Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

Working in a team environment, to lead, optimize and support investments and full utilization of information and information technology to meet multiple regional/district staff requirements and ensure that information is valued and protected as a corporate asset that benefits all programs.

To provide leadership for ensuring information is managed according to OPS policy, standards and protocols, that it is secure, accessible and useable and respects intellectual property and copyright.

To provide strategic advice, tools and project leadership in implementing approaches, innovation and initiatives to improve on regional information management systems performance, operations and applications to ensure that staff has access to the information they need, understand its quality/purpose and their roles/responsibilities for using/managing it.

Duties / Responsibilities :

Job requires:

1. Providing technical leadership for the region in strategic and operational planning for information and information management requirements to meet corporate standards and regional business needs to facilitate the optimized and efficient use of information and information management systems and technologies. Providing expert advice, tools, monitoring, auditing and training in support of the implementation of corporate standards and requirements across the region, including facilitating adherence to data management policies, procedures, practices, standards and FOIPPA. Identifying and managing risk in protecting information from loss, corruption and/or inappropriate use.

2. Developing and managing information and information management performance measurement for the region, including recommending objectives, measures and implementation plans, and ensuring integration with appropriate planning activities in other parts of the organization (e.g. Lands and Resources Cluster (LRC), OPS I&IT, etc.). Providing quality control of information holdings through monitoring, auditing, and initiating or recommending corrective measures.

3. Providing leadership or support for data acquisition (e.g. contracting RFP's, tenders, quality control), data cataloguing, data sharing and licensing agreements for regional and district offices and ensuring that regional data acquisition/use respects intellectual property and copyright.

4. Representing the region on various divisional, ministry, inter-ministry and information management committees as a participant or leader to inform on divisional business needs and share, encourage and promote, best practices, standards, tools and knowledge transfer to regional/district staff.

5. In collaboration with the LRC, leading or participating in identifying information, information management and technology opportunities and innovation and recommending solutions to improve business efficiencies for the region through collaboration with the LRC, and liaison with other divisions and ministries (e.g. OPS I&IT); assisting in troubleshooting to facilitate the implementation of efficient solutions to ensure that regional requirements are addressed and that issues and questions are promptly resolved.

6. Leading or supporting the information management aspects of regional/divisional projects (e.g. documentation, logistics, meetings sessions), including planning, forecasting project budgets, monitoring expenditures, work progress and liaising within ROD and with other divisions, or ministries as required. Providing project development support, preparing business process modelling, feasibility studies and business cases, conducting Joint Application Design (JAD) sessions, data and process analysis and logical design.

7. In collaboration with the LRC, leading or providing expert advice to project teams, in consultation with the LRC, for the development and implementation of local, internal facing information management solutions, defining business needs, analysis, developing options and recommendations, testing and training for regional clients and coordinating regional project teams in the LRC led development and implementation of enterprise and public facing solutions.

8. Assisting in the identification of information management training requirements in the region, including researching and recommending customized solutions for application training courses and materials related to information management and other related applications. Leading the development of training materials, planning and implementation of information management training.

9. Liaising with appropriate divisions/ministries (e.g. LRC, OPS I&IT) to ensure that administration, maintenance and support occurs for applications, tools, GI & database systems, as well as disaster recovery, data archiving, data purging, communications and networking, regional information management systems software, related hardware and peripheral devices (plotters, digitizers, printers, data collectors, GPS units).

10. Providing strategic and expert advice to supervisor on information and information management solutions, opportunities, optimization to meet multiple regional/district staff requirements and enhance utilization of systems/applications for effective program delivery. Identifying and recommending fiscal, human and information management and technology resources to support information management activities for the region.

11. Other duties: Management has right to assign other duties.

Staffing and Licencing :

Valid Driver's Licence to attend meetings throughout region/districts and corporately.

Knowledge :

Job requires:

Knowledge of OPS/ministry information management legislation, policies, standards and protocols for data collection, integration, conversion, manipulation, storage & maintenance, libraries & catalogues, system backups, file & database recovery procedures, system security, quality controls for data entry to provide leadership/support for the management of the data life cycle and OPS initiatives (e.g. Open Data, provincial database standards for linking/accessing datasets from other ministries) and facilitate/ensure information management uses/practices in compliance with OPS policy, standards and protocols.

Knowledge of government/ministry administrative directives, policies and best practices related to information management (e.g. procurement, data acquisition/sharing agreements, licensing agreements, copyrights) for the acquisition of technology and services and negotiation of contracts in accordance with policies/directives and ensure the management of information that respects intellectual property and copyright.

Knowledge of relevant legislation (e.g. Freedom of Information and Protection of Personal Privacy Act [FOIPPA]) and government/ministry procedures and protocols for the creation, handling/security, reading, and distribution of highly sensitive and confidential information.

Knowledge of resource management legislation, programs, regulation, ministry policies, directives, and guidelines to provide proper guidance and advice on data standards/input procedures, management, maintenance, use, presentation and security of data, information and information products, including corporate data standards and FOIPPA requirements for internal and external clients.

Knowledge of ministry IM/IT plan, business process modelling and regional/district programs and business to discuss system development options and technical processes with project teams/clients, conduct feasibility studies and recommend systems development solutions which promote ministry IM/IT strategies and goals while also meeting business needs/priorities of client.

Knowledge of information management concepts, policies, procedures and planning processes, including the theory and principles of data architecture, data modelling, data administration, data standards, quality assurance, performance measurement, development of information access technologies and emerging technologies to recommend system development options and/or applications that outline limitations and benefits of various options and their impacts on the clients' programs and/or service delivery requirements in clear, non-technical terms.

