About Us

The Department of Emergency Management is responsible for leading disaster and emergency planning, preparedness, response and recovery activities on behalf of the Province of Nova Scotia.  The objective of the Department is to ensure that Nova Scotians are safe, prepared and resilient in the face of disasters and emergencies. The Department leads the coordination and co-operation of partners and resources during provincial level critical incidents, supports municipal and other partners in regional level and local events, administers the province’s 911 service, maintains critical communications infrastructure and supports operations of our regional emergency management centres.  The Department also works to ensure critical government services continue to function during and after critical events. 

 The Regional Operations and Infrastructure Branch enhances the safety and resilience of our Province by:

• Strengthening critical communications infrastructure through the establishment and oversight of the Public Safety Field Communications Agency.  The Agency’s mission is to create a Centre of Excellence in the delivery of public safety communications, dispatch, and related technologies across Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada
• Establishing and maintaining Regional Emergency Operations Centres (REOCs) in 6 regions in Nova Scotia.  The REOCs provide leadership in building regional emergency operations networks, ensuring collaborative efforts around emergency planning, training and exercising and developing regional plans for equipment and stores to support emergency response
• Coordinating response to regional emergencies
• Strengthening local and regional emergency preparedness through outreach and education to Nova Scotians at community events, schools, organizations, and through information sessions
• Fostering strong collaboration, communication, and emergency management planning with regional partners, including the development and coordination of regional Nova Scotia Guard networks
• Providing information to the Provincial Coordination Centre and the 24/7 Watch Desk staff to ensure real-time situational awareness, coordination, and support during emergencies and actioning critical information received from the Provincial Coordination Centre in the regions  

About Our Opportunity

PSFCs Shubenacadie Radio Communications Centre (SRCC) is embarking on a process of renewal to modernize delivery of services. The Project Lead will take operational management of strategic projects associated with the renewal of the Shubie Radio Communications Centre and the migration of additional TMR2 and SRCC dispatch clients to a new contractual process. This resource will be responsible to carry out delivery of projects from end to end, under the direction of the Director of Client Services for PSFC, and working closely with the Manager of the SRCC.

This role is not focused on formal project management principles such as PMBOK and will be supported by another project manager who will carry out formal project documentation. However, this resource is responsible for all daily activities associated with delivery of these key priorities including cross-departmental communication and consultation, requirements definition, change management, schedule management, stakeholder engagement, managing the project budget, working with vendors and contractors, procurement processes, and providing updates to senior management.

Included in these key projects will be to prepare for the move of the existing SRCC into a new facility, including design, layout, and upfit planning for a new post-disaster facility meeting NFPA standards, procurement of furniture and technology, and updating of operational processes associated with the physical location; supporting the implementation of a new computer aided dispatch software platform; and to work with clients on the migration to new service contracts. The Project Manager will be responsible to consult with stakeholders to determine requirements, work with RFP writers and evaluators to ensure operational requirements are addressed, and work through implementation and change management processes, including digitizing processes from manual into CAD workflows; facilitate the implementation of WebEOC in various dispatch centres across Nova Scotia and to assist client relations with the migration of clients to a new contractual process.

The incumbent will support the migration of CAD from a legacy system to new software, becoming expert in the operation and configuration of CAD and related mapping systems.

The incumbent will work with limited supervision, requiring only high-level direction from senior resources, and will be responsible to resolve conflicts between various stakeholders to arrive at final decisions about implementation of these two projects.

The Project Lead may also participate in other corporate initiatives and play a role in PSFC field operations including the mobile communications support program.

Primary Accountabilities

• Delivers departmental projects by delivering and providing direction and/or development of tactical program/project plans working within an established project management strategy. Identifies shortcomings and suggests improvements to existing processes, systems and procedures. Other activities include promotion, advising on procurement, methodology selection, delivery of elements of a change management program, and oversees project resources.
• Monitors budget, conducts analyses, and brings variances to the attention of senior colleagues while working within established budgeting and financial systems. Allocates resources to appropriate places to ensure project management capacity meets the requirements. Recommends action plans to address budget and/or operational business plan deviations as they occur throughout the fiscal year.
• Delivers on the established outcomes by managing day-to-day relationships with internal clients, contract service providers, and project team while working within an established contract management plan.
• Develops and/or delivers a plan for aspects of internal communications with guidance from senior colleagues. This includes ongoing monitoring and reporting of projects.
• Delivers outcomes by supervising others and monitoring the project team to facilitate project objectives and ensures that appropriate project management methodologies and best practice are followed. Evaluates project performance and success and recommends solutions for outstanding issues or problems.

• Develop clear project objectives, define scope, establish success metrics, and identify key deliverables in alignment with department policies and strategic goals.

• Assist with client migration to a new contractual process.
• May perform other related duties as assigned

Qualifications and Experience

Public Safety and Field Communications is looking for a senior resource with experience in public safety communications and dispatch involving various public safety agencies, Experience or background knowledge in using or administering computer aided dispatch systems is required, and knowledge of various dispatch facilities design and equipment are also required.

Being a successful project lead in this context is less about formal project management principles, and moreso about leveraging knowledge, skills, and most importantly, formal and informal relationships to help move the yard stick forward on important initiatives.

You are a strategic thinker with a track record of working through complex problems and challenges, and you excel at converting thought into the written word in developing business cases, strategy, and procedure documents. You are comfortable working with diverse stakeholders and can explain complex concepts in simple ways.

 Candidates must:

• Have a bachelor’s degree in a related field, and five years related experience
• Have experience in working through complex challenges or projects, and a long history of building formal and informal relationships across organizations and stakeholders
• Have superior oral and written communication skills
• Have significant experience in public safety operations, including public safety dispatch knowledge and some background experience with CAD systems, GIS mapping, and/or WebEOC.
• Be familiar with public safety communications technologies such as mobile radio, paging, satellite, and dispatch technologies.

Assets:

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders and provide clear, concise briefings and advice.
• Be trained in the Incident Command System to at least ICS level 100

Equivalency

We recognize equivalent combinations of training, education, and experience, providing opportunities for individuals with diverse backgrounds to contribute their skills and expertise. Equivalencies include:

• Nine years of directly related experience.

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

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.

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 serve as part of a 24/7/365 on-call rotation and work substantial overtime during emergencies.
• Some requirements to work overtime in locations across the province, to support project delivery
• May work evenings/weekends on occasion to meet stakeholder needs

Additional Information

• Must have a valid unrestricted class 5 license

• Must be able to obtain an enhanced reliability level security clearance

This is a TERM employment opportunity with an anticipated end date of July 1, 2027.  The appointment 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