Municipal Election and Governance Advisor

Role Responsibilities

Are you passionate about democratic processes and supporting good governance at the municipal level? The Ministry of Municipal Affairs is seeking an Election and Governance Advisor to play a pivotal role in strengthening municipal election processes and enhancing local governance practices across Alberta.
As the Election and Governance Advisor, you will coordinate the ministry’s support for local elections, provide expert guidance on governance issues, and develop resources and training for municipal officials, candidates, election workers, and the public. You will be a key liaison between the ministry and stakeholders such as Alberta Elections, Alberta Indigenous Relations, and municipalities across the province.

Key Responsibilities Include:

1. Municipal Election Support and Training

•    Lead the development, coordination, and delivery of training initiatives for municipalities, election officials, candidates, and ministry staff on municipal election procedures.
•    Evaluate and improve election-related procedural documents, forms, manuals, brochures, and support materials, ensuring alignment with applicable legislation and best practices.
•    Provide subject matter expertise on the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA) and contribute to periodic legislative reviews and policy development.
•    Monitor municipal election processes and evaluate outcomes to identify opportunities for modernization and procedural improvements.

2. Legislative Expertise and Intergovernmental Collaboration
•    Serve as a subject matter expert in the interpretation and application of municipal election legislation, including the LAEA, Alberta Senate Election Act, and Referendum Act.
•    Provide informed input into legislative and regulatory reviews by drafting or reviewing content and identifying operational impacts.
•    Collaborate with stakeholders such as Elections Alberta and Alberta Indigenous Relations to fulfill the ministry’s responsibilities under provincial voting legislation for First Nations, Special
     Areas, Improvement Districts, the City of Lloydminster (Alberta side), and summer villages.

3. Project and Contract Management

•    Develop project frameworks, manage timelines, and prepare requests for proposals related to election administration.
•    Oversee contracts and deliverables for projects supporting provincial votes or referenda administered by the ministry.

4. Governance Advisory Services

•    Serve as a subject matter expert in the interpretation and application of the Municipal Government Act (MGA).
•    Strengthen municipal capacity and sustainability by providing guidance on governance and administrative practices to elected officials, municipal administrators, and the public.
•    Respond to inquiries and complaints regarding municipal governance practices via phone, written correspondence, or in-person municipal visits.
•    Interpret and explain provincial legislation and procedures related to governance and local elections in a clear and accessible manner.

5. Executive and Ministerial Support

•    Prepare high-quality written materials for ministry leadership, including briefing notes, ministerial correspondence, and action requests.
•    Ensure communications reflect ministry priorities, policies, and legislative requirements while maintaining clarity, consistency, and accuracy.
•    Research and synthesize information to support informed decision-making and timely response to public and government inquiries.

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 – Considers the whole system and recognizes the linkages within the planning and reporting processes, and the impacts of each decision on the boarder system. Sets
     goals within the context of long-term outcomes and broad perspectives. This is particularly important in developing documents such as the strategic and business plans, where knowledge of
      how our desired outcomes, objectives, actions, challenges and opportunities intersect is important.

•    Agility – Proactively seeks out new opportunities for improvements, takes initiative and is resourceful in coordinating the resources needed, adapts to unforeseen circumstances, and displays
     a positive attitude toward the work and teammates.

•    Creative Problem Solving – Actively engaging the community and resources at hand to address issues. 

•    Build Collaborative Environments – Actively fostering collaboration across departments, municipalities, and stakeholders to support effective grant administration

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.

A degree in a related field such as Public Administration, or related field, plus four years of related work experience in municipal government.

Equivalency: Directly related education or experience considered based on:

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

Assets 

•    Demonstrated ability to analyze complex issues critically and conduct thorough research when preparing briefing materials, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and alignment with legislative and policy
     frameworks.
•    Progressive experience supporting or managing local election processes, preferably in the capacity of a Returning Officer or similar leadership role.

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. 

Optional: 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://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