Junior Business Analyst (Co-op student)

About Us

The Department of Advanced Education (AE) works in collaboration with its partners to help ensure Nova Scotia has a:

• Student-centered post-secondary education system where all learners thrive  
• High-quality, relevant, accountable, and sustainable post-secondary education system 
• Post-secondary education system that advances excellence and equity in research and innovation.  

The Department of Advanced Education (AE) is also committed to ensuring equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility are the foundation for Nova Scotia’s post-secondary system and these lenses are applied into our policy, funding, and strategic guidance for the system.

Advanced Education has approximately 70 employees and has oversight responsibility over the ten universities and the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) and regulates over 40 private career colleges and ten language schools. The Department is also responsible for administering the Canada Student Loan Program and the Nova Scotia Student Assistance Program, which provide financial assistance to students to enable them to obtain a post-secondary education.

About Our Opportunity

The Programs and Accountability Branch leads or supports multiple health education initiatives working closely with other government departments and agencies and post-secondary institutions.

As the Junior Business Analyst, you will gain practical experience, and receive training and mentorship from highly qualified public service professionals. This is the perfect opportunity to jump start your career and gain an understanding of the provincial government and post-secondary education sector.

This may be the right opportunity for you if you are interested in developing your skills in project management, options analysis, problem definition, research and building your expertise in facilitating discussions to arrive at a recommendation.

You possess very good analytical and critical thinking skills, exceptional communication (written and verbal), interpersonal and relationship building skills, and have the ability to prioritize competing projects.

This position will provide you the opportunity to collaborate with staff across multiple departments on projects and assignments; helping you further enhance and develop your skills.

Primary Accountabilities

At the Department of Advanced Education, your role will primarily involve:

• Working closely with subject matter experts within the department and with external partners;
• Addressing information gaps and/or opportunities to support the overall management and advancement of the department’s priorities;
• Coordinating the collection of feedback from multiple resources;
• Supporting the management and advancement of projects and initiatives;
• Conducting public policy research and critical analysis;
• Analyzing statistics and data;
• Conducting jurisdictional and literature reviews;
• Developing presentation material to engage key partners;
• Attending and reporting on meetings with key partners;
• Participating on working groups and collaborating with others; and
• Presenting the results of your work in reports, briefing notes, and presentations.

The successful candidates will also be responsible for various other tasks as they arise. 

Qualifications and Experience

You must be currently enrolled as a student, available for a work term starting in Jan, 2025 and returning to school in the spring of 2025 (or in the next applicable semester for the education program). This opportunity is a perfect fit for students enrolled in a business administration or commerce program.

As the ideal candidate you are:

• Proficient with computers including office software such as Microsoft Word, Outlook, Powerpoint, and Excel;
• Previous knowledge or experience with project management, policy analysis, process improvement, and spreadsheets;
• Have the ability to think critically and solve complex problems;
• Are able to communicate effectively in written and verbal form, as you may be required to collaborate with other team members, document your work, or present your findings; 
• Are organized and able to prioritize your work;
• Are able to multi-task and switch focus quickly, as necessary;
• Have the ability to synthesize information quickly and formulate conclusions and recommendations;
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills and work well in both independent and team-based work environments; and
• Have a keen attention to detail.

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.

Working Conditions

• Normal work week is 35 hours/week, 7 hours/day.
• Typically located in comfortable office environment.
• Much of the time is spent in a comfortable position with frequent opportunity to move about.
• Regularly reads and interprets multiple sources of information, regular requirement to type, read and work on a computer.
• May experience pressure with deadlines and need for accuracy.
• May require occasional visits to other provincial government offices.

Additional Information

This opportunity will start approximately January 6, 2025, and has an approximate end date of March 28, 2025. As indicated, to be considered for this opportunity, you must be currently enrolled as a student, available for a work term starting in Jan 2025 and returning to school in the spring of 2025 (or in the next applicable semester for the education program).