Job Description
Senior Consultant / Consulting Team Lead — Office of the Fire Marshal Modernization Review
Company: Upstaff Employment Services
Project Name: Consulting Services to Review and Modernize the Office of the Fire Marshal
Client: Department of Emergency Management, Province of Nova Scotia
Role: Senior Consultant / Consulting Team Lead
Location: Nova Scotia / Hybrid as required
Start Date: May 25, 2026
End Date: July 30, 2026
Role Summary
Upstaff Employment Services is seeking an experienced Senior Consultant / Consulting Team Lead to support the Department of Emergency Management in reviewing and modernizing the Office of the Fire Marshal. The engagement will assess the current programs, services, organizational structure, governance, internal processes, and operational practices of the Office of the Fire Marshal as it transitions into the Department of Emergency Management under the new Office of the Fire Commissioner.
The successful consultant will provide project management and technical expertise to support a structured review, identify opportunities for efficiency and role clarity, assess alignment with the Fire Commissioner’s statutory mandate, and develop practical recommendations and implementation planning materials for senior leadership.
Mandatory Requirements
M1 — Public Sector Transformation Experience
The consultant or consulting team must have a minimum of five years of experience in complex and large-scale public sector transformation projects requiring a diverse range of solutions and skillsets.
Related Duties
The consultant will be responsible for:
Leading a structured review of the Office of the Fire Marshal’s current-state programs, services, organizational structure, and internal processes.
Supporting modernization planning within a complex public sector environment.
Assessing opportunities to improve efficiency, prioritization, accountability, and role clarity.
Working with public sector stakeholders, emergency management stakeholders, fire services stakeholders, and senior leadership.
Supporting transformation activities related to governance, service delivery, process improvement, and organizational alignment.
Delivering recommendations that are practical, phased, and aligned with public sector priorities.
M2 — Business Process Improvement and Organizational Review Experience
The consultant or consulting team must include at least one senior resource with recognized experience successfully completing business process improvement projects within a large public sector organization.
Related Duties
The consultant will be responsible for:
Reviewing current Office of the Fire Marshal workflows, processes, and service delivery practices.
Identifying inefficiencies, bottlenecks, role dilution, overlaps, and gaps.
Assessing workload pressures and operational realities.
Recommending improvements to process efficiency, program delivery, role clarity, and governance.
Supporting organizational and HR review activities, including structure, responsibilities, and internal accountabilities.
Developing recommendations related to legislation, regulatory changes, program and service design, organizational structures, reporting, training, and professional development.
M3 — Project Management and Delivery Experience
The consultant or consulting team must demonstrate experience successfully project managing large-scale public sector projects within the contract timeline and budget.
Related Duties
The consultant will be responsible for:
Creating a detailed project workplan, including timelines, milestones, deliverables, resources, and budget.
Managing project activities from May 25, 2026 to July 30, 2026.
Coordinating regular working meetings with the Department of Emergency Management and the Fire Modernization Project Team.
Providing written bi-weekly progress updates to the contract manager.
Managing risks, issues, dependencies, timelines, and deliverable completion.
Ensuring all deliverables are completed no later than July 30, 2026.
Providing final deliverables in editable Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats.
Scored / Desirable Requirements
S1 — Fire Safety, Emergency Management, or Municipal Services Experience
The consultant or consulting team should have experience with municipal programs or services, fire prevention and suppression services, public safety, or emergency management programs.
Related Duties
The consultant will be responsible for:
Assessing Office of the Fire Marshal programs and services within the context of fire safety, emergency management, and public safety.
Reviewing functions related to fire safety enforcement, investigations, inspections, compliance, fire code administration, technical expertise, fire service support, training, public education, data, reporting, and policy support.
Engaging with stakeholders connected to fire services, emergency management, municipal service delivery, and provincial oversight.
Considering the role of the Office of the Fire Commissioner within Nova Scotia’s broader emergency management framework.
Supporting recommendations that strengthen fire safety oversight, public safety outcomes, and service delivery consistency.
S2 — Governance, Legislative, Regulatory, and Program Design Expertise
The consultant or consulting team should demonstrate expertise in organizational and HR reviews or audits, program and service design, legislative and regulatory analysis, research, and governance for multi-partner policy initiatives.
Related Duties
The consultant will be responsible for:
Reviewing how current Office of the Fire Marshal functions align with the Fire Commissioner’s statutory responsibilities.
Mapping Office of the Fire Marshal functions to the Fire Commissioner’s mandate.
Identifying alignment issues, overlaps, gaps, and opportunities for clarification.
Reviewing governance structures, internal accountabilities, and decision-making processes.
Supporting recommendations related to program design, service delivery models, regulatory alignment, reporting, and policy support.
Developing an alignment matrix to support executive decision-making.
S3 — Technology, Mapping, Data Visualization, and Modernization Experience
The consultant or consulting team must include at least one resource with recognized technical expertise and experience in mapping and data visualization for public service design.
Related Duties
The consultant will be responsible for:
Using data, mapping, and visualization techniques to support public service design and modernization.
Reviewing data management, reporting, inspection, and oversight processes.
Supporting analysis related to fire statistics, trend analysis, reporting systems, and policy support.
Developing visual summaries, dashboards, process maps, alignment matrices, or implementation visuals as required.
Supporting modernization planning related to inspection and compliance programs.
Helping prepare executive briefing materials for senior leadership.
Certification Requirements
The consulting team must include:
Change Management Certification
At least one resource with a recognized certification in change management, such as Prosci.
Related Duties
Support change planning and implementation sequencing.
Help identify stakeholder impacts, adoption considerations, and transition risks.
Support practical implementation of recommended changes.
Continuous Improvement Certification
At least one resource with a recognized certification in continuous improvement methods, such as Lean Six Sigma.
Related Duties
Apply structured process improvement methods.
Identify inefficiencies and opportunities for standardization.
Support recommendations for resource-neutral optimization and improved service delivery.
Key Deliverables
The consultant or consulting team will be responsible for producing or supporting the following deliverables:
Project workplan and detailed budget
Current-state assessment of Office of the Fire Marshal programs and services
Analysis of current programs, services, and structure against workload demands
Alignment matrix mapping Office of the Fire Marshal functions to the Fire Commissioner’s mandate
Process and program efficiency recommendations
Role optimization and governance structure recommendations
Recommendations for modernizing inspection and compliance programs and services
Implementation plan aligned with the Office of the Fire Commissioner’s three-year workplan
Resource-neutral optimization and sequencing timeline / critical path
Executive briefing materials for senior leadership
Bi-weekly written progress updates
Project close-out report
Core Skills Required
The ideal consultant or consulting team should demonstrate:
Public sector transformation experience
Project management and delivery leadership
Business process improvement expertise
Organizational review and governance analysis experience
Legislative and regulatory analysis experience
Program and service design experience
Emergency management, public safety, fire services, or municipal services knowledge
Mapping, data visualization, and public service modernization experience
Change management certification or expertise
Continuous improvement certification or expertise
Strong stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills
Strong executive briefing, report writing, and presentation skills
Ability to deliver practical recommendations within a fixed timeline and budget
