Dir, South Services

Role Responsibilities

Are you a strategic and collaborative education leader with the judgment to navigate complex issues and strengthen Alberta's K-12 education system? The Ministry of Education and Childcare is seeking a Director, South Services to lead regional services, oversight and relationships with public, separate, Francophone, charter and independent school authorities across southern Alberta.

What We Offer

Reporting to the Executive Director, Field Services, the Director provides strategic and operational leadership to the South Services Branch. The position leads a multidisciplinary team supporting school authorities and stakeholders; monitors legislative, regulatory, policy and accountability requirements; and provides strategic advice to senior ministry officials and the Minister.

As a key ministry representative, the Director builds trusted relationships with education leaders, sector organizations and ministry partners. The Director identifies emerging issues and risks and advances solutions that strengthen educational services for students.

Your key responsibilities include:

• Lead services to school authorities, education partners, stakeholders and the public across the South Services region.

• Oversee school authorities and independent schools to support compliance with legislation, regulations, policies and standards.
  
  
• Guide reviews of school authority education plans and results reports, independent school operating plans, and charter school expansion or renewal requests.
  
  
• Provide strategic direction on compliance, accountability and governance concerns, including improvement planning, interventions and recommendations to senior officials or the Minister.
  
  
• Provide regional and system intelligence on emerging issues, opportunities, trends and implementation challenges.
  
  
• Provide strategic advice, briefings, policy analysis and recommendations related to legislation, funding, standards, programs and system operations.
  
  
• Build relationships with education leaders, stakeholders, ministry partners and other governments to advance priorities and resolve complex issues.
  
  
• Lead mediation, negotiation and consensus-building in sensitive situations involving competing perspectives, crises or operational risks.
  
  
• Promote innovation and continuous improvement by supporting school authorities in implementing provincial requirements and ministry direction.
  
  
• Lead, coach and mentor Field Services Managers and employees, supporting succession planning and a high-performance workplace.
  
  
• Oversee branch human and financial resources, including business planning, priorities, risk management and reporting.
  
  
• Contribute to the Field Services Sector Leadership Team and support sector, division and ministry priorities.
  
  
• Travel within Alberta to meet with school authority leaders and stakeholders, approximately 10% of work time.

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.

• Systems Thinking: Integrates the broader political, legislative, operational and stakeholder environment into planning and decision-making, while balancing provincial direction with diverse implementation realities.
• Develop Networks: Establishes credibility and trusted relationships with school authority leaders, stakeholder organizations and ministry partners, and uses those networks to identify opportunities and resolve issues.
• Build Collaborative Environments: Creates open, respectful and accountable teams; supports shared ownership; and enables productive collaboration across organizational and jurisdictional boundaries.
• Creative Problem Solving: Brings the right people together to analyze complex and often unprecedented issues, encourages diverse perspectives and develops practical, innovative and defensible solutions.

Qualifications

Minimum Recruitment Standard:
A related bachelor’s degree in public administration, Business Administration, Law, Political Science, Human Resources, Education or a related field, plus seven years of progressively responsible related experience.

Equivalency: Directly related education or experience may be considered on a 1:1 basis.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Leadership in delivering services to school authorities, education partners, stakeholders and the public across the South Services region.
• Oversight of school authorities and independent schools to support compliance with legislation, regulations, policies and standards.
• Experience reviewing school authority education plans and results reports, independent school operating plans, and charter school expansion or renewal requests.
• Strategic leadership on compliance, accountability and governance matters, including improvement planning, interventions and recommendations to senior officials or the Minister.
• Ability to identify and communicate regional and system issues, risks, opportunities and trends.
• Experience providing strategic advice, briefings, policy analysis and recommendations on legislation, funding, standards, programs and system operations.
• Ability to build trusted relationships with education leaders, stakeholders, ministry partners and other governments to resolve complex issues.
• Strong mediation, negotiation and consensus-building skills in sensitive or high-risk situations.
• Leadership in innovation, continuous improvement and implementation of provincial requirements.
• Experience leading, coaching and mentoring managers and employees while supporting succession planning and a high-performance workplace.
• Stewardship of human and financial resources, including planning, priorities, risk management and reporting.
• Ability to contribute to sector leadership and support division and ministry priorities.
• Ability to travel within Alberta approximately 10% of work time.

Assets:

• A master’s degree in education, educational leadership, public administration or a related field.
• Knowledge of AI, emerging technologies, digital literacy or responsible technology use in education or government.
• Leadership experience within an Alberta school authority working with superintendents, boards or senior education leaders.
• Experience with school authority compliance, governance, accountability or assurance matters.
• Experience leading responses to complex issues, emergencies or crises.
• Knowledge of performance measurement, evaluation and research frameworks.
• Project management, leadership, governance or related professional certification. 

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

Notes

This is a full-time permanent opportunity for one position.

Hours of work are 36.25 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

This position is based in Edmonton. The positions require travel within Alberta for meetings with school authority leaders and stakeholders, estimated at 10% of work time. 

We require you to attach a Cover Letter with your application explaining your qualification and suitability for this role.
    
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 (MEPP)
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information
• Professional learning and development
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.
• Leadership and mentorship programs.