and any invoices received for payment.

Role Responsibilities (Continued)

• Create and maintain paper and electronic filing systems for the Executive Director's offices and branches. 
• Administration of contracts, including creating and reviewing contract documentation to ensure completeness, accuracy and compliance with policies and procedures.
• Assist the Executive Directors, Directors, and Managers by researching files containing past correspondence to gather relevant pieces of information to coordinate a response on a specific topic.  
• Provide administrative assistance and policy interpretation to branch staff, providing information, explanation, and interpretation regarding administrative policies and procedures, such as claiming travel expenses, staff development, human resource issues, and action requests. 
   

2. Operational Support: Ensuring coordination of operational support processes and services to facilitate effective communication within the branches. 
 

• Liaise with the Assistant Deputy Minister's office and branches to ensure deadlines are met and administrative support efforts are consistent and coordinated. 
• Liaise with department staff regarding purchasing, scheduling of conference rooms, telephone issues, parking, records disposition, document recall, and distribution of government materials. 
• Assume leadership, as required, on special projects to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of sector administrative procedures. 
• Review incoming correspondence, prioritizing issues and taking appropriate action, as well as tracking and following up on tasks and action items to ensure that tasks have been completed within prescribed deadlines. 
• Liaise with department staff, other government agencies and departments, the public, and institutional stakeholders. 
• Administration of up-to-date and accurate contact lists of external stakeholders for the Ministry. 
• Represent the branches and act as a worksite contact at various department meetings regarding items such as telephone and communication systems, technical equipment and training, as well as process and administrative purposes (i.e. FOIP administration and furniture acquisition). 

Role Responsibilities (Continued)

3. ARTS Administration: Ensuring coordinated, timely, accurate, and appropriate responses to a high volume of action requests within the branch. 
 

• Provide branch administration of action requests utilizing ARTS. 
• Coordinate action requests: assign, distribute, track, monitor, review, and edit action requests for the branch, ensuring that all documents are processed within deadlines, and adhere to the ministerial policies, guidelines, and procedures. 
• Provide ARTS guidance and support to the staff as required. 
• Liaise with Assistant Deputy Minister's office staff regarding action requests and outstanding issues, providing branches with updated information or further instructions if required. 

4. Financial Administration: Ensuring accurate and timely recording and reporting of financial resources. 
 

• Review, process, monitor and prepare financial documentation in 1GX, which includes coding, verifying the accuracy of, and processing invoices for payment; tracking expenditures; and preparing fiscal year-end accrual documents. Inconsistencies and anomalies found within invoices must be resolved by contacting vendors and Finance officials. 
• Prepare and submit expense claims as proxy for the Executive Director, Director, and Managers. 
• Review expense claims for branch staff in 1GX, ensuring claims are processed in a timely manner and in accordance with the Treasury Board and Finance direction. 
• Review financial documents to ensure ministry policies and procedures are adhered to. 
• Liaise with department financial staff and vendors regarding the processing of financial documents. 

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. 
 

• Develops Networks  – Stays connected with teams to understand priorities - especially as they evolve or emerge. Maintains contacts with other administrative support staff to stay current on policies and procedures. Maintains contacts with external stakeholders. Able to anticipate and support emerging priorities across the division.    
   
• Agility – Willingness to shift workload to address critical priorities within the branch or division. Stays informed on systems and processes (e.g. 1GX) to be able to act when called upon. 
   
• Develop Self and Others – Identifies skills/knowledge gaps and seeks training and development opportunities in order to provide support to the ED and branch Is open to feedback and recognizes opportunities for improvement. Supports team members with learning administrative processes. 
   
• Creative problem solving – Looks for ways to improve internal processes (e.g. ARTS routing/approvals). Takes initiative to identify problems and to design solutions (e.g. seeking input and building agendas for team meetings).

Qualifications

Requirements: 
 

•  A high school diploma or in a related field plus 3 years progressively responsible related experience; or equivalent as described below. 
• Related experience or education may be considered as an equivalency on a one for one basis.
• Extensive knowledge of computer applications, including word processing, spreadsheets, and databases, and must possess a high level of efficiency and be attentive to detail to ensure a high degree of accuracy.  

 
This position requires extensive knowledge of/skills regarding: 
 

• Superior organizational skills and time management, so as to carry out several tasks concurrently in order to meet deadlines. 
• Ability to plan and host meetings and events. 
• Ability to attend to details when editing and reviewing administrative and financial documents. 
• Ability to take leadership and exercise considerable judgement in researching, processing and prioritizing work assignments. 
• Extensive knowledge of Microsoft Office, Outlook, 1GX, ARTS, and Teams. Knowledge of Opinion survey software would be an asset. 

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, full-time position working 36.25 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

Work location: Commerce Place, 10155 – 102 St. NW, Edmonton.

Candidates are required to submit a resume and cover letter that succinctly demonstrate their qualifications against the job requirements, including education, experience, and relevant competencies. It's important for applicants to ensure their resume and cover letter clearly articulate how their past work experiences align with the role's qualifications and needs.

Resumes must include precise employment dates (month and year) to assist in assessing written communication skills and attention to detail.

The final candidates for this position will be asked to undergo an academic check, references and may be asked to complete a written exercise and/or assessment. 

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. 

This competition may be used to fill future vacancies across the government of Alberta, at equal or lower classification and salary.

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 (Continued)

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
• 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
• Opportunity to participate in flexible work arrangements such as working from home up to two days per week and modified work schedule agreement
• Leadership and mentorship programs