Dir, Humanities & Languages

Role Responsibilities

Are you passionate about shaping the future of education in Alberta? Reporting to the Executive Director, Humanities, Languages and Curriculum Strategy, the Director provides strategic leadership, direction and accountability for the Humanities and Languages Branch.

This role is responsible for:

1. Curriculum Leadership and Development

• Leading the development, refinement and implementation support of Kindergarten to Grade 12 humanities and language curriculum.
• Ensuring curriculum development is evidence-informed, inclusive, jurisdictionally aware, and reflective of First Nations, Métis, Inuit, Francophone and diverse Alberta perspectives.
• Providing leadership and mentorship to professional staff and managers responsible for curriculum development.
• Monitoring emerging trends and leading practices in curriculum, instruction and artificial intelligence.

2. Strategic Policy Leadership

• Directing curriculum policy development, implementation, interpretation and legislative compliance.
• Leading the development of briefing materials, correspondence, business cases, recommendations and strategic advice for senior executives and government decision-makers.
• Monitoring trends, risks and emerging issues and recommending strategic responses.

3. Stakeholder Engagement

• Building and sustaining collaborative relationships with internal and external partners.
• Representing the Ministry on committees, working groups, consultations and strategic initiatives.
• Leading engagement on complex, sensitive and high-profile curriculum issues.

4. Branch Operations

• Providing overall leadership for branch human, financial and operational resources.
• Leading workforce planning, recruitment, succession planning and staff development.
• Fostering a high-performing, inclusive and collaborative workplace culture.
• Managing complex issues involving curriculum, language programming and stakeholder interests.

5. Executive Support

• Providing strategic advice on risks, opportunities and implementation considerations.
• Supporting ministry priorities through effective planning, alignment and execution.
• Contributing to the achievement of division, sector and ministry objectives.

The Job Description is provided for Further details on 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.

Agility-Demonstrates the ability to lead and adapt through change in a complex and evolving environment. The successful candidate can anticipate emerging issues, adjust priorities in response to shifting organizational needs, and maintain focus during periods of uncertainty. This includes supporting staff through change initiatives, implementing new approaches to improve outcomes, and responding effectively to competing priorities while maintaining operational excellence.

Drive for Results-Takes accountability for achieving outcomes and delivering high-quality results in a fast-paced environment. This includes proactively identifying risks, removing barriers, making sound decisions, and holding self and others accountable for performance. The ability to balance political, stakeholder, operational, and fiscal considerations while delivering on ministry priorities is essential.

Build Collaborative Environments-Builds trust and fosters meaningful collaboration across teams, ministries, school authorities, education partners, and stakeholder groups. This competency includes the ability to engage diverse perspectives, facilitate constructive dialogue, resolve conflict, and create alignment among groups with competing interests to achieve shared outcomes.

Develop Networks-You will build and maintain strong working relationships with internal and external partners to support engagement, knowledge exchange, and coordinated action on AI in education.

Creative Problem Solving- Uses sound judgment, research, analysis, and critical thinking to address complex and often unprecedented challenges. This includes synthesizing diverse information, evaluating potential impacts, identifying innovative solutions, and making recommendations that consider stakeholder needs, political sensitivities, operational realities, and strategic outcomes.

Develop Self and Others-Creates a culture of continuous learning, engagement, and excellence by coaching, mentoring, and supporting the growth of staff and leaders. The successful candidate empowers teams, promotes innovation and knowledge sharing, establishes clear expectations, and develops talent to build organizational capacity and succession readiness.

Qualifications

University graduation in a related field (Education, Public Administration, etc.), plus 7 years of related experience or equivalent as described below.

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 ideal candidate will possess:

• Significant leadership experience managing multidisciplinary teams and complex portfolios.
• Extensive experience within education, curriculum, public administration or a related policy environment.
• Experience leading strategic initiatives and stakeholder engagement activities.
• Strong political acumen and experience navigating politically sensitive issues.
• Experience preparing strategic advice, briefing materials and recommendations for senior executives.
• Experience managing financial and human resources.
• Strong negotiation, collaboration, mediation and relationship-building skills.
• Knowledge of Alberta’s K-12 education system and curriculum development processes.

Assets:

• Experience leading curriculum or educational programming initiatives.
• Knowledge of French-language education, language programming or Francophone education.
• Knowledge of the role and responsible use of artificial intelligence in research, policy development and educational programs.
• Graduate-level education in a related discipline.

Note: For professional work related to Communications (e.g. Public Affairs Officer), a directly related diploma is considered equivalent to university graduation in a related field.

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

Notes

This is a permanent position, and the hours of work are a total of 36.25 hours per week working out of Edmonton.

A cover letter demonstrating your qualifications, experience and skills for this position is required and will be used as a screening tool. 

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.

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 we have to offer:

• Working for the Alberta Public Service
• Management Employee Pension Plan (MEPP)
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information
• Professional learning and development
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.