Program Policy Analyst (Research & Stat Officer 4)

Socket.dev; Halifax; On-site; CAD 79,000 - 96,000; Full time

Job summary

The Government of Nova Scotia, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, is seeking a Program Policy Analyst to support operational policy development across a complex portfolio. You will provide independent policy analysis, governance support, and coordination that enable senior leaders to make informed decisions.

You will help modernize policy processes using AI, automation, and digital tools, while coordinating with Legal Services, Corporate Policy, and project teams.

Qualifications

• One of the following: Bachelor’s degree in public administration, political science, economics, social sciences, business administration, law, public policy, or related field; seven years of related experience.
• One of the following: Master’s degree in the above fields; five years of related experience.
• Experience in policy development, analysis, governance support, and research.

Responsibilities

• Conduct policy analysis, environmental scans, and policy inventories to support initiatives.
• Develop evidence-based policy options and recommendations for senior leadership.
• Prepare briefing materials and decision-support documents for governance committees.
• Coordinate policy development activities across projects and programs.

Skills

Analytical skills

Critical thinking

Problem-solving

Communication

Facilitation

Relationship-building

Education

Bachelor’s degree in public administration or related field

Master’s degree in public administration / policy or related field

Job description

Competition # :49589

Department:Education & Early Childhood Development

Location:HALIFAX

Type of Employment:Permanent

Union Status:NSGEU - NSPG

Closing Date:25-Aug-26(Applications are accepted until 11:59 PM Atlantic Time)

About Us

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) is leading the transformation of the early years and public education system in Nova Scotia. We are doing this by designing an innovative curriculum, facilitating excellence in teaching and learning, ensuring an inclusive education experience, and working closely with our partners in early learning and education. This will provide children, students, and families with a strong foundation for success. This department is a perfect fit for those that want to be part of the future of early learning and public education in the province by supporting student learning in a progressive and responsive policy environment.

About Our Opportunity

The Early Years Branch is seeking a highly skilled policy professional to support operational policy development and coordination across a complex and evolving portfolio of initiatives.

As the Program Policy Analyst, you will provide independent policy analysis, strategic advice, governance support, and coordination services that help operational and project teams advance key priorities. Working across multiple initiatives, you will assess complex issues, develop policy options and recommendations, identify risks and interdependencies, and support informed decision-making by management and senior leadership.

You will support projects and operational teams through structured, time-limited assignments involving policy analysis, governance support, policy inventories, environmental scans, issue assessment, and policy framework development. Working closely with operational and project teams, Legal Services, Corporate Policy, and senior leaders, you will help ensure policy work is coordinated, evidence-informed, and aligned with branch priorities.

In addition to providing policy analysis and advice, you will play an important role in improving how policy work is conducted across the branch. This includes identifying opportunities to strengthen policy development processes, governance practices, policy coordination, research approaches, analytical tools, and decision-support activities to improve efficiency, consistency, and quality. The successful candidate will be expected to help modernize policy and analytical practices through the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and other emerging tools that enhance policy development, analysis, documentation, and decision-making.

Primary Accountabilities

• Conduct research, environmental scans, jurisdictional reviews, and analysis to support operational policy development and policy change initiatives.
• Assess complex policy issues and develop evidence-based options, recommendations, and advice for management and senior leadership.
• Evaluate policy risks, trade-offs, impacts, and emerging issues, and recommend practical courses of action.
• Develop and maintain policies, standards, procedures, frameworks, and other policy instruments.
• Prepare briefing materials, issue analyses, discussion papers, and other decision-support documents.
• Support coordination of policy development activities across projects, programs, and operational initiatives.
• Identify policy interdependencies, risks, gaps, and alignment issues across initiatives and provide recommendations to support decision-making.
• Support governance processes through policy analysis, documentation of decisions, and development of recommendations and supporting materials.
• Maintain effective working relationships with operational teams, project teams, Legal Services, Corporate Policy, and other partners.
• Support the development and continuous improvement of policy frameworks, methodologies, tools, governance processes, and policy lifecycle practices.
• Maintain policy inventories, policy mapping, and information required to support coordination, prioritization, and alignment of policy work.
• Conduct business, operational, and stakeholder impact analysis related to policy and program initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to improve the efficiency, quality, and consistency of policy development, analysis, governance, and decision-support activities.
• Support modernization of policy and analytical practices through the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI), automation, digital tools, and other emerging technologies.

