Director, Community Economic Development

Important messages

Note: please disregard reference(s) to Prairies Economic Development Canada in this career opportunity. This is a GCjobs technical programming issue and we are working to correct this. All other information in the advertisement is correct and interested candidates should apply as directed. Questions can be directed to Carolyn Veitch in Human Resources at .

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Are you ready to join one of the most engaged and committed workforces in the federal public service? Are you a leader with a passion for economic development and the drive to make British Columbia an even greater place to live and work? If so, we want to hear from you. Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan) is the new federal regional development agency focused on British Columbia’s evolving economy. We are looking for dynamic, client-centered leaders for the role of Director, Community Economic Development in each of our new regional offices in Victoria, Kelowna and Prince George. These are new positions created to play a key role in PacifiCan’s work to support jobs and growth across BC.

We are hiring for three positions:

Position 1: As Director, Community Economic Development for the Southern Interior and Kootenays Regions of British Columbia, you will live in the Kelowna area and serve the region.

Position 2: As Director, Community Economic Development for Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, you will live in the greater Victoria area and serve the region.

Position 3: As Director, Community Economic Development for the North, North Coast and Northeast Regions of British Columbia, you will live in the Prince George area and serve the region.

For all positions, you will be expected to understand the context and dynamics of the economic environment in your region including the connection to and impact of decisions and issues at provincial and national levels, and to build relationships that will help you to understand and advance community economic development opportunities.

This opportunity will appeal to someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, understands British Columbia’s evolving economy, and has established relationships with local businesses and economic development stakeholders in their region and throughout the province. You will find success in this role if you are a curious, growth-minded, innovative, adaptive, and dynamic leader with excellent communication skills eager to work as part of a team. We are looking for a community builder who is committed to forming productive teams and fostering meaningful relationships. If that describes you, we encourage you to apply!

About PacifiCan:
Pacific Economic Development Canada promotes the development of British Columbia’s economy and advances the interests of BC in national economic policy and program development and delivery. With offices in Vancouver and Ottawa, we are growing our team to create new points of service across BC and establishing a new headquarters in Surrey. We work with a broad range of stakeholders and partners including other levels of government, First Nations, post-secondary institutions, research organizations and industry associations and offer a broad range of programs to support business growth, innovation and economic inclusion. PacifiCan has played an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing emergency support measures and programs for businesses and communities to help with relief and recovery.

Duties

About the role:

Reporting to the Director General of Economic Development and Investment Strategy, the Director, Community Economic Development will be responsible for: helping local governments, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, First Nations and other groups access federal economic development programs and services within their region; supporting communities in achieving their economic goals; and ultimately working closely with a broad range of stakeholders and partners to advance economic development priorities in BC. Using knowledge gained from a wide variety of sources, the Director will play an important role in convening local community, business and other stakeholder leadership to generate local insights to inform federal policy and program decisions and to identify opportunities for collaboration, strategic investments and knowledge transfer to support community economic development. As a senior PacifiCan official in the region, the Director will be managing a team of regional staff and be expected to represent PacifiCan and the Government of Canada at regional meetings and events. The Director will also have a role in identifying and supporting opportunities for federal communications and stakeholder engagement in the region.

You will use your knowledge and networks to facilitate economic development in communities through the following roles:

💼 Convenor – a trusted federal partner that understands local and regional circumstances and can make linkages within and outside of government to drive strategic investments and joint economic ventures.

💼Pathfinder – connect entrepreneurs, economic development organizations and communities with federal programming and services to increase their participation in British Columbia's economy.

💼Advisor – provide insights into regional economic issues to inform national policy and program decisions, and contribute to the development of regional engagement strategies and advice to the federal government.

💼 Investor – guide clients to access PacifiCan’s funding programs to capitalize on
strategic regional investment opportunities or identify other sources of funding to support economic growth, job creation, improved economic competitiveness and other related objectives.

Work environment

PacifiCan is an innovative workplace that makes a difference in British Columbia. We care about our accomplishments as a team and about each other. We consistently rank as a top federal department in which to work, and we are driven to be the best at what we do. We hire top talent and provide an employment experience that brings out the best in people. We are motivated by achieving great results for British Columbians and Canadians.

