Industry Development Program Specialist

Role Responsibilities

Alberta's government sees agriculture as a key economic driver for growth in Alberta. To successfully grow the agriculture industry in Alberta, Alberta's government offers a range of services and programs to support the growth of the agriculture industry and attract investment, with the goal of making Alberta an attractive destination for agriculture investment and facilitating the sector's success.

This position is responsible for providing leadership and support for Programs under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable-CAP) Agreement in Alberta.  Primary responsibility is supporting the delivery of and contributing to strategic development of programs to achieve goals and objectives of the Sustainable-CAP Growth and Value-Added Theme Programs. 

Key responsibilities of this position:

• Collaborate with clients to facilitate successful application processes
• Manage budgets effectively
• Track performance measures
• Contribute to the implementation of agricultural policy agreements
• Coach and influence Agriculture and Irrigation (AGI) staff to achieve objectives
• Possess a comprehensive understanding of 
• Canadian Agricultural Policy, financial procedures, budget tracking, and allocation of funding
• Ensure federal funds are allocated and spent in accordance with agreements
• Report program performance measures to provincial and federal governments

This position reports to the Manager, Industry Development Programs, and will receive guidance as required.  It is expected that this position will take initiative to explore potential solutions to challenges.

This position will be focusing on the following areas for day-to-day responsibilities:

1. Allocating Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable-CAP) funding in Alberta to support agricultural innovation and new ventures, including coaching staff, tracking grant performance, processing grants, validating client claims, and ensuring clear communication with stakeholders.
2. Managing federal funds efficiently and accountably to fulfill Sustainable-CAP objectives, including reviewing expenditures, reallocating funds as needed, and ensuring accurate reporting.
3. Continuously improving policy agreements, program development, and implementation processes through strategic planning, policy input, program design changes, and evaluations to enhance effectiveness and responsiveness in the agriculture industry.

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.

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following APS Competencies:

Systems Thinking: Ability to understand how decisions impact other areas within the organization.

Agility: Ability to anticipate, assess, and readily adapt to changing priorities and work effectively in a changing environment

Drive for Results: Anticipate important outcomes while maximizing resources to achieve results aligned with the organization's goals and mission while remaining accountable to the Government of Alberta and external stakeholders.

Qualifications

University Degree in a field related preferably in Business, Economics, Public Administration or related discipline, and a minimum of four (4) years of related work experience is required.

Equivalencies maybe considered - 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 

Additional Requirements: 

• Significant knowledge and experience on the following fields:
  • Research and analysis and/or
  • Program delivery and design 

Assets:

• Demonstrated tact, judgement, negotiation and troubleshooting skills, along with strong project management skills, oral and written communication skills.
• Experience with grant program development or delivery is an asset. 

Candidates with lesser qualifications may be considered at a lower classification and salary. 

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

• Office located in Edmonton
• Hours of Work: 36.25 hours per week (permanent full time)
• Monday to Friday (08:15 am-16:30 pm) 
• Evening and weekend work is sometimes required         
• Travel: valid driver’s license is required for travel (Canada) 

Additional Applicant Information:

• A cover letter is required. 
• 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. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in. 

Instructions for your Resume:
For Employment Experience:

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

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.
• 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.