Qualifications and Experience

As the successful candidate, you will have one of the following:

• A Bachelor’s degree in public administration, political science, economics, social sciences, business administration, law, public policy, or a related field, plus seven years of related experience; or
• A Master’s degree in one of the above fields, plus five years of related experience.

Your related experience must include progressive work in policy development, policy analysis, research, strategic planning, governance support, business analysis, or a related discipline.

You also bring experience in:

• Conducting research, analyzing complex issues, evaluating policy options, and developing evidence-based recommendations.
• Preparing briefing materials, reports, discussion papers, policy documents, business cases, or other decision-support materials for management and senior leadership.
• Providing analysis, advice, and recommendations to management, senior leadership, governance committees, or decision-making bodies.
• Working on complex initiatives involving multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, governance processes, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Applying business process improvement, workflow analysis, continuous improvement, or related approaches to support policy development, governance, analytical, or decision-support activities.

You demonstrate strong analytical, critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, facilitation, and relationship-building skills. You are able to independently assess complex issues, evaluate risks and trade-offs, and develop practical, evidence-based recommendations.

You also have demonstrated experience using artificial intelligence, automation tools, digital technologies, or knowledge management solutions to improve policy development, research, analysis, documentation, decision support, operational efficiency, or continuous improvement activities. The successful candidate will be expected to identify and advance opportunities to modernize policy and analytical practices through the responsible use of emerging technologies.

Assets

• Experience supporting governance committees, portfolio management processes, transformation initiatives, or cross-functional projects.
• Experience using data, analytics, performance information, or evidence-based approaches to support policy, operational, or strategic decision-making.
• Experience supporting policy development within early learning and child care, education, health, human services, community services, or other publicly funded service delivery environments.
• Training or certification in Lean, Lean Six Sigma, Business Analysis, Continuous Improvement, Process Improvement, Project Management, Change Management, Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, or related disciplines.

Benefits

Based on the employment status and union agreement, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, Health, Dental, Life Insurance, General illness, Short and Long Term Disability, Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs. For information on all our Benefit program offerings, click here: Benefits for government employees.

What We Offer

• Career development where you have access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career
• Engaging workplace: our employees feel valued, respected, connected, and tuned in, we have forward-thinking policies and strategies
• Countless career paths
• Department specific flexible working schedules

Pay Grade: PR 15

Salary Range: $3,029.89- $3,693.39Bi-Weekly

Employment Equity Statement: Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens we serve. The Government of Nova Scotia has an Employment Equity Policy, and we welcome applications from Indigenous People, African Nova Scotians and Other Racially Visible Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Womenin occupations or positions where they are under-represented. If you are a member of one of these equity groups, you are encouraged to self-identify on your electronic application.

Accommodation Statement: We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Candidates may request accommodations based on any grounds protected by the Human Rights Act.If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process, please contact us at [e-mail].

This is a bargaining unit position initially restricted to current civil service employees represented by the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union (NSGEU). If applying from outside a government office, employees must apply correctly via this link:

Failure to apply correctly means that your application will not be given first consideration as a bargaining unit applicant, and will only be included if external applications are pursued.

External applicants and current casual employees will only be considered if there are no qualified civil service bargaining unit candidates.PLEASE NOTE: Candidates will not be considered for an interview if applications are incomplete or are missing information.

If you are receiving a pension from the Nova Scotia Public Service Superannuation Plan (PSSP) or any related plans, you cannot receive pension payments while contributing to the same plan. If you accept a position that requires PSSP contributions, your pension payments must be stopped. Please contact the Nova Scotia Pension Services Corporation for more information.

Offer of employment is conditional upon the completion of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials, the results of which must be satisfactory to the employer. We thank all applicants for the interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. All questions and concernsmay be directed to [e-mail].