Manager, Continuous Improvement

Role Responsibilities

Do you want to lead change and drive continuous improvement of the Alberta Public Service’s HR system? Are you an out-of-the-box, strategic thinker that likes to solve complex problems, challenge the status quo, manage projects from inception to completion and lead a high performing team? This opportunity might be for you!

Reporting to the Director, Data Management and Continuous Improvement, the Manager, Continuous Improvement, will play a leadership role for your team to improve common HR business processes and complex challenges the organization is facing that will enhance impact employee and manager experiences across the Alberta Public Service. 

Your key responsibilities include:

• Application of political acumen and systems thinking to assess and evaluate the level of risk with systemic HR process issues, including magnitude and likelihood.
• Provide leadership for the continuous improvement and optimization of complex HR business processes to improve client experiences. 
• Establish monitoring and briefing processes to ensure PSC executive leadership is aware of issues and provided recommendations to determine prioritization of issues.
• Expand the culture of continuous improvement including HR business process governance and enhancement of PSC business process owner knowledge and skills.
• Support Alberta Public Service managers to understand common HR business process accountabilities by collaborating with all PSC business process owners.
• Ensuring detailed project, implementation and action plans are created and assigns resources.
• Track and monitor progress against all projects to ensure key stakeholders have visibility and sufficient information to support decision making.
• Determine project requirements, manage scope and ensure that projects are undertaken and completed in accordance with agreed approach(es).
• Produce process documents by gathering information such as key business issues and requirements, dependencies for success, and process maps.
• Prepare briefing materials for the Director, Executive Director, Assistant Deputy Minister, or Deputy Minister.
• Track and escalate issues with the Director.
• Encourage knowledge transfer and apply lessons learned to drive best practices.

What you’ll bring to the role:

• High level of integrity, agility and composure to navigate evolving HR business process challenges and develop innovative solutions
• Strong leadership skills to build and maintain a high-performing team
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities in a high priority, fast-paced environment
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining accuracy and quality service
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to provide strategic advice and build relationships with stakeholders
• Commitment to fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment.

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.

AGILITY - Take a proactive leadership role to anticipate, assess and handle day-to-day and emergent situations, oversee demands and the effective flow of information by exercising sound judgment and leadership skills, adapting quickly and reacting with minimal guidance and direction. The Manager is comfortable with the possibility of ambiguity and change.

DEVELOPING NETWORKS - Apply strong communication and relationship building skills to maintain collaborative partnerships within the Public Service Commission and with other departments. The role will utilize strong communication and presentation skills through communicating complex issues simply, clearly and effectively in different forums, including translating technical information for non-technical audiences.

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING – Challenge the status quo and propose innovation options to overcome complex HR business challenges. Calculated risk taking, initiative, and innovation are highly valued in this role.

BUILD COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENTS - Lead a team of professional and skilled staff, the Manager must be a strong communicator and set up processes or structures to facilitate meaningful communication. The role is expected to bring people together and motivate others to achieve results.

DRIVING RESULTS - Influence decision-making at the executive level and provide prompt and accurate information that resolves issues. Effectively leading a team and use of project management tools/skills will help achieve results

DEVELOP SELF AND OTHERS – Share experiences and create learning plans to apply learning across the team, bring people together to celebrate success and identify areas of improvement. Encourage systems thinking and leverage team member’s strengths.

SYSTEMS THINKING – Identify system-wide impacts and interconnections of deliverables linked with enterprise-wide objectives and strategies. The Manager can think strategically to lead and implement complex projects.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirement Standard:

• University Degree in a field related to the position assignment (e.g. Human Resource, Business, Social Sciences) supplemented by four years related experience. Related experience or education may be considered as an equivalency on a one for one basis.
• Experience in project management, briefing senior and executive leaders and stakeholder facilitation
• Implementing program or policy projects
• Experience leading a team

Assets:

• Strong political acumen
• Advising multiple stakeholders on initiatives
• Understanding of government processes
• Familiarity of continuous improvement within a human resources context
• Business process mapping experience or continuous improvement designation (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma)

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

Additional Position Details:

• This position is a permanent, full-time role with the standard weekly work hours of 36.25, Monday to Friday (8:15 am – 4:30 pm)
• This position works in the Park Plaza Building, located at 10611 98 Avenue, Edmonton; however, other locations where an Alberta provincial building is located may be considered.
• Final candidates will be required to undergo a security screening. Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside.

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.