Family Mediator

Government of Alberta; Edmonton; On-site; CAD 75,000 - 97,000; Full time

Job summary

The Government of Alberta, Court and Justice Services, seeks an experienced Family Mediator to support parenting, guardianship and child support disputes in Edmonton.

This permanent, full-time role (36.25 hours/week) focuses on mediation service delivery, consultation and public relations, requiring strong conflict-resolution and facilitation skills.

Qualifications

• 180 hours Mediation/Dispute Resolution training required (40 hours in separation/divorce or family mediation).
• Education and experience as specified: SW degree or related field with relevant experience.
• Strong mediation and facilitation skills with non-evaluative approach.

Responsibilities

• Screen and assess cases to determine suitability for family mediation.
• Conduct pre-mediation sessions and explain options to parties.
• Provide facilitative mediation with focus on children's best interests.
• Draft written summaries of agreements for clients.
• Engage in peer consultation and co-mediation to maintain standards.

Skills

Mediation

Conflict resolution

Negotiation

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor of Social Work

Master of Social Work

Related University Degree (Dispute Resolution, Sociology, Psychology, Law, etc.)

Related Diploma

Related Certificate

Job description

Job Information
Job Title: Family Mediator
Job Requisition ID: 88046
Ministry: Justice
Location: Edmonton
Full or Part-Time: Full-Time
Hours of Work: 36.25 hours per week
Permanent/Temporary/Wage: Permanent
Scope: Open Competition
Closing Date: November 5, 2026
Classification: Human Services Worker 5
Salary: $2,872.21 to $3,712.88 bi-weekly ($74,964 - $96,906/year)

The Alberta Public Service works to build a stronger province for current and future generations. We make a difference in the lives of Albertans through rewarding and diverse career opportunities.

The Court and Justice Services (CJS) Division provides a wide range of resolution and court services for people involved in legal disputes. In collaboration with the courts of Alberta, Court and Justice Services provides various programs and services including educating and helping Albertans finding solutions for legal issues, navigating the court system, offering programs at no cost or a nominal charge, and administrative support to all courts in Alberta. To learn more about Court and Justice Services please follow the link at:

https://www.alberta.ca/court-and-justice-services.aspx

Role Responsibilities

Are you an experienced Family Mediator skilled at working with families seeking resolution to parenting, guardianship, and child support disputes?

Come join the Business and Resolution Services team in a rewarding position located in Edmonton.

In this role, your key responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

MEDIATION SERVICE DELIVERY

• Screen and assess cases to determine if family mediation is appropriate.
• Conduct pre-mediation sessions to ensure parties understand their options and are prepared to proceed, including providing appropriate resources and screening for safety concerns.
• Provide non-evaluative, facilitative, client-focussed, ethical approach to mediation.
• Enter into service agreements with clients.
• Use effective strategies in high conflict situations.
• Help parties address needs and interests, focusing on best interests of the children.
• Possess knowledge of relevant Family Law.
• Provide written summary of agreements for clients.
• Assist parties in adjusting to new family structure and circumstances.
• Engage in peer consultation and co-mediation as a means of maintaining and enhancing professional standards and performance levels.

CONSULTATION & PUBLIC RELATIONS

• Consult with Family Court Counsellors, Case flow Coordinators and other department, government, and community agencies regarding appropriateness of mediation as a means of resolving disputes.
• Participate in government and community-based agencies, boards, or groups to provide links between Resolution Services and the community.

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Excellent conflict resolution, negotiation and mediation skills including multi-party and high conflict mediation.
• Strong knowledge and ability to apply skills required for an interest-based/facilitative/non-evaluative style of mediation.
• Strong knowledge of child development and the needs of children in a separation or divorce.
• Strong assessment skills to foster mediator and practitioner development.
• Strong organizational skills to handle the volume and complexity of work.
• Ability to work well in a team environment and independently.
• Ability to work with sensitive and complex matters involving families and children.

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.

• AGILITY: You anticipate, assess, and readily adapt to changing priorities, maintain resilience in times of uncertainty and effectively work in a changing environment.
• SYSTEMS THINKING: You consistently take a holistic and long-term view of challenges and opportunities at multiple levels across related areas.
• 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.
• CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING: You assess options and implications in new ways to achieve outcomes and solutions.
• DRIVE FOR RESULTS: You determine what outcomes are important and maximize the use of resources.

Qualifications

Required: A minimum of 180 hours of Mediation, and/or Alternative Dispute Resolution, and/or Conflict Management training is required, of which at least 40 hours must be in the area of separation and divorce or family mediation. Please clearly indicate in your resume the specific courses, the number of hours of training for each, and the organization or training institution where the training was completed.

Completion of one of the following is also a requirement:

• Bachelor of Social Work with some related experience, OR
• Master of Social Work (no experience required), OR
• Related University Degree (e.g. Dispute Resolution, Sociology, Psychology, Law, etc.) and 2 years related experience; OR
• Related Diploma and 3 years related experience; OR
• Related Certificate and 4 years related experience.

Preference will be given to candidates with:

• Experience providing interest-based/facilitative/non-evaluative mediation services for families.
• Strong knowledge, supplemented by experience, of theoretical models, specialized techniques, and practical and theoretical procedures related to mediation and alternative dispute resolution.
• Experience facilitating alternative dispute resolution processes, such as mediation, for families experiencing parental conflict and/or going through separation or divorce.
• Proficient in using technology to mediate remotely and use client relationship software to manage client information and appointments.

Next Steps: Candidates who are successful following the interview, may be invited to participate in an assessed mediation ‘role play’ as part of the selection process. The focus of the role play is to assess the candidate’s ability to apply core communication and mediation skills in an interest-based/facilitative/non-evaluative mediation model.

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

Notes

Position Information:

• Available Position: One permanent, full-time position
• This position is scheduled for 36.25 hours per week, Monday to Friday.
• Work Location: John E. Brownlee Building, Edmonton

Final candidates will be required to undergo a criminal records check (CRC).

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.

Closing Statement

This competition may be used to fill future vacancies, across the Government of Alberta, at the same or lower classification level.

We thank all applicants for their interest. All applications will be reviewed to determine which candidates' qualifications most closely match the advertised requirements.

If you require any further information on this job posting or require an accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact Krista Lammie at [e-mail].