Director, Strategic Policy

Role Responsibilities

If you’re passionate about policy, metrics, and meaningful change, this Director role offers a unique opportunity to influence province-wide efficiency and service delivery!

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director, Strategic Policy ensures effective implementation of the priorities of the Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction by providing leadership, advice, and issue resolution to drive red tape reduction initiatives across government. You will work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, including government RTR colleagues, in order to assess and demonstrate progress according to both qualitative and quantitative outcomes.

You will lead the ongoing development of RTR policy and performance measures and provide effective training to ensure a cohesive approach across government. You will also lead the development of briefing materials to support the Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction and collaborate with Communications and Public Engagement to support the development of key communications products. You will also work closely with the Director, Strategic Engagement and Operations to support effective tracking of Red Tape Reduction initiatives and associated progress.

Your key areas of responsibility include:

• Leading a coordinated and consistent approach to tracking, driving, measuring and reporting on RTR initiatives across government.  
• Developing and providing strategic advice and information to the Executive Director to achieve the realization of red tape reduction objectives and mandate priorities.
• Identifying strategic partnership opportunities, and emerging issues and trends related to the long-term direction, priorities and strategic options.
• Leading the development of appropriate briefing materials and recommendations for senior department and elected officials—and the Executive Director and Assistant
• Deputy Minister—on ongoing RTR engagement initiatives and issues.
• Leading the logistical management of, and development of briefing materials to support, RTR legislation.
• Applying a critical lens to materials being developed in order to ensure clarity, strategic insights, and content that conveys complex ideas in simple terms.
• Working effectively across the branch to support operational priorities, applying a solution-oriented approach to challenges.

You are a strategic leader with a strong sense of empowering, mentoring and developing capacity within your teams and a proven ability to develop and build relationships and create stakeholder alliances. Strong political acumen, communication skills and the ability to influence executive decision-making through sound recommendations and options will be key to your success in this role.

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: Understand the big picture and recognize the interconnections across multiple financial and corporate planning functions; able to evaluate broad reaching impacts and use this knowledge to inform progress; anticipate short term, operational issues, foresee long term, strategic issues, and proactively manage issues to mitigate financial and business risk.
 
Creative Problem Solving: Breaks apart complex problems, involves the right people to address issues and adopts innovative approaches that achieve results; combine different approaches and perspectives; identify barriers to creativity and propose viable solutions; reframe situations to facilitate positive change in the face of resistance.
 
Building Collaborative Environments: Involves key stakeholders to identify problems and develop solutions; motivates others and aligns diverse perspectives to achieve shared result; builds effective linkages and alliances.

Develop Self & Others: Approaches experiences as learning opportunities, consulting with others to gather feedback and create environments where people develop professionally. Stays ahead of the curve to identify emerging approaches and/or technologies to meet the future needs of Albertans.

Develop Networks: Identifies contributors, connects with stakeholders, seeks information from stakeholders, makes every effort to understand needs and facilitates a shared understanding of context; quickly establish credibility relationships and nurturing these relationships to build trust.

Qualifications

A university degree in Political Science, Business, Economics, Public or Business Administration or related field, supplemented by 7 years of progressively responsible experience.

Experience leading and managing teams is a requirement.

Experience in the following areas will be considered an asset:

• Working in a central agency and/or applying systems thinking.
• Policy development and the government decision-making process.
• Business plan goals and priorities and annual reporting.
• Evaluation principles and approaches, and performance measures.

Related experience or education may be considered as an equivalency on a one year of education for one year of experience or vice versa.

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

• Full time permanent opportunity located at the Petroleum Plaza Building South Tower, Edmonton, AB.
• Hours of work: 7.25 hours per day / 36.25 hours per week (Monday – Friday).
• Successful 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.

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.