Director, Executive Operations

Role Responsibilities

Alberta Energy and Minerals has an opportunity for a results-driven leader who possesses strong relationship building abilities, political acumen and effective communication skills.

As the Director, Executive Operations (DEO) you will report the Chief Operating Officer, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Strategy and Market Access Division (COO, ADM, SAMA). The COO, ADM SAMA provides oversight and direction to not only the SAMA Division but also provides strategic direction and oversight to the Energy Operations, Energy Policy, and Energy Transition divisions. As a key point of contact within the department, you will as a liaison and key resource for strategic support, advice, and assistance to ministry staff, the Assistant Deputy Minister Offices (ADMO’s) including their Executive Advisors (especially in the ADMO’s reporting to the COO), Executive Directors and other ministry staff as required.

You will also be required to develop well-established relationships with stakeholders, both internally to the Government of Alberta (GoA) and externally including but not limited too DEO’s supporting partner COO Offices across the GoA, Executive Council, Communications and Public Engagement (CPE), Public Service Commission (PSC) and those within industry who interact with our department.

Using your systems thinking skills, you are able to support an integrated approach to the implementation of Energy and Minerals initiatives. You will be responsible to align Energy and Minerals files within the department and across government and will achieve this through your extensive experience managing a diverse number of inter-related but distinct programs and high profile/sensitive issues with an evolving mandate. This often entails working with stakeholders that at times have competing interests.

As a trusted advisor you would contribute to the overall planning and integration activities by providing leadership and direction on the development of project management tools to support the department and senior executives in tracking key initiatives, policy and legislative processes. You provide strategic support, advice, and assistance to the COO, ADM SAMA and department leadership team. You ensure that the COO, ADM SAMA is fully apprised of issues, initiatives, and stakeholder concerns and present solutions to mitigate these concerns. Your success lies in your demonstrated leadership skills in aligning ministry initiatives with government priorities.

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As the successful candidate, you will work closely with the executive leadership to  advance initiatives that enhance operational efficiency, reduce duplication, and deliver better outcomes for Albertans. Simultaneously, you will be responsible for aligning strategic initiatives and solutions which require a deep, comprehensive understanding within the Energy and Minerals portfolio/mandate. These issues are top priorities for Albertans and have broad impacts, affecting various stakeholders as well as regularly drawing public and media attention.

This is a high-impact role for a strategic leader who thrives in complex, multi-stakeholder environments and is passionate about achieving operational excellence and contributing to enhancing the departments efficiency and engagement.

You will rely on your agility and your well-established experience working in a multifaceted, fast-paced environment to inform and influence up to and including at the executive and senior official levels. As a champion of change, you will inspire and motivate not only those within the COO, ADM SAMA Office, but those you interact with on a daily basis.

Strong political acumen and understanding of Alberta’s political system, Government of Alberta mandates and related policies, as well as government structure will support your success in this role. Having excellent time management skills is of paramount importance for your success in this role.

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Summary of key responsibilities include:

• Support the daily operations of the COO, ADM, SAMA by prioritizing daily functions, seeking efficiencies and engaging in cross-ministry/cross-government operations, including those in partner COO Offices.
• Provide leadership, strategic advice and direction to support the effective communication and implementation of divisional activities.
• Provide clarification, interpretation and translation of strategic direction and ministerial initiatives to operational guidance to ensure strategic alignment with divisional priorities and department mandate.
• Manage and oversee a comprehensive system of responses to urgent and emergent issues and to anticipate future issues, potential implications and identify solutions related to these issues with the support from department leaders (i.e. Deputy Ministers Office (DMO), Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADMO’s), Executive Directors (ED’s) and Ministry Correspondence Unit to assess, refocus and resolve issues on short notice.
• Anticipate, identify, detect and analyze relevant issues and ensure the division/ branches are responding appropriately by leading the development and management of appropriate plans, approaches and strategies. When issues arise, you coordinate with the appropriate areas of the division, notably with department Executive Advisors, to ensure appropriate processes are followed, and that the work is completed within required time frames.
• Support the COO, ADM SAMA lead operational and strategic projects as required.
• As a champion for change you seek opportunities for engagement, knowledge sharing and collaboration.

If this opportunity interests you, please apply.

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.

Systems Thinking – Able to see both the big picture and details, understanding the whole system and recognize linkages between the two. Must be able to ask questions and bring others to a discovery of the system and how their pieces interact with the whole. Must be able to evaluate broad reaching impacts and use this knowledge to inform progress.

Drive for Results – Provide strategic advice to the Executive Team, Ministry staff and external stakeholders. Position forecasts potential challenges with implementation and negotiates major issues in advance. 

Develop Networks – Establish credibility and initiates relationships with a broad range of people in unfamiliar environments, nurturing these relationships to build trust. Must invest effort in ensuring colleagues, client and stakeholder needs are heard and that there is a shared understanding of context and space for information sharing.

Creative Problem Solving – Combine different approaches and perspectives across the ministry and from other ministries, creating a safe space for people to think creatively. Identify barriers to creativity and propose viable solutions.

Agility – Adapt quickly to the changing landscape and priorities, foster agility in others, create processes and opportunities that encourage proactive and flexible practices across the ministry, inter-ministry and with external stakeholder. 

Build Collaborative Environments – Build consultative and collaborative working relationships and partnerships in the ministry, across government and with stakeholder organizations to develop and advance coordinated policy options.  Promote sharing of expertise among wide-ranging teams to achieve ministry outcomes. Must bring the right people together, create a conflict-resolving environment to high-level goals to motivate and guide other to achieve results.

Develop Self and Others – Stay ahead of the curve and apply emerging approaches and or technologies. Must have an ability to create, support, and sustain a work environment that enables staff to achieve results and build skill capacities for the future.

Qualifications

A university degree in a related field and 7-years of related experience in issues management in a public sector organization is required. Leadership and management experience and excellent verbal and written communication skills are also required.

Equivalences may be considered.

The following will be considered as assets:

• Knowledge of GoA policy development cycle, decision-making process, and legislative procedures, as well as legislative agendas, priorities of other governments and their likely impact on Alberta priorities.
• Experience working in a fast-paced environment that requires managing multiple priorities in a timely fashion.
• Experience working in an executive office/briefing senior officials.
• Demonstrated leadership/supervisory experience.
• Experience with political/public service environment.

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 36.25/week

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.

What we offer:

• 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
• 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