Team Leader (Program Administration Officer 3)

About Us

The Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration (LSI) works as a trusted partner to grow the population, develop our current and future workforce, and foster inclusive, safe and fair workplaces. This includes welcoming people from across Canada and the world, helping people prepare for job opportunities and build the skills they need, promoting safe work environments and helping employers and employees know their rights and responsibilities. We work together to create a future where everyone has an opportunity to thrive. 

Employment Nova Scotia (ENS) is a division within the Skills & Learning Branch of the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration (LSI). 

Through various programs and services, we:

• help Nova Scotians meet their employment potential,
• help employers find the employees they need to prosper, and
• help communities play an active role in developing well-balanced local labour markets.

We are a large, diverse, and passionate team focused on making a difference in the lives of people. We are committed to the pursuit of developing labour market programs and services that help Nova Scotians find employment, improve their skills, and ultimately improve their lives. Our team members make a real difference through designing, continuously improving and delivering the programs and services people need, alongside caring, compassionate, highly skilled people and partners. 

The people who use government programs and services are a diverse group of citizens of Nova Scotia and people who are coming here to work and live. It is important that the Employment Nova Scotia team reflects the people that we serve in order to deliver continuously improving, accessible, and inclusive public services. We work hard to create an environment where different perspectives and experiences are heard and valued. We are committed to helping diverse talent thrive.
 

About Our Opportunity

If you are searching for a rewarding career opportunity, we have a rewarding opportunity for you as a Team Leader with the Employment Nova Scotia (ENS) division of Labour, Skills and Immigration.

Reporting to the Regional Manager of Labour Market Program Operations, the Team Leader provides day-to-day supervision and leadership to a team of employees who deliver employment programs and services to citizens, employers, and communities. This team develops and administer funding agreements with and for citizens of Nova Scotia including individuals, employers, and community-based organizations. The funding agreements the division is responsible are for employment and labour market development programs and services.  
 

Primary Accountabilities

The Team Leader:

• Provides day-to-day individual and team leadership to a program delivery team of Program Officers and Program Assistants who deliver employment programs and services to citizens, employers and community organizations.  Leadership activities include support to individual and team performance by:
  • Ensuring a positive work environment.
  • Motivating, mentoring and coaching employees towards high performance.
  • Proactively working with team members to improve individual performance, including assisting with the performance planning and review process, identifying individual learning requirements, and providing necessary coaching and support.
  • Conducting regular meetings with team to ensure staff understand program information and new or existing policies, procedures and processes.
  • Applying change management techniques to assist with LSI change initiatives and leads by example to help team members adjust to change.
  • Monitoring employee workloads and making recommendations on adjusting work or capacity accordingly.
  • Reviews and approves agreements, amendments, financial transactions, monitoring reports and close-outs, ensuring agreements are compliant with LSI program polices and guidelines. 
• Monitors the work carried out by team members to ensure funding agreements are compliant with program policies, procedures, guidelines and performance standards throughout the agreement period.
• Makes commitments and authorizes financial transactions of program funds within delegated level of authority, including ongoing review of project budgets and makes recommendation to Manager on budgetary requirements.
• Develops and implements internal operational processes.
• Monitors and resolves service delivery and performance issues with clients, employers and community partnership agreements, including ensuring Appeals are handling according to prescribed processes.
• Provides support to Manager and team in administrative areas including completion of appropriate forms for system access, assisting with identifying and resolving on-site facilities issues.
   

Qualifications and Experience

This may be the right opportunity for you if you have a bachelor’s degree in a related field with 5 years of related experience or an equivalent combination of training and experience.  

• Related experience is defined as experience administering programs and/or/services and/or polices, which includes: 
  • determining the eligibility of individuals, organizations and employers for programs and exercise decision-making authority for program applications, and;
  • reviewing and approving agreement items administered by a program delivery team (approvals/denials, amendment, financial transactions, monitoring reports and agreement closeouts). 

The successful candidate must have demonstrated experience: 

• Providing direct supervision and day-to-day leadership to a team of people using human resource methods, techniques, and practices (e.g. a combination of performance management, attendance, monitoring workload and capacity, training).
• Monitoring and analysing program and/or service results, identifying success and areas requiring improvement and implementing service enhancements and prescribed service stands to achieve individual and team performance objectives.
• Using project management techniques to set goals, workload priorities, and to lead teams and operational projects.

You must have strong communication, problem solving, interpersonal skills and a proven track record of leading effective teams.  You value engagement, equity and belonging and lead with a lens that fosters a diverse, healthy and inclusive workplace. You must have strong time management skills, be able to work with competing priorities and have experiences using Office 365 (i.e. Excel, Work PowerPoint etc.) to prepare spreadsheets, reports, and presentations. 

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

Assets

While not required, the following will be considered as assets:

• Experience in delivering programs to individuals and/or communities, such as employment programs, community programs, social programs, program management.
• Knowledge of the labour market and socio economic and demographic factors that need to be considered in the delivery of programs and services (e.g. experience working with and understanding the needs of various communities {African Nova Scotia, Persons with Disabilities, Youth, Older Workers, Indigenous, Francophone, Newcomers and Immigrants, etc.} that are part of the labour market and the challenges they face in achieving full labour market integration).
• Bilingual - French/English.
• Be familiar with or have used LaMPSS (Labour Market Programs Support System).
   

Equivalency

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

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 be required to work overtime, on occasion.
• Oversees and supports the work of employees who may be working both in-office and remotely in several office locations.  Must be comfortable using a variety of communication platforms (i.e. in person, MS Teams, email, telephone) as there is regular and ongoing interaction with employees throughout the day.
• In-office work is performed in an open office with exposure to distractions such as noise, equipment, conversations and people traffic. 
• Flexible Work Arrangements are available (Flex Place, Modified Work Week) 
• There is a requirement to occasionally travel to various LSI offices or work outside the office when visiting partners, agreement holders, or when attending community meetings.
   

Additional Information

This is a TEMPORARY employment opportunity with anticipated end date of December 31, 2024.  The appointment status (‘term’, ‘temporary’ or ‘casual’) is dependent on the start date of the successful candidate.

This is a temporary employment opportunity available at this time only.  For this temporary employment opportunity we will consider remote work from any LSI office location across the province.
 

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