Project Manager (Program Admin Officer 4)

About Us

The Department of Emergency Management is responsible for leading disaster and emergency planning, preparedness, response and recovery activities on behalf of the Province of Nova Scotia.  The objective of the Department is to ensure that Nova Scotians are safe, prepared and resilient in the face of disasters and emergencies. The Department leads the coordination and co-operation of partners and resources during provincial level critical incidents, supports municipal and other partners in regional level and local events, administers the province’s 911 service, maintains critical communications infrastructure and supports operations of our regional emergency management centres.  The Department also works to ensure critical government services continue to function during and after critical events. 

The Regional Operations and Infrastructure Branch enhances the safety and resilience of our Province by:

• Strengthening critical communications infrastructure through the establishment and oversight of the Public Safety Field Communications Agency.  The Agency’s mission is to create a Centre of Excellence in the delivery of public safety communications, dispatch, and related technologies across Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada
• Establishing and maintaining Regional Emergency Operations Centres (REOCs) in 6 regions in Nova Scotia.  The REOCs provide leadership in building regional emergency operations networks, ensuring collaborative efforts around emergency planning, training and exercising and developing regional plans for equipment and stores to support emergency response
• Coordinating response to regional emergencies
• Strengthening local and regional emergency preparedness through outreach and education to Nova Scotians at community events, schools, organizations, and through information sessions
• Fostering strong collaboration, communication, and emergency management planning with regional partners, including the development and coordination of regional Nova Scotia Guard networks
• Providing information to the Provincial Coordination Centre and the 24/7 Watch Desk staff to ensure real-time situational awareness, coordination, and support during emergencies and actioning critical information received from the Provincial Coordination Centre in the regions 

About Our Opportunity

The Public Safety Field Communications Agency is responsible for managing public safety two-way radio communications, infrastructure, and dispatch services on behalf of the Province.

The Project Manager is accountable for multiple public safety telecommunications projects on a strategic level within the department and horizontal delivery between other government departments and external clients. Projects may include topics such as new technology implementation, deployment of equipment, software implementation, governance initiatives, contract development/negotiations, and regulatory work, among others.

The Project Manager identifies, defines, and manages overall projects that impact multiple internal and external stakeholders and is responsible for consultation, promotion, budgeting, contract management, communications, and/or development of the overall project and project plans.

The Project Manager may also provide operational support to the emergency operations of the department during major incidents such as forest fires, telecom failures, or major weather events, in support of client agencies and the Provincial Coordination Centre (PCC).

Primary Accountabilities

• Evaluate current systems, conduct stakeholder interviews, and analyze operational requirements to determine gaps and opportunities for improvement in initiatives.

• Develop clear project objectives, define scope, establish success metrics, and identify key deliverables in alignment with department policies and strategic goals.

• Create detailed schedules, set milestones, and outline dependencies to ensure on-time delivery of projects.

• Build and lead multidisciplinary project teams, including technical subject matter experts, administrative staff, and external contractors. Delegate responsibilities appropriately and foster collaboration.

• Conduct thorough project reviews to assess outcomes, document successes and challenges, and identify areas for future improvement.

• Support project delivery through hands-on work with projects teams and stakeholders.

• Manage procurement processes (RFP, RFI, etc) as needed to gather information and procure goods and services resulting from projects.

Qualifications and Experience

Public Safety and Field Communications is looking for a senior resource with experience in the public safety environment who can lead and deliver strategic projects on behalf of the organization. In this role, you will work closely with the Manager and CEO of PSFC on a daily basis and will be tasked with leading or participating in multiple short and long-term, highly strategic projects and initiatives related to public safety radio and data technology. You will work with a wide variety of stakeholders, vendors, regulators, and clients in both the public and private sector to turn vision into reality.

Being a successful project manager in this context is less about formal project management principles, and moreso about leveraging knowledge, skills, and most importantly, formal and informal relationships to help move the yard stick forward on important initiatives.

You are a strategic thinker with a track record of working through complex problems and challenges, and you excel at converting thought into the written word in developing business cases, strategy, and procedure documents. You are comfortable working with diverse stakeholders and have the ability to explain complex concepts in simple ways.

 Candidates must:

• Have a bachelor's degree in a related field, and six years of related experience
• Have demonstrated an ability to manage large projects and project teams.
• Have experience in developing strategy and building formal and informal relationships across organizations
• Have superior oral and written communication skills
• Have background and experience in public safety or emergency management in a Canadian or North American context
• Have experience with procurement processes (RFP, RFI, etc).
• Have experience leading projects in a technology environment, preferably with a focus on public safety or radio communications

Assets:

• Formal training in project management such as PMP certification or project management courses.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders and provide clear, concise briefings and advice.

• Be familiar with public safety communications technologies such as mobile radio, paging, satellite, and dispatch technologies. 

• Be trained in the Incident Command System to at least ICS level 100

Equivalency

 We recognize equivalent combinations of training, education, and experience, providing opportunities for individuals with diverse backgrounds to contribute their skills and expertise. Equivalencies include:

• Ten (10) years of directly related experience.

Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

We will assess the above qualifications and competencies using one or more of the following tools: written examination, standardized tests, oral presentations, interview(s), and reference checks.

Benefits

Based on the employment status and union agreement, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, Health, Dental, Life Insurance, General illness, Short and Long Term Disability, Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs. For information on all our Benefit program offerings, click here: Benefits for government employees.

Working Conditions

 Normal work week is 35 hours/week, 7 hours/day

• May serve as part of a 24/7/365 on-call rotation and work substantial overtime during emergencies.
• Some requirements to work overtime in locations across the province, to support project delivery
• May work evenings/weekends on occasion to meet stakeholder needs

Additional Information

• Must have a valid unrestricted class 5 license

• Must be able to obtain an enhanced reliability level security clearance

What We Offer

• Career development where you have access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career.

• Engaging workplace: our employees feel valued, respected, connected, and tuned in, we have forward-thinking policies and strategies.

• Countless career paths.

• Department specific flexible working schedules.