Senior Business Analyst (Program Admin Officer 4)

Competition # : 49975

Department: Opportunities and Social Development

Location: HALIFAX

Type of Employment: Term

Union Status: NSGEU - NSPG

Closing Date: 02-Nov-26 (Applications are accepted until 11:59 PM Atlantic Time)

About Us

At the Department of Opportunities and Social Development (OSD), we are a large and diverse department providing a broad portfolio of programs and services including Child and Family Wellbeing (CFW), Employment Support Services (ESS), Income Assistance (IA), Supportive Housing and Homelessness, and the Disability Support Program (DSP).

Through our services, we advocate and help vulnerable Nova Scotians be independent, self-reliant, and secure. We work collaboratively across the province with a strong dedicated network of supports and staff, to achieve desired and shared outcomes for all.

About Our Opportunity

As a Senior Business Analyst with the Innovation Team in the Strategic Operations & Innovation division, you will help improve programs and service delivery for clients and staff.

This is not a role where every problem arrives neatly defined. We are looking for someone who can see the big picture and the details, ask the questions others may not yet be asking, create clarity from ambiguity, and help turn ambitious ideas into practical, lasting improvements.

As a Senior Business Analyst, you will help shape how Nova Scotia’s social services evolve. You will work across programs, operations, policy, and technology to define complex problems, identify opportunities, and translate strategic priorities into practical improvements. This may include improving client journeys, redesigning provincial service-delivery models, modernizing policies and processes, exploring responsible uses of automation and artificial intelligence, and helping teams address intersecting program, operational, and technical needs.

Reporting to a Project Executive, you will lead complex analysis and discovery work, develop evidence-based recommendations, and support initiatives from discovery through implementation. You will collaborate with Product Managers, Project Managers, internal divisions, external partners, and subject-matter experts. You will also mentor junior staff, assign tasks, and evaluate their work.

Primary Accountabilities

SD is in the midst of a multi-year journey to dramatically improve client and system outcomes and we’re counting on your expertise to help us achieve this. In this role, you will:

• Analyze complex service-delivery challenges and identify improvement opportunities.
• Connect client and staff experience, policy, operations, data, technology, and departmental priorities to develop a whole-system view.
• Lead research, current-state analysis, and collaborative discovery with internal and external partners.
• Clarify root causes, challenge assumptions constructively, and establish shared problem definitions.
• Design practical future-state services, processes, policies, and digital solutions.
• Develop business cases, options, and evidence-based recommendations for decision-makers.
• Work with project, product, program, and technology teams to turn recommendations into achievable plans and implemented changes.
• Identify dependencies, risks, and unintended consequences across programs and service channels.
• Define outcomes and measures, using evidence and feedback to refine implemented solutions.
• Mentor analysts and introduce methods, tools, and approaches that strengthen the team’s analytical and delivery capacity.
  
  

Qualifications and Experience

We’re seeking a strategic and collaborative professional with experience in both planning and execution of business process improvement and digital transformation. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in cross-functional environments and is passionate about improving public services and supporting the successful delivery of departmental and government priorities. If you're committed to meaningful change and improving outcomes for Nova Scotians, we’d love to hear from you.

We value diverse educational and professional journeys and welcome applicants with experience across sectors who bring fresh approaches to social innovation. You have a university degree from a recognized school plus at least six (6) years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of school, volunteering, training and experience.

You also have experience:

• Leading or supporting service redesign, policy development, business process improvement, strategic planning, or digital transformation.
• Conducting analysis and preparing clear deliverables, such as business cases, policy briefs, process maps, service-improvement plans, or outcome-measurement frameworks.
• Managing organizational change and moving complex work from analysis to implementation.
• Building trusted relationships, facilitating collaboration, and influencing decisions through evidence and sound judgement.
• Managing competing priorities and deadlines in a changing environment.
• Using Microsoft 365 and Power Platform tools, including Excel, PowerPoint, Power Automate, Outlook, and SharePoint.

You can bring structure to ambiguous work, recognize connections and risks across systems, challenge assumptions constructively, and balance strategic goals with practical implementation.

The following are considered assets:

• Certification or training in business analysis, project management, Lean Six Sigma, or change management.
• Experience with service design or human-centred design.
• Knowledge of government processes, regulatory requirements, or departmental programs and services.
• Experience with data visualization, Microsoft Power Apps, Power BI, Power Automate, or the development of artificial intelligence tools to improve business processes

We will assess the above qualifications using one or more of the following tools: oral presentations, written assignments, interview(s), and reference checks.

Equivalency

We recognize equivalent combinations of training, education, and experience, providing opportunities for individuals with diverse backgrounds to contribute their skills and expertise. Equivalencies include, but are not limited to:

• A related master’s degree and four (4) years related experience
• Completion of a 2-year college diploma program and eight (8) years related experience
• Ten (10) years total related experience

Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

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.

Working Conditions

This role is based in a comfortable office environment and you may be working at your computer for extended periods of time. You may be required to travel to worksite locations.

Your normal work week is 35 hours/week, 7 hours/day.

Additional Information

One (1) full-time term position is available with an anticipated end date of December 31, 2028. The appointment status (‘term’, ‘temporary’ or ‘casual’) is dependent on the start date of the successful candidate.

What We Offer

• Ownership of complex initiatives with meaningful, province-wide impact.
• Influence at the intersection of policy, operations, service design, and technology.
• Work across multiple social programs rather than within a narrow functional area.
• Experiment with practical approaches to digital services, automation, data and responsible AI.
• A welcoming, multidisciplinary team that values curiosity, thoughtful challenge, collaboration, and implementation.
• 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

Pay Grade: PR 17

Salary Range: $3,410.48 - $4,005.58 Bi-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, Persons of African Descent, Racialized Persons, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ Persons and Women in 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 competitions@novascotia.ca.

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 concerns may be directed to Competitions@novascotia.ca.