Deputy Chief, Regional Ops

Role Responsibilities

Reporting directly to the Executive Director/Chief Conservation Officer, the Deputy Chief of the Conservation Officer Service is a senior, uniformed, and sworn peace officer position responsible for strategic leadership, operational oversight, and provincial coordination of Alberta’s field-based Conservation Officers. This role ensures the professional and effective delivery of law enforcement, human-wildlife conflict response, and public safety services, all in alignment with legislative requirements and cross-ministry priorities.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing strategic leadership to four Regional Inspectors and up to 90 armed Conservation Officers, ensuring consistent enforcement, public safety response, and human-wildlife conflict management across Alberta.
• Leading program planning and execution by implementing CLEB’s operational priorities, setting provincial enforcement standards, and coordinating multi-agency operations and emergency responses.
• Ensuring legal and policy compliance by upholding Peace Officer Program standards, managing occupational health and safety risks, and overseeing investigations into officer conduct and public complaints.
• Fostering stakeholder and Indigenous relations through engagement with local governments, Indigenous communities, and law enforcement partners, and representing the program on cross-ministry committees and interagency collaborations.
• Overseeing human resource management including recruitment, training, mentorship, succession planning, and enforcement of professional conduct and discipline standards.
• Managing budgets and resources by administering operational expenditures, overseeing infrastructure and IT systems, and serving as Expenditure Officer to ensure fiscal responsibility.
• Supporting executive leadership by advising on enforcement strategies, legislative matters, staffing, and contributing to program innovation and provincial consistency.

Please click this link to view the job description.

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: Strategic systems thinking to work within a broadly defined conceptual framework and manage multiple complex issues, programs and functions while delivering results and creative solutions within rigid time frames.
• Creative Problem Solving: Researching, analyzing and problem-solving to assess and respond to varied and complex issues through synthesizing different viewpoints and risks, and making decisions in alignment with legislation, and Ministry and government business priorities, direction and intent.
• Drive for Results: Assurance of continuous improvement, business flow process development and understanding and application of risk analysis, risk mitigation and risk communication to promote risk tolerance among staff.
• Build Collaborative Environments: Develops and maintains effective working relationships and partnerships with senior representatives of the Ministry, other departments, Municipal decision makers, agencies, industry, and stakeholder organizations to address issues and lead organizational change efforts relating to the lands program. 
• Agility: Leadership and influencing to promote innovation, build consensus and motivate others to accept and adopt innovative concepts and approaches.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Completion of university degree (4 years) in a field related to natural resource law enforcement, criminology, police sciences or law supplemented and related field.
• Minimum of seven years of directly related experience in enforcement or conservation including supervisory or executive leadership roles. 
• Eligible for or currently hold, a Level II Alberta Peace Officer appointment (armed status required).

Equivalency: Related education or experience may be considered based on one year of education for one year of experience or vice versa.

Assets:

• Demonstrated experience in natural resource law enforcement leadership, with a strong background in conservation, regulatory compliance, or peace officer operations.
• Advanced working knowledge of Alberta’s Peace Officer Act, the Criminal Code of Canada, and natural resource legislation with demonstrated application in operational decision-making and program oversight.
• Proven ability to develop and implement strategic enforcement plans and provincial deployment models. Experience aligning regional operations with organizational mandates and government priorities.
• Demonstrated success building partnerships and resolving complex, multi-stakeholder issues across government, Indigenous communities, and law enforcement agencies.
• High-level proficiency in drafting briefing materials, leading critical incident responses, and representing enforcement programs in executive-level discussions and public forums.

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

The position is based in Edmonton, but other locations may be considered.

Monday – Friday, 7.25 hours per day / 36.25 hours per week.

Final candidates will be required to undergo a security screening.

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).
• Example Foreman, January 2006 - June 2009, Part time (three, 8 hour shifts/week).

For Post-Secondary Education:

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

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. 

What the GoA has to offer:

• Working for the Alberta Public Service - https://www.alberta.ca/advantages-working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx.
• Management Employees Pension Plan (MEPP) – https://www.mepp.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.