Director, Provider Licensing, Quality & Growth

The Early Learning and Child Care Branch provides a broad portfolio of programs and services designed to support the delivery of quality, accessible, affordable and inclusive early learning and child care programs across the province. This is achieved through an organizational model that requires the highest level of collaboration and cooperation internally across the department, and externally with a significant network of third-party early learning and child care providers, educational institutions, partner organizations, and families. As the Director, you are accountable for the effective planning, development, strategic direction and implementation of programs and services that provide support to regulated early learning and child care providers across Nova Scotia, with far-reaching impacts to thousands of children, families, and employees working in the sector. You ensure that these programs reflect evidence-based best practices, which helps fulfill the Department’s commitment to provide access to the high-quality early childhood education programs that directly impact developmental outcomes, while also recognizing that child care is an important economic driver for families, communities, and the province. You are also accountable for supporting the stability and growth of the provider network, using data and projections to inform where new capacity is needed, including through funding programs that help providers renovate or build space. 

As the Director, you will lead a dynamic team of staff who deliver front line services to regulated early learning and child care providers across Nova Scotia. Your team is responsible for ensuring that services are responsive to the needs of providers, that programs and standards are consistently followed, and that decisions are informed by evidence. Through licensing, quality, and compliance functions, as well as planning for the future growth of child care spaces, your team plays a critical role in supporting a high-quality and sustainable sector. Because these front-line functions touch many parts of the system, you will foster strong collaboration across teams within the department and build productive partnerships with external partners, including providers and community organizations. 

You will be a member of a senior leadership team supporting the Early Learning and Child Care Branch. You will work closely and collaboratively on initiatives from the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, ensuring the work is informed by front line service delivery staff and successfully implemented by members of your team. 

You will ensure the effective management of human and financial resources by setting and evaluating staff performance targets, promoting diversity and a healthy workplace, respecting corporate human resources practices, promoting teamwork and individual development, maintaining internal communication, monitoring revenues and expenditures, adhering to procurement guidelines, acquiring goods and services in the most cost effective manner, and accurately forecasting budget requirements for the fiscal year. 

To be successful in this role, you will have related post-secondary education plus several years of experience in progressively responsible senior level roles, which includes direct front line service delivery leadership experience. As a skilled negotiator, networker and people leader, you will have successfully managed complex stakeholder relationships and demonstrated a capacity to build collaborative and high-performance teams. 

You will also possess a high degree of political acuity and judgment, along with highly developed written and verbal communication skills. You have strong organizational, project planning, research and analytical skills, and an open and creative approach to problem solving that supports Nova Scotia’s early learning and care mandate. You are strategic and consultative, with effective influencing skills and an ability to build and maintain relationships. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered. 

Assets for this role include: Experience in a high-volume, regulated environment involving enforcement or compliance; experience in early learning and child care, or another regulated or publicly funded sector; knowledge of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement and of Nova Scotia’s licensing and regulatory framework for early learning and child care; experience in quality assurance, compliance, or program monitoring; experience leading teams through organizational change; experience planning and managing growth in programs or services; and experience administering or overseeing funding programs that support provider renovation or construction projects. 

Leadership competencies required at this level of work are: Decisiveness, Strategic Orientation, Developing Others, Team Leadership, Self-Awareness and Personal Impact, Effective Interactive Communication, Partnering and Relationship Building, and Intercultural and Diversity Proficiency. 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.