Role Responsibilities

Are you passionate about working collaboratively with municipal leaders to promote strong, accountable municipal governments? Do you wish to put your wealth of government policies, priorities, and legislative knowledge to use in an impactful and fulfilling way? Then the Municipal Accountability Advisor role is for you! 

Reporting to the Manager, Municipal Accountability, the Municipal Accountability Advisor is a member of an advisory team that engages proactively with municipal administrators, other departments, and associations to promote legislative compliance at the municipal level. The team is also responsible for supporting the Minister’s authority to intervene in significant concerns of municipal legislative non-compliance. The primary purpose of the Accountability Advisor role is to implement the Municipal Accountability Program, which assesses and supports municipal compliance with the Municipal Government Act in their administrative and governance processes and procedures.

As a part of these activities and processes, the Accountability Advisor will:

• Lead the design and delivery of processes that review and strengthen municipal legislative compliance across Alberta, ensuring municipalities operate within the framework of provincial legislation.
• Provide expert guidance and resources to help municipalities achieve and maintain compliance, fostering strong governance and accountability.
• Champion collaboration and leadership, working closely with internal teams and municipal administrations to build capacity and drive sustainable solutions.
• Contribute as a core member of the Municipal Sustainability and Accountability team within the Municipal Capacity and Sustainability Branch, supporting broader branch initiatives as needed.
• Interpret and apply the Municipal Government Act (MGA) to advise elected officials, municipal administrators, and the public on governance matters.
• Investigate and address concerns related to municipal practices, using regulatory tools and within the principles of procedural fairness to promote transparency and accountability at the local level.
• Develop strategic recommendations for senior leadership and the Minister on resolving municipal issues raised through petitions, council correspondence, and public inquiries.

The Municipal Accountability Advisor performs work in accordance with relevant government and ministry legislation, regulations, policies and guidelines. At times, significant travel (25-50% of duties) may be required to conduct annual reviews or provide training or advisory visits.

The Job Description is provided for further details on 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.

• Develop Networks: you make working with a wide range of parties an imperative and create an impactful relationship with the right people.
• Systems Thinking:  you take a long-term view of the objectives, challenges, and opportunities and anticipate outcomes and potential impacts. 
• Creative Problem Solving:  you use a wide range of techniques to break down problems and allow others to think creatively and voice ideas to identify new solutions.
• Agility: you proactively incorporate change into processes and create opportunities for improvements.
• Drive for Results: you actively set goals and remain open to advice to identify and correct areas for improvement

Qualifications

Required:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Arts, Public Administration, Business Administration, Economics, Political Science, or a related field.
• 4 years progressively responsible related experience working with or applying the Municipal Government Act.

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

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

Assets:

• Certification in local government – National Advanced Certification in Local Authority Administration or the Certified Local Government Manager designation (CLGM)
• Previous experience in Municipal Governance and Administration.
• Experience in research and public policy analysis.
• Knowledgeable of the Municipal Government Act, the Local Authorities Election Act, the Access to Information Act, and the Protection of Privacy Act.
• General understanding and application of the principles of natural justice, administrative law, and procedural fairness in an investigative setting.
• Experience in project coordination, facilitation, and leading projects.
• Experience in program planning, design, delivery, and evaluation. 

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification.

Notes

This position is a Permanent position with the standard weekly work hours of 36.25, Monday to Friday (8:15 am – 4:30 pm). 

Applicants are required to submit a cover letter along with their resume. Only applications with a cover letter will be reviewed. Applicants are advised to provide information that clearly and concisely demonstrates how their qualifications meet the advertised requirements, including education, experience and relevant examples of required competencies.

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 we have to offer:

• Working for the Alberta Public Service
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP)  
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information
• Professional learning and development
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance