Business Officer

Important messages

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 Rochelle by email at . Information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Assessment accommodations are designed to remove the obstacles without altering the criteria being assessed, and to allow candidates to fully demonstrate their abilities.

In order for you to be considered for this process, you must self-declare at the time of application (as prompted in the application) as a member of one of the following Employment Equity groups: Indigenous peoples, members of visible minorities, persons with disabilities. The definition of each of the designated groups as defined by the Employment Equity Act can be found at the following website: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/jobs/services/gc-jobs/employment-equity.html

Duties

As a Business Officer, you will connect with people, build relationships, conduct research, and develop creative approaches to addressing challenges or opportunities related to economic development. Successful candidates will work in a team environment to provide planning, development, implementation and assessment of complex programs, in support of the PrairiesCan mandate.

There is a regular requirement to respond to issues, balance multiple priorities and meet deadlines where there is little control over the timing of requests.

There is a regular requirement to operate a computer and mouse in the performance of the work.

The work is performed in an open-office environment with well-regulated air quality, ergonomic sit-stand workstations, and a combination of natural and fluorescent lighting. Our Edmonton office is located downtown in a 15-storey high-rise office tower with elevator access and on-site landlord/maintenance/immediate attention to deficiencies.

PrairiesCan is currently following the direction from the Office of the Chief Human Resource Officer on the introduction of a common hybrid work model across the federal public service. This common hybrid work model will consist of work on site at least 2–3 days each week, or 40–60% of their regular schedule.

You may find more information here: https://www.canada.ca/en/government/publicservice/staffing/common-hybrid-work-model-federal-public-service.html

This role will appeal to someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, is self-directed, able to manage several different files at a time, embraces challenge and works equally well independently or within a team.

Work environment

Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) is the federal department that supports economic growth in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Its programs and services help businesses, not-for-profits and communities grow stronger.

PrairiesCan supports economic growth and diversification in the Prairie provinces and advances the interests of the region in national economic policy, programs, and projects through 4 key roles:
• Investor: create jobs and growth through strategic investments and targeted initiatives.
• Convenor: connect economic actors to support collaboration and growth.
• Advisor: inform economic decision-making and advocate for Prairie interests.
• Pathfinder: help people navigate federal economic programs and services.

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.

Intent of the process

A pool of qualified candidates may be established and may be used to staff similar positions at this group and level. This process may be used for various tenures (including but not limited to term and indeterminate appointments, internal assignments, secondments, deployments, acting appointments, casual), as well as various security requirements, language and conditions of employment.

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.

Note:
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.

Degree equivalency

Experience:
• Experience monitoring progress against agreements or milestones.
• Experience developing and sustaining collaborative working relationships with stakeholders.
• Experience providing strategic advice and recommendations to management.

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

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience:
• Experience maintaining collaborative working relationships with external stakeholders.
• Experience in delivering or developing initiatives through Grants and Contributions programs.
• Experience assessing project proposals or applications
• Experience preparing financial claims for government funding
• Experience reviewing financial statements or other financial analysis to evaluate financial sustainability of organizations.
• Experience in forecasting and preparing budgets.
• Experience working with economic development networks in Alberta.
• Experience working to advance economic development initiatives within Indigenous communities.
• Experience working to advance economic development initiatives with equity-seeking groups.
• Experience using databases (i.e. Power BI) and Excel based analysis.
• Experience generating reports from spreadsheets and other data sources.
• Depth, breadth and scope of experience in any one or combination of the experience requirements.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Competencies:
• Communication (Oral and Written).
• Demonstrating integrity & respect.
• Showing initiative and being action-oriented.
• Working effectively with others.
• Strategic thinking.

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

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS: 

Knowledge:
• Knowledge of how PrairiesCan supports economic development and diversification in the Prairie provinces.
• Knowledge of key factors influencing the Canadian economy and of the current economic and business trends, opportunities and challenges in Alberta.
• Knowledge of the delivery of grants and contributions.
• Knowledge of project or stakeholder management systems used in the Government of Canada, e.g., Microsoft Dynamic CRM, Adobe Writer, Project Gateway, etc.

Ability:
• Ability to analyze financial statements to evaluate financial sustainability of organizations.
• Ability to update and manipulate spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel.
• Ability to use Microsoft Office 365 applications, such as Word, Outlook, Excel, MS Teams.

Organizational Needs:
Prairies Economic Development Canada is committed to having an inclusive and diverse workforce that is representative of the population we serve. Consideration may be given to candidates who self-identify as belonging to one of the following employment equity groups: Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities, and women.

Conditions of employment

• Reliability security clearance.
• Willingness to travel occasionally.
• Willingness to work overtime on occasion as required.

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 process.

Qualifications, including communication (oral and written), may be assessed at any stage of the process.

Depending on the needs of the position to be staffed, an asset qualification may be deemed essential for an appointment.

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.

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.