Innovation Ecosystems - Business Officer (CO-01) & Senior Business Officer (CO-02)

Important messages

Are you passionate about building relationships and working with stakeholders to develop innovative approaches to complex challenges? Do you have a strong network of industry contacts and a track record of collaborating on multi-stakeholder projects? If so, Prairies Economic Development Canada (formerly Western Economic Diversification) is excited to talk to you about a new career opportunity!

We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. If you need to be accommodated during any phase of the evaluation process, please use the contact information below to request specialized accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Duties

About the role:
PrairiesCan works to diversify the Canadian Prairies economy and improve the quality of life of Canadians. To promote growth and diversification in the West, PrairiesCan plays four key roles: investor, advisor, convenor, and delivery agent.

PrairiesCan’s Regional Innovation Ecosystem program aims to create, grow and develop strong and inclusive regional ecosystems that support business growth and innovation, as well as the entrepreneurial environment necessary to foster more innovative regional economies and increase the competitiveness of small- and medium-sized enterprises.

We are looking for individuals with experience in one or more of business development, economic development and multi-stakeholder project development to join the Innovation Ecosystems team. You will be part of a team developing and implementing projects that support the growth of priority economic sectors. Priority economic sectors include clean technology, clean resources, life sciences, digital industries, value-added agriculture, and advanced manufacturing.

You will be challenged to build relationships with clients and work collaboratively to develop and manage a portfolio of projects. You will excel in this role if you have an in-depth understanding of the Alberta economy, strong people skills, project management skills, and a network of economic development and industry contacts in Alberta.

Work environment

Governments worldwide are looking for new and innovative approaches to economic development funding and delivery and PrairiesCan is at the forefront. We foster a culture of experimentation and innovation to continuously improve how we do business for the benefit of western Canadians.

PrairiesCan is recognized as a top employer because of its support for employees, innovative workplace and ability to make a difference in the lives of Canadians. In the annual public service employee survey, PrairiesCan employees rank the department as one of the best places to work in the federal government.

Why Choose PrairiesCan:
• Work with amazing people who support each other
• Meaningful work that makes a difference to the country
• Excellent compensation package
• Flexible work arrangements
• Modern work tools and technology
• Supports for training and development

Intent of the process

A pool of qualified candidates (fully assessed or partially assessed) will be established and may be used to staff similar positions at this group and level. This process may be used for various positions and tenures (including but not limited to term and indeterminate appointments, internal assignments, secondments, deployments, acting appointments, casual) as well as various locations, security requirements, language requirements and conditions of employment. The pool of qualified candidates may also be shared and accessed with other federal government departments.

Positions to be filled: 2

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

A covering letter

In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)

Education:
• Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with acceptable specialization in a field relevant to the duties of the position.
At the manager’s discretion, an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience, that is comparable to a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with specialization relevant to the work to be performed, may serve as an alternative to meet the minimum education standard. Whenever the minimum education standard is met through this alternative, it is met only for the position being staffed, and candidates must be re-assessed for future appointments or deployments where the manager has decided to use this alternative.

Degree equivalency

Stream 1: Business Officers (CO-01)
Experience:
• Experience working in one of Alberta’s priority economic sectors or working to support the development of innovation ecosystems;
• Experience developing business or economic development initiatives involving multiple stakeholders;
• Project management experience;
• Experience providing strategic advice and recommendations to management.

Stream 2: Senior Business Officers (CO-02)
Experience:
• Significant experience* working in one of Alberta’s priority economic sectors or working to support the development of innovation ecosystems;
• Significant experience* developing business or economic development initiatives involving multiple stakeholders;
• Experience in assessing and negotiating complex** funding proposals;
• Significant* project management experience;
• Providing strategic advice and recommendations to senior management.

*Significant experience is defined as having the depth and breadth of experience that would normally be acquired with the performance of full time duties for a period of three years or more.
**Complex is defined as issues that are ambiguous, poorly defined, and require input, expertise, and analysis from multiple sectors, organizations, or disciplines.

Knowledge:
• Knowledge of how PrairiesCan supports economic development/diversification in the Canadian Prairies;
• Knowledge of current economic and business trends, opportunities and challenges in Alberta.

Competencies:
• Communication (oral)
• Communication (written)
• Demonstrating integrity/respect
• Analytical Ability
• Strategic Thinking
• Working effectively with others
• Showing initiative / being action-oriented

If you possess any of the following, your application must also clearly explain how you meet it (other qualifications)

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience:
• Ability to read and assess financial information and financial statements
• Experiencing advocating for or championing ideas.
• Depth, breadth and scope of experience in any one or combination of the experience factors

Knowledge:
• Knowledge of key federal and provincial government initiatives, trends and issues relating to economic development and innovation programs;
• Knowledge of Alberta’s business innovation ecosystem and principles for building successful innovation ecosystems;
• Knowledge of business structures and governance as it relates to non-profit organizations.

Organizational Needs:
• In support of achieving a diverse and inclusive workforce, applicants are encouraged to self-identify as belonging to the following Employment Equity groups: Indigenous peoples, Persons with a Disability, Visible Minorities, and Women.

Operational Requirements:
• Willing and able to travel
• Willing and able to work overtime

The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)

English essential

Information on language requirements

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

Other information

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the Canadians we serve. We promote employment equity and encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the designated groups when you apply.

Information on employment equity

TIPS FOR APPLICANTS: When answering the screening questions ensure that you provide complete and thorough details of your experience. Do not assume that the screening board has any previous knowledge of your background, qualifications, or work history. You must be specific and provide concrete examples/details for each experience element, as applications will be screened only on the information provided. Failure to provide sufficient information may result in your application being screened out of the competition.

Communication for this process will be sent via email. Applicants MUST check their email accounts frequently as there may be a deadline for responses. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure accurate contact information is provided and updated as required. Candidates who apply to this selection process should include an email address that accepts email from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email).

Depending on the number of applicants, the needs and/or Human Resources plans, volume management strategies such as random selection, top-down approach and/or establishing cut-off scores to determine who will continue in the staffing process, MAY BE USED for the purpose of managing applications
The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the Canadians we serve. We promote employment equity and encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the designated groups when you apply.

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans first and then to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, with the exception of a job located in Nunavut, where Nunavut Inuit will be appointed first.

Information on the preference to veterans

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.