Job Specification

Purpose :

- To conduct research and analysis to support development of provincial infrastructure policy and programs, and to provide related liaison services with stakeholders, associations, agencies and regulatory bodies.

Key Responsibilities :

1. Economic Analysis and Research:
- Plans, designs, and conducts policy and socio-economic research studies related to various aspects of the infrastructure sector, including capital needs assessment and capital data acquisition, sector incentives and issues, and jurisdictional practices, to support policy and program development, and multi-jurisdictional projects and initiatives.
- Contributes to policy development in the sector through development of draft options and recommendations for input to policy proposals, and preparation of well researched and documented reports, backgrounders, presentations and briefing notes for senior management.
- Assists in the development and implementation of procedures, accountability mechanisms such as capital reporting, infrastructure tracking, and participates in analyses of future capital plans and proposals, and development of methodologies for the conduct of research.
- Maintains awareness of cross jurisdictional economic trends and developments in the area of specialization, and ensures that management is informed of significant developments.
2. Stakeholder Relations:
- Develops networks within own/other Ministries, other governments (e.g. federal/provincial/municipal), and with external stakeholders, to discuss technical policy issues, and to share/exchange information on the latest economic developments in the sector.
- Participates on taskforces/working committees and serves as a resource through provision of technical analyses in environmental economics.

Knowledge / Skill :

Knowledge of and skills in:
- Theory principles and methodologies of economics and public finance, and its application to the infrastructure sector, to plan and conduct research and analysis of various aspects of the infrastructure sector, including capital needs assessment and capital data acquisition, sector incentives and issues, and jurisdictional practices
- Government and Ministry legislative and regulatory environment, principles and processes, to identify issues that have policy impacts in relation to strategic directions.
- Research and economic/statistical analysis skills to interpret data, plan research, and conduct qualitative/quantitative analysis involving a range of economic factors related to the infrastructure sector, and analysis of trends, developments, and impacts.- Policy development processes and developments in other jurisdictions, to provide issues analyses, and to assist in the development of policy and program options, strategies and recommendations.
- Oral and written communications to prepare summaries, graphics, reports, analyses, and briefing notes.
- Computer applications for word processing, spreadsheets, graphics and databases to prepare briefing materials, presentations, correspondence and support research and policy/program development activities and prepare reports.

Interpersonal / Influencing Skill :

- Consultation and facilitation skills to interact/liaise effectively with counterparts in own/other Ministries to discuss technical policy issues and to exchange information.
- Relationship, presentation and persuasion skills to provide analyses, reports and briefings to senior management on research and analysis, to respond to issues, and to provide recommendations on options and impacts.

Analyzing / Problem Solving Skill :

Analytical and problem-solving skills to:
- Plan and conduct cross-jurisdictional economic research to analyze various aspects of the infrastructure sector.
- Analyze and evaluate capital needs and capital data acquisition, other jurisdictional policy and programs, incentives, issues, and emerging practices, using a variety of research techniques, and quantitative and qualitative analysis, to contribute to the formulation of policy.
- Identify issues and advise senior management on developments in the sector, including the range of options and associated risks.

Decision Making / Responsibility :

- Providing information, briefings, and reports to senior management on various aspects of the infrastructure sector.
- Making draft recommendations, based on research, to support and contribute to policy and program development in the sector.
- Planning and conducting economic research to analyze capital needs assessment and capital data acquisition, sector incentives and issues, and jurisdictional practices, in support of policy and program development, and multi-jurisdictional projects.
Has latitude to: provide policy recommendations based on research; assess the relevance of data/information; decide best research techniques, and the factors, scope, data sources and relevance involved in research projects; best method of presenting findings, briefing materials and data/information for senior management.
Decisions are made under the guidance of Manager, with access to other senior staff and managers for advice and guidance on complex policy and procedural requirements, and within the framework of provincial and ministry strategic directions, the existing legislative/regulatory and policy framework, best practices and government directives and procedures.

Contacts / Stakeholder :

- Senior management in own Ministry, to provide analyses and advice and to present reports and information.
- Peers in own/other ministries to consult/exchange data/information on issues of mutual interest.
- Counterparts in other governments, the broader public sector, to discuss technical policy issues, give/exchange information, collect data, and provide feedback on research findings.

Guidance / Supervision :

- Provides analyses and information on various aspects of the energy sector to senior management, and technical guidance in a policy team environment.

Demands / Pressures :

Work Demands :

- Frequently required to respond to requests within short deadlines in response to information requests (e.g. requests from Minister/ Deputy Minster).
- Frequently required to deal with deadlines which are subject to change without notice, and priorities that are not anticipated or contentious.

Mental / Sensory :

Continuous requirements to concentrate when reading materials, analyzing economic data, documents and research and when drafting reports, briefing notes, graphics, and related materials.

Conditions / Environment :

Work is performed in a typical office environment.