Role Responsibilities

The ACFO is seeking a Senior Advisor to provide trusted, strategic advice in a complex and high profile public safety environment. This role offers a unique opportunity to influence provincial decision making and support the fair, consistent, and lawful administration of firearms in Alberta.

The Senior Advisor to the Chief Firearms Officer (CFO) plays a central role in advancing Alberta's advocacy position on firearms issues particularly in opposition to federal prohibitions. Reporting directly to the CFO, you are responsible to operate with a high degree of independence and are responsible for identifying emerging issues, proposing strategic solutions, and implementing recommendations swiftly and effectively with a focus on aligning actions to the CFO's advocacy strategy. The CFO and the Branch engage and consult the diverse firearms community and several firearms associations to better understand their positions regarding federal and provincial firearms matters. The Senior Advisor works closely with the CFO, the CFO's Executive Support and other units within the Branch and department to coordinate these efforts. 

Reporting to the CFO, this role provides advice to the CFO and applies strong and effective issues management and project management skills to support the successful implementation of initiatives within the ACFO in support of the CFO's advocacy strategy.

Your duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Advocacy Strategies:

• Develop and execute advocacy strategies in response to federal firearms prohibitions, including analytical support for legal challenges, intergovernmental coordination, and public positioning.
• Engage with the ACFO's diverse stakeholders to understand opinions and positions on federal and provincial firearms policy matters, and work with the CFO's Executive Support to coordinate meetings and consultations.
  
  

Issues Management

• Proactively identify emerging issues related to firearms policy and stakeholder concerns and identify how those issues interact with the CFO's advocacy strategy.
• Supports the CFO in advancing the ACFO’s mandate, goals, and strategic objectives by providing strategic advice, consultation, and coordination on advocacy strategies, projects, and initiatives. This work is informed by a holistic understanding of the ACFO’s positioning within a complex environment and ensures that advocacy efforts and priorities are aligned and integrated.
  
  

Strategic Engagement & Stakeholder Outreach

• Lead the development of multi-year strategies aligned with Alberta's firearms policy objectives.
• Collaborate closely with the CFO to ensure alignment between operational and advocacy focused outreach.
  
  

Communications & Media Relations:

• Develop clear, compelling written materials, including key messages, briefing notes, media responses, web content, and stakeholder communications for the CFO and on behalf of the CFO.
• Provide strategic communications advice to the CFO on emerging issues, public perception, and risk.
  
  

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.

• Systems Thinking: You consider the inter-relationships among different aspects of an approach including how they relate to other programs or areas.
  
  
• Creative Problem Solving: You assess options and implications in new ways to achieve outcomes and solutions.
  
  
• Agility: You anticipate, assess, and readily adapt to changing priorities, maintain resilience in times of uncertainty and effectively work in a changing environment.
  
  
• Drive for Results: You identify underlying causes for success or lack of success which may or may not involve self and take action to ensure future success.
  
  
• Develop Networks: You proactively build networks, connecting and building trust in relationships with different stakeholders.
  
  
• Build Collaborative Environments: You lead and contribute to the conditions and environments that allow people to work collaboratively and productively to achieve outcomes.
  
  
• Develop Self and Others: You reflect and understand your own and direct reports’ areas of strengths and opportunities for development.

Qualifications

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in public policy, Political Science, Communications, Criminal Justice, Psychology, or a related field and five years of experience in Advocacy, Stakeholder engagement, or public affairs.
  
  

Assets & preferences:

• Related education and/or experience within the government/public sector or political environment would be an asset.
• Strong proven knowledge and understanding of firearms legislation, Alberta's jurisdictional priorities, and the intergovernmental landscape in Canada.
• Experience in stakeholder monitoring and maintaining engagement databases or registers.
• Experience in issues management, including risk identification, strategic response planning, and cross-government coordination.
• Knowledge of applicable government and ministry legislation and regulations including the federal Firearms Act, Part III of the Criminal Code, Alberta Firearms Act and related regulations (FOIP, etc.).
  
  

Equivalencies will be considered on the basis of:

• One year of education with one year of experience.
• One year of experience with one year of education.
  
  

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

• The hours of work for this position are Monday to Friday, 8:15AM-4:30PM, 36.25 hours a week.
• This is one full time permanent position, located in Edmonton.
• This position requires working with firearms.
  
  

The successful candidate will also be required to obtain and maintain an Enhanced Reliability Security Clearance conducted by the RCMP.

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 Government of Alberta has to offer to prospective employees.

• Working for the Alberta Public Service - https://www.alberta.ca/advantages-working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx.
• 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.
• Leadership and mentorship programs.