Mgr,Strat Policy & Legislation

Role Responsibilities

• Reporting to the Director of Executive Operations (Director), this position plays an integral role in the Deputy Minister's Office (DMO). The position supports the day-to-day operations and work flow requirements within the DMO, specifically focusing on the role of policy coordination on behalf of the department and on internal staff engagement. 
• This position provides operational oversight of the policy development process for the entire department and facilitates the development and approval of other non policy items such as appointments, non policy Orders in Council and Ministerial Orders.
• This work requires comprehensive knowledge of policy development, the appointment process, and legislative affairs in the Government of Alberta.
• This role has a strong focus on problem solving when issues arise in an ever changing environment.
• The Manager, Strategic Policy and Legislation (Manager) must also understand, analyze, and convey complex information to the Minister's Office (MO), ADM offices, department staff, and key contacts in other government departments.
• The position is responsible for the coordination of ministry information/reports, including ministerial information requests, briefings, inquiry responses, and other reporting statistics that support the strategic decision making process for executive management.
• The Manager analyzes and integrates information produced by ministry staff to ensure that decision making products related to programs and services, policies, and initiatives, meet or exceed ministry and government expectations.
• Ability to change directions quickly and re-prioritize activities in a high volume, high complex, and fast paced environment is an essential attribute of the position. 
• This position includes a strong component of project management working closely with staff in the MO, DMO, ADMOs, Policy Coordination Office (PCO), Cabinet Coordination Office (CCO), as well as ministry staff on key documents to support government decision making on (i.e. policy coordination tracking documents, cabinet reports, materials for Treasury Board, and governance appointment packages) and to provide direction on information products to ensure they are accurate, meet the needs of the Minister and Deputy Minister, and conform to requirements and timelines established by groups receiving the materials.
• The outcomes of this position directly impact the services and information provided to decision makers and ministry stakeholders. 
• This position also leads internal engagement activities on behalf of the DMO.
• This includes drafting and organizing department-wide communications, working with key contacts to develop and maintain in-person engagement activities such as training and department-wide meetings, and working with other government departments to coordinate and align messaging.
• This position is also the liaison between the DMO and internal staff committees.

Roles and Responsibilities Cont'd

Policy Coordination and Development: 

• Manage and oversee a comprehensive system of policy coordination and tracking documents on behalf of the whole department. Works with the Director, the Executive Correspondence Unit, with ADMOs, the Policy Coordination Unit, and other branches. 
• Anticipates, identifies, detects, and analyzes issues and ensures the division is responding appropriately by coordinating the development and management of appropriate plans, approaches, and strategies.
• When issues arise, identifies the appropriate areas of the department of ministry required for development of responses, that appropriate processes are followed, and that the work is completed within the appropriate time frames. Advises Director on unique or highly political/sensitive situations that may require additional resources or assistance in developing responses. 
• Monitors the development of briefings and other materials for the Minister and Deputy Minister including complex and sensitive documents to inform planning and decision making (Ministerial Orders, Orders in Council, Memorandums to Cabinet, etc.) 
• Ensures the Director is aware and briefed as to emerging issues, proposes solutions and actions to resolve issues, working with division representatives to resolves issues prior to requiring Director attention and/or intervention as appropriate. 
• Reviews documents, assesses risk, and prepares "alerts" to urgent or sensitive matters with researched potential solutions.
• Works with other departments and/or divisions to develop solutions to complex issues and develop recommendations. 
• Acts as a broker on the issues between PCO, CCO, MO, DMO, and ADMOs regarding policy materials and negotiates timelines.
• Manages requests on an urgent basis or resulting from reviews by the PCO, Deputy Minister or Director, MO, or Cabinet committees. 
• Deals effectively with politically sensitive issues raised including providing accurate and timely information and balancing confidentiality provisions, program and service integrity, and the needs of clients and stakeholders. 
• Develops and maintains effective working relationships with the MO, ADMOs, other effective staff and ministry staff to identify and resolve issues and facilitate information exchange. 

Qualifications

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.
 

Required: 4 year University degree + 3 years of relevant working experience in a related field; 

Equivalency: Directly related education or experience considered on the basis of:

• 1 year of education for 1 year of experience; or
• 1 year of experience for 1 year education.
   

Knowledge

• A minimum of three years of senior APS experience is required. Solid understanding of the strategic direction and priorities as well as the processes of the department, government, and other key stakeholders. 
• Sound understanding of the department's priorities, business goals, strategies, relevant policies, legislation, regulations, and organization structure, including a thorough understanding of government and ministry strategic directions and business goals as they relate to the division mandate. 
• Specific knowledge of department/government policy planning processes and requirements. 
• Previous experience in a policy or project role within the APS is required. 

Skills

The Manager must also possess: 

• Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to convey complex information in a clear and concise manner. 
• Ability to exercise a high degree of independent decision-making in applying professional standards, judgement, and objectivity in dealing with sensitive and complex issues. 
• Critical thinking and problem solving skills, including the ability to identify and analyze multi-faceted issues, and develop solutions to issues and information requests. 
• Strong strategic thinking skills, including the ability to understand the "big picture" and how the work of the divisions aligns together and how this aligns with the ministry and government priorities. 
• Strong leadership and relationship building skills to work with internal and external stakeholders. 
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize multiple assignments, activities, competing demands and responsibilities on a daily basis are necessary. 
• Strong interpersonal skills, including negotiating skills to find ways to ensure information requests are handled by appropriate department resources within set timelines. 
• Sensitivity to the political environment to note trends and issues that may impact decisions at the DMO level. 
• Ability to design mechanisms and processes to transfer strategic issues and information to divisions. 
• Ability to identify and mobilize department resources to address issues within short timelines. 

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-  Ability to anticipate, assess, and readily adapt to changing priorities, maintain resilience in times of uncertainty and effectively work in a changing environment.
• Creative Problem Solving-: In this position, you must be able to utilize available resources to address issues effectively, and to make improvements where required through collaborative problem solving.
• Develop Networks: Capable of identifying opportunities to establish credibility toward common purposes and builds trust in relationships with peers within the ministry, Government of Alberta and other jurisdictions.
• Building Collaborative Environment: Leads and contributes to the conditions and environments that allow people to work collaboratively and productively to achieve outcomes.
   

Notes

This position may be used to fill future vacancies across the Government of Alberta, at equal or lower classification and salary.

Hours of Work: Monday to Friday, 36.25 hours per week.

Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. Applicants are advised to provide information that clearly and concisely demonstrates how their qualifications meet the advertised requirements, including education, experience and relevant examples of required competencies.

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 has to offer to prospective employees.
 

• Working for the Alberta Public Service – https://www.alberta.ca/advantages- working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) – https://www.pspp.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://www.alberta.ca/professional-development-support-directive
• 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