Director, Policy Coordination

Role Responsibilities

The Director, Policy Coordination plays a central leadership role in the transformation of Alberta’s primary health care system. Through the Modernizing Alberta’s Primary Health Care System (MAPS) initiative, led by Alberta Health, the Director, Policy Coordination is essential to aligning MAPS implementation with provincial health system priorities and ensuring consistency in policy direction across the Ministry and broader health system. The position is responsible for coordinating high-impact, cross-cutting policy work; managing the MAPS initiative budget; and monitoring and publicly reporting progress through mechanisms such as dashboards, newsletters, and townhalls.

The MAPS Transformation Branch, within the Primary Care and Rural Health Division, is responsible for coordinating this system-wide change. This includes aligning work across Alberta Health divisions, engaging external stakeholders, supporting change management, and developing policy, evaluation, and reporting frameworks that demonstrate accountability for progress.

Working closely with the Executive Director and divisional leaders, the Director is accountable for overseeing the MAPS Two-Year Implementation Plan, informing the development of the 3–5-Year Plan, and ensuring that system recommendations translate into clear, actionable steps. This work is foundational to strengthening the health care system Albertans rely on and achieving the Government of Alberta’s long-term health goals.

The Director, Policy Coordination is responsible for:

• Strategic Policy Coordination and Alignment
• Monitoring, Evaluation, and Public Reporting
• MAPS Budget and Initiative Oversight
• Strategic Planning and Roadmap Development
• Transformative Leadership and Change Enablement

This position requires advanced leadership, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills to navigate the complexity of transforming Alberta’s primary health care system an area with deeply rooted structures, diverse delivery models, and high public visibility. Because MAPS is a high-profile and politically sensitive transformation, the Director’s decisions carry significant influence across the health system, including AHS, PCNs, and community partners. The position must balance competing interests, ensure alignment with government priorities, and resolve issues quickly under tight timelines.

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: Shapes APS goals with a view of the entire network. The position must have a strong understanding of underlying objectives of the transformation to guide strategic planning, policy analysis, options development and to ensure eventual deliverables (briefings, Memorandums to Cabinet) reflect the broader strategic and political context. 
  Drive for Results: Aligns different groups to achieve goals and realize broader outcomes. This position must thrive in an dynamic and fast paced environment and still maintain focus on what is important.
• Creative Problem Solving: Creates the environment for innovative problem solving. Strategic thinking and creative problem solving skills are required to identify and shape projects such that they address the right type sof questions that lead to achievement of government and departmental objectives.
• Build Collaborative Environments: Creates an open environment of communication. This position requires the ability to ability to develop and maintain effective relationships with planning, policy and program leaders within the Department, across other government departments, and external stakeholders to frame, design and implement the transformation to ensure the change is forward looking, integrated and cohesive, accounting for the Department's priorities and government's mandate. 
• Agility: Creates and adaptable environment. While the general policy direction has been provided, it is unclear how the transformation will be implemented. Stakeholder responses will need to be managed which could impact the policy direction, as such direction is highly subject to change on short timelines. The position must anticipate where significant changes could take place, be prepared to provide sound advice on impacts, and provide leadership to the team to maintain resiliency. 

Qualifications

Minimum Recruitment Standard:
University graduation in a related field (Social Sciences or Business), supplemented by three years related experience. A graduate degree preferred but not required.

Related experience or education may be considered as an equivalency on a one for one basis.  

Assets:

• Knowledge of Alberta health legislation, regulations, and policy development.
• Extensive knowledge of policy analysis framework necessary for the development of policy recommendations, actions plans, and implementation strategies.
  Practical experience in engagement/consultation.
• Experience at a senior level.

Preferred Skills:

• Strong leadership, organizational, time, and project management skills.
• Several years of experience in a policy development environment, with experience in strategic planning and financial management.
• Strong knowledge of the broad strategic policy directions of the Alberta government.
• Excellent strategic thinking, analytical and problem solving skills are essential for accurate issues identification, analyzing options, developing/presenting recommendations, and translating concepts into understandable constructs.
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills for briefing to executive leaders and responding to inquiries, and interpreting polices and procedures for colleagues, senior leaders and stakeholders.
• Skills in negotiating, consensus building, use of influence, listening and verbal communication skills are critical.

Preferance will be provided to candidates with a background covering a wide range of diverse fields of interest, strong inter-departmental connections, and demonstrated communications, organizational abilities, stakeholder engagement, and relationship building skills.

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 are Monday to Friday, 36.25 hours per week (full-time).

Candidates are encouraged to submit a resume and cover letter that demonstrates how you meet the educational and experience requirements, along with examples to demonstrate competencies, as noted above.

In your resume, please include dates (including months and years) associated with all education and work experience.

The final candidates may be required to undergo pre-employment checks (Reference check/Criminal record and/or academic).

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 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.
• 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.