Emergency Social Services Officer

Role Responsibilities

As an Emergency Social Services (ESS) Officer with the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA), you will play a key role in supporting communities before, during, and after emergencies. Working within a decentralized provincial public safety system, you will serve as the Government of Alberta’s subject matter expert on the human impacts of disasters and lead coordination with municipalities, Indigenous communities, NGOs, and provincial partners. This role combines regional ESS work, incident response, program development, and provincial level coordination to ensure Albertans receive timely and effective ESS support.

In this role, you will:

• Build and strengthen ESS capacity within your assigned region by advising and supporting municipalities, First Nation communities, Métis Settlements, NGOs, and local ESS personnel.
• Provide expert guidance during emergencies by deploying to impacted or hosting communities or serving as the Government of Alberta ESS Liaison to support the delivery of ESS to affected populations.
• Lead the ESS Branch in the Provincial Emergency Coordination Centre (PECC) when required, coordinating cross government actions and supervising assigned personnel during incident response.
• Manage an internal ESS portfolio, including the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of policies, programs, and tools that support provincial ESS readiness.
• Represent AEMA as an ESS subject matter expert on interdepartmental working groups, external committees, and with provincial, federal, and NGO partners.
• Conduct regional travel (25–30%, with increased travel during incidents) to support program development, stakeholder engagement, and emergency response activities.

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 inter-relationships and emerging trends to attain goals. Seeks insight on implications of different options. Analyzes long-term outcomes, focus on goals and values. Identifies unintended consequences.

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.

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 takes action in uncertain situations and creates a backup plan.

Develop Self & Others:  Plans according to career goals and regular development. Aligns personal goals with career goals. Leverages strengths: attempts stretch goals. Provides feedback and openly discusses team performance. Values team diversity and support personal development.

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.

Qualifications

Required:  University degree in Emergency Management, Social Work, Public Safety/ Administration, Emergency Services or related, PLUS 4 years related experience or equivalent as described

Equivalency: 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

For Example: 
Related 1 year certificate PLUS a minimum 7 years of experience
Related 2-year diploma PLUS a minimum 6 years of experience
Related minimum 8 years of experience  

The successful candidate MUST also have: 

• Minimum five years of leadership and/or decision-making experience in emergency social services or emergency management (equivalencies considered)
• ICS 300 qualification (or ability to obtain within one year) and ability to complete required ESS related training within one year of hire.
• Strong project management, communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to work independently and perform effectively under pressure.
• Class 5 driver’s licence (or equivalent) with clean abstract
• Ability to travel extensively, including overnights and/or weekends within the assigned region, sometimes with little notice.

Assets: 

• ICS 400, AHIMT Block training, Business Continuity, Crisis Communications, or First Nations Cultural Awareness training.
• Experience delivering ESS services, working in an Emergency Coordination Centre, or leading response personnel during emergencies.
• Experience influencing stakeholders outside direct line authority and collaborating with diverse partners including municipalities, Indigenous communities, NGOs, and emergency responders.
• Knowledge of AEMA’s mandate, Alberta’s public safety governance system, the Alberta ESS Framework, and relevant legislation (Emergency Management Act, LEMR, POPA, etc.).
• Experience with EM/ESS information systems, municipal ECC procedures, and applying systems thinking in complex, multi stakeholder environments

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: 36.25 hours per week

Location: NW Region - Grande Prairie, other NW locations will be considered

Final candidates will be required to undergo a security screening, including a criminal record check with vulnerable sector screening

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