Role Responsibilities

The Ministry of Health has an exciting opportunity for you to join our team!

Reporting to the Director, the Writer contributes to this by researching, drafting, editing, and preparing ministerial correspondence, standard messaging, and other briefing materials. They ensure the information in each response is accurate, responsive, consistent with other departmental communications (both internal and external), and expressed in a way that will be understandable to the intended audience. The Writer ensures that Ministerial communications are completed within the necessary timelines and in the appropriate style.

As a Writer your responsibilities include:

• Determine whether action requests require input, and the type of input needed from subject matter experts such as division staff, staff from other divisions or ministries, Acute Care Alberta, Alberta Health Services and Covenant Health regarding content.
• Reprioritize work as necessary to respond to urgent requests.
• Prepare correspondence consistent with the Ministry's Correspondence Style Guide acute care standard messaging and Government of Alberta expectations to ensure final draft responses are accurate, understandable, error-free, and timely.
• Review draft responses to ensure accuracy, clarity, and appropriate tone, style, grammar and format.
• Draft letters, emails and memos for ongoing initiatives and issue.
• Ensure responses comprehensively address all questions and/or concerns posed by the correspondent.
• Consult with department staff regarding content, as needed.
• Develop and maintain editorial resources that are used in the drafting or review of correspondence.
• Complete special projects as required.
• Maintain a good understanding of legislation, policies, and emerging issues in acute care that impact the ministry; the ministry's programs and services; and government's overall communications strategy.
• Stay current on ARTS processes and standards and factors that impact drafting correspondence.
• Proactively maintain awareness and understanding of current health care issues in Alberta and Canada to assess their impact on responses and understand their impact on Albertans and other stakeholders.

Please click on this link to view the job description for this position

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

This link will assist you with understanding competencies: 
https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

• Agility: Sees the need and readily steps in to help others on the team; anticipates change and adapts behaviour accordingly, open to changes; takes advantage of opportunities to improve program development and implementation processes. 
• Build Collaborative Environments: Creates opportunities for project teams and stakeholder to share information; respects others' point-of-view; encourages or facilitates conflict resolution; recognizes performance of all groups involved.
• Creative Problem Solving: Helps manage projects with multiple stakeholders simultaneously and can use planning skills, analytical and creative thinking to arrive at innovative solutions.
• Develop Networks: Builds relationships by following through on commitments, demonstrating integrity and respect for others; informs key stakeholders of relevant information in a timely manner; seeks and applies the perspectives and needs of colleagues and stakeholders.
• Drive for Results: Sets and accomplishes goals and priorities; factors in complexity of issues and aligns plans based on government direction; removes barriers to collaboration; provides informed advice.
• Develop self and others: Manages a team and provides effective guidance, support, and professional development. Must provide timely and constructive feedback to ensure strong performance and leverage strengths when assigning roles.
• Systems Thinking: Anticipate outcomes and potential impacts across interrelated areas and will factor this into planning.

Qualifications

Requirements:

• University graduation in a related field; no experience required; or equivalent as described below.
• For your application to be considered, a cover letter explaining your qualifications and suitability for this role must be attached with your application. 

Equivalencies: Directly related experience or education considered on the basis of: 

• 1 year of education for 1 year of experience; or
• 1 year of experience for 1 year of education.

The following knowledge or experiences are considered as assets:

• Understanding of the Alberta Health system, including some knowledge of current challenges.
• Ability to understand medical terminology, government legislation, policy, programs and services.
• Strong writing, editing, speaking and interpersonal skills are necessary to provide accurate response.
• Negotiation and collaboration skills to successfully work in a cross-functional team environment.
• Effective communications skills (written and oral) to collaborate effectively with colleagues and with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to prioritize heavy workload and cope with changing priorities and deadlines.
• Strong planning, coordination, records management and problem-solving skills.
• Organization and prioritization skills to balance multiple ongoing projects at one time and ability to meet tight timelines.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.

Notes

This is a temporary full-time position working 36.25 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

End Date: December 31st, 2025  

This position is located in Edmonton or Calgary, Alberta.

In your resume, please include dates (including months and years) associated with all education and work experience. Also, please indicate whether your work experience is casual, part time or full time.

The final candidates may be required to undergo pre-employment checks (Reference check/Criminal record and/or academic).

An additional written assignment may be used as part of the recruitment process.

Candidates with lesser qualifications may be considered at a lower classification and salary. This competition may be used to fill future roles at the same or lower classifications.

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses, will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in.

Links and information on what the GoA has to offer to prospective employees.

• Working for the Alberta Public Service - https://www.alberta.ca/advantages-working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx.
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) - https://www.pspp.ca.
• Management Employees Pension Plan (MEPP) - https://www.mepp.ca.
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information - https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-benefits.
• Professional learning and development - https://www.alberta.ca/professional-development-support-directive.
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool – https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca.
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.
• Opportunity to participate in flexible work arrangements such as working from home up to two days per week and modified work schedule agreement.
• Leadership and mentorship programs.