Chief of Staff and Corporate Secretary

Important messages

Do you have a passion for driving decision-making and good governance? Are you energized by generating dialogue leading to creative solutions? If yes, we want to hear from you!

PacifiCan is in search of a leader to Propel BC Forward. PacifiCan is the federal economic development agency dedicated to British Columbia’s economy. We are looking for a permanent full-time Chief of Staff and Corporate Secretary, who is passionate about the place they live, the work they do and the Canadians they serve.

Duties

As Chief of Staff and Corporate Secretary, you will drive effective governance and decision making and support the President and the Executive Committee.

You will create great working relationships between our President’s Office and Minister’s staff, senior PacifiCan officials, central agencies and many others. You will report directly to the President - a great opportunity to provide advice and guidance to the senior level government official in a federal agency, from a BC-based executive position. If that describes you, we encourage you to apply!

As Chief of Staff and Corporate Secretary, you will:
►oversee effective governance agency-wide, ensuring good committee discussions based on quality documents.
►drive agenda-setting and ensure timely decision-making. You will support and challenge us as an organization to stay focused on strategic objectives and to implement the work of ExComm, and you will be monitoring to ensure we deliver on what we say we want to deliver on.
►supervise the Corporate Secretariat and Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) units.
►be responsible for productive working relationships between the Office of the President and rest of the agency.
►maintain the critical review, analysis and evaluation of material submitted to the President.
►ensure good quality correspondence to, and from, the President, and
►ensure effective working relationships with the Minister's Office.

As a regional development agency, PacifiCan plays four important 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

Pacific Economic Development Canada develops British Columbia’s economy and advances the interests of BC in delivery. We work with partners including other levels of government, First Nations, post-secondary institutions, research organizations and industry associations. We offer a broad range of programs to support business growth, innovation and economic inclusion.

Why join PacifiCan?

✔️Work with interesting, fun and engaged people who support each other and love the work they do.
✔️Contribute to meaningful work that strengthens the economy and makes a difference for people.
✔️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.
✔️Lean by doing and through career development.
✔️Work with an innovative leadership team that is passionate about hiring and developing talent, and achieving results.

At PacifiCan, we enjoy a hybrid work model. This position is not eligible for 100% remote work. The successful candidate will be expected to reside within commuting distance of PacifiCan Headquarters, located in the lower mainland.

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 this position 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.

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

We are hiring one permanent full-time Chief of Staff and Corporate Secretary for this role. A pool of qualified candidates may be established and may be used to staff similar positions.

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

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:
• An acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.

Degree equivalency

Experience:
• Significant* experience with issues management and developing and implementing strategies to respond to complex issues**.
• Experience advancing an organization’s strategic objectives through corporate governance - issues management, agenda setting and pathfinding for decision making, building consensus, and follow-up with senior executives.
• Experience managing human and financial resources.
• Experience developing partnerships and building consensus with internal clients, non-government organizations, other government departments or other levels of government.

Notes:
*Significant experience is defined as the depth and breadth of experience normally associated with full-time performance of these duties for a minimum of the past 2 years.
** Complex issues are defined as issues with the following characteristics: multidimensional; sensitive; potentially controversial; confidential; affecting many partners/stakeholders; precedent-setting and/or having a major impact on the public service/private sector; and/or having the potential for significant media coverage.

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

Bilingual - Imperative (CBC/CBC)
or Bilingual Non-imperative (CBC/CBC)

Information on language requirements

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

Abilities and Skills:
• Advising and briefing ministers, deputy heads, chief executive officers or chairs of the board.

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

Asset Qualifications

Knowledge:
• Knowledge of issues related to economic growth and development in British Columbia.
• A large and mature professional network of contacts in federal government departments and central agencies, in Government of British Columbia and/or in the private sector.

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 as belonging to one of the following employment equity groups: Indigenous peoples, persons with a disability, visible minorities, and women.

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

Conditions of employment

• Secret Security Clearance - Those selected must meet and maintain this condition of employment throughout their employment.

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.

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.