Why should you consider a career with PacifiCan? If you join our team, you will:
✔️Work with engaged people who support each other and love the work they do;
✔️Contribute to meaningful work that strengthens the economy and makes a difference in the lives of British Columbians and Canadians;
✔️Enjoy a culture of continuous learning and support for your professional development;
✔️Gain exposure to diverse economic sectors and issues of importance to the future economy;
✔️Enjoy travel within the region and flexible work arrangements;
✔️Work with modern tools and technology; and,
✔️Work with an innovative leadership team that is passionate about hiring and developing talent, and achieving results.

Please note: as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are working remotely. If you are appointed to a position, PacifiCan will provide tools and/or equipment to support remote work. As public health restrictions ease, successful candidates will be expected to report to a PacifiCan regional office work location in the location of the position to be staffed.

PacifiCan offices are open environments with well-regulated air quality, ergonomic sit/stand workstations, and a combination of natural and fluorescent lighting. The physical demands of these positions include spending a significant amount of time working on a computer, and reading documents. This role will also involve meeting with stakeholders virtually by video and telephone, and in-person as COVID-19 public health measures allow. Please note, 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 process, please contact Carolyn Veitch by email at . Information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Intent of the process

In addition to the 3 full-time permanent positions identified above, this process may be used to establish a pool of qualified candidates to staff similar positions of various tenures (including but not limited to term and indeterminate appointments, internal assignments, secondments, deployments, acting appointments, and casual work assignments). It may also be used to staff positions with various security requirements, language requirements and conditions of employment.

Positions to be filled: 3

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)

When you apply, you will be asked a series of screening questions based on the education and experience criteria below. When answering the screening questions, please provide:
► Concrete and detailed examples to demonstrate how you meet the qualifications;
► Where, when and how the experience was acquired.

Education:
• Successful completion of a degree from a recognized post- secondary institution or an acceptable combination of education, training and experience.

Degree equivalency

Experience:
1. Significant* experience working in regional or community economic development.
2. Experience convening diverse groups or interests and building and maintaining relationships with a broad range of stakeholders such as federal/ provincial/ territorial/ municipal governments, the private sector, not-for-profit organizations, and Indigenous communities.
3. Experience providing strategic advice, recommendations and briefings in writing and verbally to senior management (i.e. to Executive level and above).
4. Experience managing grants and contributions programs.
5. Experience managing the coordination, development or implementation of organizational strategies, policies or programs.
6. Significant* experience managing financial and human resources. Applicants must indicate the value of the budget they have managed and the number of staff they have supervised.

*NOTE: Significant experience is defined as the depth and breadth of experience normally associated with full-time performance of these duties for a minimum of 2 years.

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

Asset Qualifications:
These qualifications are not required but may applied at any stage in the staffing process.
1. Master’s degree in a field related to the duties of the position.
2. Experience leading, designing or implementing transformation initiatives.
3. Experience in advocacy or promoting regional economic interests.
4. Experience managing staff remotely or in a matrix environment.
5. Experience with decision making processes within the Public Service.
6. Experience engaging with Indigenous communities.
7. Experience engaging with underrepresented communities, such as persons with disabilities, youth, members of the LGBTQ2 community, racialized groups, etc.
8. Depth, breadth and scope in any one or combination of the experience areas.

Degree equivalency

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

Various language requirements

Information on language requirements

Key Leadership Competencies:
• Create Vision and Strategy
• Mobilize People
• Uphold Integrity and Respect
• Collaborate with Partners and Stakeholders
• Achieve Results
• Promote Innovation and Guide Change
• Excellent Communication Skills (both oral and written)

The following may be applied / assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job)

Organizational Needs:
• Pacific Economic Development Canada is committed to having an inclusive and diverse workforce representative of the population we serve. Consideration may be given to candidates who self-identify belonging to one of the following employment equity groups: Aboriginal peoples, persons with disability, visible minorities and women.

Operational Requirements:
• Willingness and ability to work overtime.
• Willingness and ability to travel.

Conditions of employment

• Secret security clearance
• Fully vaccinated for COVID19 unless being accommodated based on a certified medical contraindication or a prohibited ground for discrimination as defined under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

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

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, will 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.