Business Officer and Senior Business Officer

Important messages

Are you passionate about growing the Prairie Economy and working with innovative companies to develop new projects and seize opportunities in an increasingly uncertain marketplace? Do you have a strong network of industry contacts? A unique skill set that can complement a collaborative team? If so, Prairies Economic Development Canada (formerly Western Economic Diversification) is excited to talk to you about a new career opportunity!

We are seeking motivated, detail-oriented individuals who work well independently and in a group environment. This role will appeal to those with a passion for creative problem solving and economic development in the West.

Please note:
As a result of our learnings over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, PrairiesCan has implemented a flexible, hybrid working model involving a minimum of two days a week in office, and maximum of three days a week of remote work. Successful candidates will be expected to report to the PrairiesCan office in Saskatoon. If you are appointed to a position, PrairiesCan will provide tools and/or equipment to support both in person and virtual/remote work.

Our PrairiesCan offices are open environments with well-regulated air quality, ergonomic sit/stand workstations, and a combination of natural and fluorescent lighting. 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 Jamie Warywoda by email at . Information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Duties

We are looking for people who think independently, have great attention to detail, work creatively, and enjoy working in a team environment to support the priorities of the department. You will be challenged to build relationships with clients and work collaboratively with project officers to develop and manage a portfolio of projects and ensure compliance with legal agreements.

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: Number to be determined

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

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.

Note:
Indeterminate incumbents of positions in the CO group on June 21, 2021, who do not possess the education prescribed above, are deemed to meet the minimum education standards based on their education, training and/or experience. They must be accepted as having met the minimum education standard whenever this standard is called for when staffing positions in the CO group.

Degree equivalency

Business Officers (CO-01)
Experience:
• Working in one of Saskatchewan’s priority economic sectors or working to support the development of innovative firms or ecosystems;
• Reviewing financial statements and assessing funding proposals (including business plans);
• Monitoring project activities to ensure the terms of the contractual agreement are respected and followed;
• Providing strategic advice and recommendations to management.

Senior Business Officers (CO-02):
Experience:
• Working in one of Saskatchewan’s priority economic sectors or working to support the development of innovative firms or ecosystems;
• Monitoring project activities and financials and ensuring the terms of the contractual agreement are respected and followed;
• Reviewing complex financial statements and assessing funding proposals (including business plans);
• Providing strategic advice and recommendations to senior management on complex issues*.

*Complex issues are defined as issues that are: ambiguous; poorly defined; confidential; affecting partners/stakeholders; precedent setting and/or having an impact on the public service/private sector.

Business Officers (CO-01) and Senior Business Officers (CO-02)
Knowledge of:
• Knowledge of how PrairiesCan supports economic development/diversification in the Canadian Prairies;
• Knowledge of the current economic and business trends, opportunities and challenges in Saskatchewan.

Competencies:
• Demonstrating integrity/respect;
• Thinking things through;
• Working with others;
• Showing initiative/being action-oriented; and
• Communication (Oral and Written)

Abilities:
• Ability to assess the financial strength/viability of a for-profit or not-for-profit organization in relation to a funding application or business plan.

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

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS

Education:
• Graduation with a Masters degree from a recognized post secondary institution with a specialization in Commerce, Finance, Business or Public Administration, Economics or other relevant specialty.

Degree equivalency

Experience:
• Developing and sustaining collaborative working relationships with stakeholders
• Experience advocating for or championing ideas
• Experience using Microsoft Excel and PowerBI to process data and generate informatics
• Depth, breadth and scope of experience in any one or combination of the experience factors

Operational Requirements:
• Willing and able to travel occasionally
• Willing and able to work overtime as required

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.

For this selection process, our intention is to communicate with the candidates by email. Candidates who apply to this selection process must include in their application a valid email address and make sure that this address is functional at all times and accepts messages 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.

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.