Manager, Policy and Planning -

About Us

Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change has a mandate to support a clean and healthy environment, protect land, advance a clean economy, address the climate crisis, and guide the province towards a sustainable and clean future where all Nova Scotians can thrive.

Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens we serve.  The Government of Nova Scotia has an Employment Equity Policy and we welcome applications from Aboriginal People, African Nova Scotians and Other Racially Visible Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Women in occupations or positions where they are under-represented.  If you are a member of one of the equity groups, you are encouraged to self-identify, on your application form, cover letter, or on your resume.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Manager, Policy and Planning, perfect for a person who has experience developing public policy, has supervised staff and can effectively manage and coordinate within a dynamic environment.

About Our Opportunity

The Manager, Policy & Planning will play an integral role in leading a fast-paced and close-knit team of policy analysts. The successful candidate will likely be someone that feels comfortable leading, advising, collaborating, and coordinating and working within complex systems.

Some of the primary responsibilities will be:

• Managing policy support to the Executive Leadership Team and promoting effective policy planning, coordination and policy development across divisional and departmental lines.
• Managing submissions to Executive Council
• Coordinating the development and amendment of departmental policies and procedures
• Supporting the administrative appointment processes, departmental planning and coordinating various committees and processes.
• Leading and supporting multi-disciplinary, intra- and interdepartmental teams that work to identify and analyze policy options to respond to complex and multi-faceted issues while supporting regulatory excellence. 
• Applying knowledge of formal and informal approval processes with a goal to align departmental policy with the department’s mandate, vision and strategic priorities.

Qualifications and Experience

The ideal candidate has post secondary education in a related area (such as Masters in Public Administration or similar area of study) as well as progressive experience in an associated field with time spent in a supervisory role. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

In addition to the above you will also has demonstrated skills and experience in:

• Time management, project and policy development, human resource management, and prioritizing and delegating work under tight timelines;
• Exercising sound judgement under pressure with diplomacy;
• Utilizing good negotiation, consultation and facilitation skills;
• Developing and leading work including policy briefing materials, planning, presentations, options analysis and reports;
• Legislative/regulatory processes and cabinet submissions;
• Corporate and government issues and priorities; and
• Developing, implementing, and monitoring performance indicators to support outcomes-oriented decision making at the organizational level.

Competencies: Strategic Orientation Effective Interactive Communication Partnering & Relationship Building Intercultural Diversity Proficiency Decisiveness Developing Others Team Leadership Self-Awareness & Personal Impact

Benefits

Based on the employment status, 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.
• Majority of time is spent in a comfortable office setting with frequent opportunity to move about.

Additional Information

This is a term opportunity with an anticipated end date of March 25, 2026.  However, the position status (“term”, “temporary” or “casual”) is dependent on the start date of the successful candidate.

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