Parks Strategic Issues Advisor

Role Responsibilities

Are you a strategic thinker who thrives in a fast‑paced environment where priorities shift quickly, and your ability to anticipate issues makes all the difference? Join us as a Parks Issues Advisor, a high‑impact role that directly supports the Executive Director of Parks Strategy, Governance and Business Services.

This is your opportunity to influence key decisions, shape branch operations, and contribute to the success of a division that supports critical programs and services across Alberta’s provincial parks system.

As the Parks Issues Advisor for the Strategy, Governance and Business Services branch, you will act as a trusted advisor to the Executive Director, providing strategic insight, issue management, and operational support. Working closely with senior staff across the branch, you will ensure the Executive Director is consistently informed, prepared, and positioned to lead effectively.

This role is central to maintaining coordination across diverse business units—including retail and reservations, information systems, finance, data and analytics, and strategic policy and planning —while supporting day‑to‑day divisional operations.

The ideal candidate brings innate curiosity, excellent problem solving, and strong organizational skills.

Your key responsibilities include:

1. Providing strategic advice and operational support to the Executive Director on branch priorities and emerging issues.
2. Ensuring the Executive Director is fully briefed on issues, risks, and developments affecting branch operations.
3. Overseeing responses to action requests, briefings, communication materials, and inter‑branch or inter‑ministry information needs.
4. Coordinating branch planning activities, budget forecasting, tracking, and reporting.
5. Liaising with the Assistant Deputy Minister’s Office and senior branch leadership to facilitate smooth information flow and alignment.
6. Supporting daily divisional operations to ensure integrated and efficient delivery of services across the branch.
   

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.

Systems Thinking:
Takes a long-term view towards organization’s objectives and how to achieve them:

• Takes holistic long-term view of challenges and opportunities.
• Anticipates outcomes and potential impacts, seeks stakeholder perspectives.
• Works towards actions and plans aligned with APS values.
• Works with others to identify areas for collaboration.

Creative Problem Solving:
Focuses on continuous improvement and increasing breadth of insight:

• Asks questions to understand a problem.
• Looks for new ways to improve results and activities.
• Explores different work methods and what made projects successful, shares learning.
• Collects breadth of data and perspectives to make choices.

Drive for Results:
Works to exceed goals and partner with others to achieve objectives:

• Plans based on experience.
• Holds self and others responsible for results.
• Partners with groups to achieve outcomes.
• Aims to exceed expectations.

APS Competencies

Build Collaborative Environments:
Collaborates across functional areas and proactively addresses conflict:

• Encourages broad thinking on projects, and works to eliminate barriers to progress.
• Facilitates communication and collaboration.
• Anticipates and reduces conflict at the outset.
• Credits others and gets talent recognized.
• Promotes collaboration and commitment.

Agility:
Identifies and manages required change and the associated risks:

• Identifies alternative approaches and supports others to do the same.
• Proactively explains impact of changes.
• Anticipates and mitigates emotions of others.
• Anticipates obstacles and stays focused on goals.
• Makes decisions and acts in uncertain situations and creates a backup plan.

This link will assist you with understanding competencies: https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in political science, economics, public administration, information management or related field plus 4 years progressively responsible related experience.
Or equivalent as described below.
Related diploma and minimum of 6 years related experience.

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 of education.

Assets:

Experiences with SharePoint; information systems; financial processing and reporting; and/or performance measurement would be an asset.

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

This is a permanent, full-time role with the standard weekly work hours of 36.25, Monday to Friday.

A cover letter is required.  In your cover letter please provide information that clearly demonstrates how your qualifications meet the advertised requirements for this position.

Candidates may be asked to complete a written Assignment as a part of the interview process.

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.
• 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.
• Leadership and mentorship programs.