Knowledge of theory and principles of systems design and development, and related methods, techniques, practices and standards, in order to lead a team in: analysis and definition of clients business and information technology requirements; design, development, testing and implementation of systems solutions; evaluation of software/hardware; preparation of technical documentation and technical support.

Knowledge of computer hardware, software and communications systems and protocols to efficiently liaise with LRC I&IT in testing, trouble-shooting, supporting and maintaining regional data management systems, software, and data; software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, presentation to prepare presentations, business cases for hardware/software acquisitions and training materials.

Knowledge of information management technology, including operating systems (e.g. Windows), database systems (e.g. RDBMS (,SQL Server, Oracle), Access, GIS products (e.g. ArcGIS), MNR applications (e.g. LIO Editor), and network systems to provide leadership/support, tools and training to assist staff in effectively managing information; to ensure data integrity, security and availability by liaising with I&IT in establishing and controlling user access and privileges, installing software products and updates, installing and maintaining hardware and peripheral devices (e.g. plotters, digitizers, scanners); and performing security functions/routines, audits and inventories.

Knowledge of project management methodologies to lead or support the information management aspects of regional/divisional projects, including assisting with forecasting and managing team/project budgets, expenditures and progress.

Knowledge of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and those Regulations made under the act that applies to the workplace and the work being performed.

Skills :

Job requires:

Leadership and project management skills to provide expert advice and lead, coordinate and/or participate in regional and provincial teams (e.g. Regional GI Network) in support of provincial initiatives and program directives; to conduct intricate systems analysis and design (e.g. deriving functional/data requirements; designing business, data and functional models for internal and external clients); and lead/coordinate testing, implementation and training of system changes/enhancements.

Negotiation and conflict resolution skills to understand stakeholders (internal and external) differing points of view and facilitate discussion towards building consensus, to directly and indirectly build clients' support for recommended options and influence/change culture; to negotiate needs with LRC in support of contracts with vendors of services, equipment and hardware/software.

Advanced oral communications and advisory skills to provide expert advice to MNR internal governing bodies on information management and information technology and regional needs, to discuss and demonstrate understanding of client needs and to facilitate constructive dialogues and decision making on options and recommendations for information management and systems development solutions; demonstrate ability to synergize complex technical knowledge and communicate it in clear, non-technical terms through various interactions, including training, with MNR staff and other internal/external clients.

Advanced written communication skills to develop written products (reports, plans, submissions, briefing materials, manuals, presentations and training materials) for internal/external clients to support information and information management needs; to concisely and clearly, in technical/non-technical terms, share knowledge and information on the contents of written products, concepts, proposals, and training materials.

Advanced analytical and assessment skills to evaluate current and emerging technologies, industry trends and developments (considering I&IT management approaches (e.g. total cost of ownership, legacy application assessment, portfolio management, metadata, information management lifecycle, application development lifecycle, and enterprise architecture) and recommend new and/or innovative systems development techniques, software and technology for acquisition by ministry.

Advanced analytical and problem solving skills to assess clients' information/systems needs and lead development of information management solutions which are cost effective and improve client program/service delivery; to analyse and evaluate design alternatives and consider business needs, and guide the development of recommendations on systems and technology approaches, appropriate hardware and software configurations, efficiency/flexibility standards, costs, time constraints, and future development considerations.

Innovation skills to conceptualize approaches to addressing existing or new business requirements by designing alternative systems and applications (e.g. where off the shelf products are unavailable to meet specific business requirements).

Coordination and organizational skills to coordinate analysis and definition of client requirements, including assessment of short and long term business goals and objectives; to consolidate the work of teams and feasibility studies and coordinate between clients' and LRC/OPS IT on testing and implementation of projects.

Relationship building, consultation, interpersonal and liaison skills, including tact and diplomacy, to establish effective and constructive working relationships and credibility within team and with other staff, senior management and external clients; to represent the region on various divisional, ministry, inter-ministry and information management committees; to liaise and provide advice to the LRC about MNR program activities, requirements and business needs.

Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

Freedom of Action :

Job requires working independently under the general supervision of Regional Resources Information and Analysis Supervisor within the procedural controls and guidelines of ministry/provincial policies, directives and established procedures in dealing with information and information management.

Job requires leading/coordinating information and information systems, tools and projects for the region, serving as technical lead and support to regional, district and program area staff related to information and information management systems design and implementation, information management and quality control in accordance with data standards/input procedures and monitoring the technical performance of information management systems throughout the region. Job requires providing technical coordination and working with broader regional teams/managers to facilitate efficient use of information and information management systems and ensuring up-to-date technology (i.e. hardware, software, network, peripherals) and related needs support through troubleshooting and liaison with LRC I&IT staff.

Job requires identifying and recommending opportunities to advance optimized and efficient approaches/innovation to improve on information management systems, performance, operations and staff utilization and provide value added applications to enhance program delivery in the region and districts.

Job is required to make decisions regarding designing, developing and maintaining information and information management systems to meet regional needs, troubleshooting to keep systems operational, customer service development of information products, adapting specific training needs of regional and district staff (technicians, foresters, biologists) to meet corporate and regional requirements and providing project leadership and technical direction to Regional Resources Information and Analysis team.

Job refers unusual or potentially contentious issues (e.g. Violation of Copyright, persistent or unusual equipment problems, and maintenance/lease agreements) to supervisor.