Team Lead, Contracts and Grants

Role Responsibilities

Reporting to the Director of Contracts and Grants, the Team Lead of the Contracts and Procurement Unit will manage, lead, and mentor a dedicated team, ensuring alignment with the Ministry’s contracting and grant policies and processes. This role is crucial in supporting the Ministry’s vast program areas and service delivery regions, overseeing an annual procurement portfolio of approximately $600 million in contracted services and more than $100 million in community program funding through grants.

Operating with a high degree of independence, the Team Lead provides strategic expertise, guiding the adaptation, implementation, and integration of corporate contract and grant policies, procedures, and best practices within both the Ministry and the Government of Alberta (GoA). Additionally, this role maintains clear communication channels with government contracting and grant staff, ensuring consistent updates on policies and processes and facilitating informed decision-making.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership and Advisory: Offers high-level expertise, guidance, and direction in developing Ministry contract, procurement, and grant strategies and policies.
• Compliance Review: Oversees procurements, contracts and grants, ensuring alignment with Ministry and GoA policies, legislation, and trade agreements at the regional, national, and international levels.
• Operational Support: Acts as a central operational support, coordinating and reporting contracting activities to the Contract Review and Grant Selection Committee (CRGSC).
• Project Management: Coordinates cross-divisional or GoA procurement, contract and grant initiatives, providing direction and ensuring best practices.
• Process Improvement: Recommends improvements to procurement, contract and grant processes, reinforcing best practices across the Ministry.
• Stakeholder Education: Delivers ongoing training and support to Ministry stakeholders on procurement, contract and grant processes, building awareness of business requirements.

This role upholds consistency, accountability, and integrity across all Ministry divisions, promoting the core objective of achieving the best value for money. Operating within the Government of Alberta Procurement Accountability Framework, the Team Lead ensures full compliance with all relevant trade agreements, legislation, and policies.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Clear Documentation: Prepares clear, concise, and timely materials (e.g., letters, briefing notes, reports, presentations) for senior officials and the executive team, often under tight timelines.
• Collaboration: Liaises with other Ministries, decision-makers, and stakeholders to ensure alignment and shared understanding on key issues.
• Policy Development: Identifies and resolve policy issues, developing well-founded recommendations for actions and solutions.

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.

Position Specific Competencies:

• Agility: Anticipates and adapts to changing priorities, shifting workloads, and emerging issues while overseeing day‑to‑day operational activities in a high‑volume environment.
• Creative Problem Solving: Assesses complex procurement, contract, and grant issues and develops practical, policy‑compliant recommendations to enhance operations and service delivery.
• Develop Self and Others: Mentors and supports team members to build technical knowledge and understanding of how their work contributes to broader ministry objectives, providing guidance and training as required.
• Build Collaborative Environments: Leads and supports staff in achieving ministry contract, procurement, and grant outcomes by fostering collaboration, accountability, and consistent application of policy.
• Develop Networks: Builds and maintains effective working relationships with internal stakeholders, program areas, and partner ministries to support coordinated and informed decision‑making.
• Systems Thinking: Understands how contracts, procurement, and grants function within a broader legislative, policy, and organizational environment, and considers downstream impacts when providing advice or direction.
• Other Relevant Attributes: Capability for public speaking; ability to navigate high-volume, fast-paced workloads; capacity to manage tight and coinciding timelines.

Qualifications

Required:

• A completed university degree in a related field, preferably in Business Administration, Management, Economics, Finance, Accounting, or Commerce; and
• A minimum of four (4) years of directly related experience in procurement, contract, and grant management.

Equivalency: Related experience or education may be considered as an equivalency on a one for one basis.

Assets and Preferences:

• Experience in a supervisory or leadership role within procurement or contract management.
• Certification in CPPB (Certified Public Procurement Buyer), SCMP (Supply Chain Management Professional), Project Management, or CPA/CA/CMA/CGA.
• Knowledge of government-wide and departmental policies, best practices, and financial implications related to procurement and grant management.
• Familiarity with grant management software, data analysis, and reporting tools, including the ability to effectively conduct year-end and quarterly reporting activities.

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 full-time, permanent position based in Edmonton. The standard work schedule is Monday to Friday, from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., totaling 36.25 hours per week.

This competition may also be used to fill positions at a lower classification level.

All applicants must include a cover letter. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. In your cover letter please provide a brief overview of how your qualifications meet the advertised requirements including education, experience, and relevant examples of required competencies. Your cover letter should be 300 - 400 words, concise, without spelling/grammatical errors. It should have a clear, consistent layout that demonstrates your attention to detail. Your cover letter will be assessed as a writing sample.

Instructions for your Resume:

For Employment Experience:

• Please indicate duration of employment (month, year)
• Please specify employment status (i.e., casual, part-time, or full-time)
• Ex: Issues Coordinator, Jan 2006 - June 2009, Part-time (three, 8-hour shifts/week)
  
  

For any Post-Secondary Education:

• Please specify your major and length of program.
• Please specify the year you graduated.
• Ex: Bachelor of Social Science, 4-year Degree (Graduated 2017)

Final candidates will be required to undergo a security screening. Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses will be the responsibility of the candidate.

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.