Program Officer

Role Responsibilities

Reporting to the Manager, Discovery Programming, the Program Officer plays a crucial role in the grant management for Alberta's innovation funding programs, offering both technical and financial support. The primary focus is on ensuring transparency, accountability, and risk mitigation in the administration of collaborative innovation grant funding programs that co-invest in large-scale, multi-partner initiatives advancing Alberta's science, technology, and industry ecosystem.

The Program Officer takes the lead in coordinating processes and providing analytical, consultative, and quality control services during the pre-award phase of grant funding program life-cycles. Responsibilities extend to collaborating with Ministry representatives to develop and update grant funding guidelines and templates, reviewing grant and contract documents, and managing processes for soliciting proposals and submissions. The role requires strong analytical capability, attention to complex partner and leverage structures, and the ability to assess compliance across multi-institutional delivery models involving post-secondary institutions, non-profit organizations, research institutes, and industry partners.

This role encompasses comprehensive grant financial services, including contributing to the allocation of program and project budgets, preparing forecasts, analyzing variances, and developing financial planning scenarios. The Program Officer generates analytics and management reports to support strategic and operational planning, decisions, and reports related to innovation grant funding programs. Under the leadership of the Manager, this position performs all work in accordance with relevant legislation, regulations, policies, and guidelines.

As an AI champion, the Program Officer actively explores, adopts, and promotes the use of AI tools to improve program administration, analytical workflows, and stakeholder service delivery. This includes staying current with emerging AI capabilities relevant to grant management, modeling effective AI tool use for colleagues, and identifying opportunities to integrate AI-assisted processes to improve program efficiency, reporting quality, and decision support.

The responsibilities of this role include:

•  Lead end-to-end grant administration, including pre- and post-award processes, grant agreements, and amendments, ensuring compliance and accountability.
•  Provide financial oversight, including budgeting support, cost-sharing analysis, forecasting, variance analysis, and reconciliations.
•  Produce financial reports and scenario analyses to support strategic planning, decision-making, and program sustainability.
•  Review and assess funding requests and amendments (e.g., scope, timelines, residual funds) and advise senior leadership.
•  Monitor recipient performance and reporting to ensure compliance with grant agreements, financial requirements, and program objectives.
•  Manage relationships with grant recipients, partners, and auditors to support program delivery, reporting, and issue resolution.
•  Coordinate stakeholder reporting, payments, and deliverables to ensure timely and accurate financial and program outputs.
•  Strengthen program governance through financial controls, reporting consistency, and audit readiness.
•  Contribute to program improvement through updates to guidelines, templates, and evidence-based recommendations.
•  Prepare briefings, correspondence, and materials to support program decisions, changes, and reporting.

Role Responsibilities Continued

To be successful in this position, you will demonstrate:

• Ability to work both independently, and as part of a team environment, seeking additional guidance from team members, when required. 
• Ability to develop and build collaborative environments with team members, across the branch, division, ministry, and government, as well as with other key stakeholders.
• Excellent negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
• Excellent time management skills to deliver results that often have competing pressures.
• Ability to change course and reprioritize work in alignment with evolving needs. 
  
  

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.

Qualifications

Requirements:

• University degree in a related field, such as Finance, Business, Public Administration, Science or a related field plus a minimum of two (2) years related experience. 
• Familiarity with current provincial and federal innovation funding programs, encompassing core responsibilities, delivery guidelines, agreements, program delivery processes, and accountability requirements.
• Experience in financial administration, grant management, research, and analysis.
• A cover letter clearly demonstrating relevant skills and competencies tailored to this position.

Equivalencies:

• A related two-year diploma and a minimum of four (4) years of related experience; or
• A related one-year certificate and a minimum of five (5) years of related experience; or
• A minimum of six (6) years of related experience.

Assets:

• High proficiency in MS Office applications, including database creation and management.
• Knowledge and experience with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and other knowledge management systems, processes, and practices is advantageous.
• Understanding of evaluation approaches and performance measurement /accountability frameworks.
• Experience in writing reports and briefing notes and presentations.

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

Term of Employment: Permanent, Full-time position

Hours of Work: 7.25 hours daily / 36.25 weekly – Monday to Friday

Location: Commerce Place | 10155 102 Street NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 4G8

Recruitment Process

Final candidates will be required to undergo a security screening.

This competition may be used to fill future vacancies, across the Government of Alberta, at the same or lower classification level.

Applicants are required to provide a cover letter summarizing information that clearly and concisely demonstrates how their qualifications meet the advertised requirements, including education, experience, and relevant examples of required competencies.

Additional Information:
In your resume, please include dates (including months and years) associated with all education and work experience. Also, please indicate whether your work experience is casual, part-time, or full-time. For example, January 15, 2006 - June 25, 2009: Assistant (PT three 8 hrs. shifts/week).

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://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.