Senior Strategist

Competition # : 49104

Department: Municipal Affairs

Location: HALIFAX

Type of Employment: Permanent

Union Status: Exclusion - Non Union - NSPG

Closing Date: 23-Jul-26 (Applications are accepted until 11:59 PM Atlantic Time)

About Us

The Department of Municipal Affairs is committed to supporting municipalities in the development of resilient, prosperous, and safe communities by delivering innovative, inclusive solutions and fostering strong partnerships.

The Department is responsible for stewardship of the municipal legislative framework, including the Municipal Government Act and the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter, and other related legislation. Our work involves making strategic investments, leveraging new funding, and building on critical partnerships to help position ourselves to meet current and future challenges.

The Strategic Policy and Planning Branch of the Department of Municipal Affairs is responsible for leading strategic policy development, planning, and corporate services. The Branch also serves as the department’s primary liaison with the Executive Council Office and other departments across government.

The Branch plays a key role in supporting the department’s relationship with municipalities by providing stewardship of the municipal legislative framework, strategic policy advice, and coordination on matters affecting municipal governance.

About Our Opportunity

We are looking for a Senior Strategist, Strategic Policy and Legislative Initiatives to join the Strategic Policy and Planning Division.

This is a senior individual contributor role for someone who enjoys complex policy work, legislative and regulatory analysis, and developing clear advice for senior decision makers.

You will lead complex files that affect municipalities and communities across Nova Scotia. Your work may involve leading legislative amendments, regulatory changes, or policy development related to municipal governance, codes of conduct for municipal officials, housing pressures, climate risks, drought and flooding, infrastructure challenges, service delivery pressures, or other emerging municipal issues.

This role is a strong fit for someone who demonstrates the competencies expected of a strong individual contributor, including analytical thinking, strategic orientation, research, strong reading comprehension, clear and persuasive writing, sound judgment, initiative, adaptability, innovation, communication, partnering, and problem-solving skills. You bring the ability to interpret a high volume of complex material, assess risks and implications, work through sensitive issues, develop and communicate clear and well-reasoned advice, and build respectful working relationships across government, municipalities, partners, and communities. You are comfortable working where the answer is not obvious, information may be incomplete, and the path forward requires navigating complexity, using creativity and sound judgment, and applying a strong public service perspective when developing solutions.

Primary Accountabilities

As Senior Strategist, you will:

• Lead complex policy, legislative, regulatory, and strategic initiative files.
• Develop Requests for Legislation, Regulations and Orders, Memoranda to Executive Council, briefing notes, policy options papers, and decision-support materials.
• Research and analyze legislation, regulations, case law, jurisdictional scans, policy frameworks, and emerging trends.
• Provide clear options, risks, trade-offs, and recommendations to support senior decision making.
• Work with senior leaders, subject matter experts, municipalities, and government partners.
• Identify emerging issues and advise on practical responses.
• Support complex correspondence by assessing the issue, clarifying the facts, and recommending a clear and defensible response.
• Consider legislative, regulatory, operational, fiscal, stakeholder, and public trust implications.
• Help connect policy intent to practical implementation.
  
  

Qualifications and Experience

Policy and public sector experience

You bring several years of progressively responsible experience in strategic policy, planning, legislative, regulatory, municipal, intergovernmental, or public administration work.

You have led or supported complex files that require research, analysis, judgment, written advice, options development, and clear recommendations for senior decision makers.

A bachelor’s degree in public administration, political science, law, planning, social or natural sciences, or a related field is required. An equivalent combination of training, education, and experience may be considered.

Strong analysis and judgment

You are comfortable working through complex material. This may include legislation, regulations, government decision documents, policy frameworks, research, jurisdictional scans, stakeholder input, and detailed background materials.

You can identify what matters, assess what is uncertain, and turn information into practical advice.

Clear advice for decision makers

You have experience preparing briefing notes, options analysis, recommendations, correspondence, decision-support documents, policy papers, or legislative and regulatory materials.

You can present options, risks, trade-offs, and recommended next steps in a way that supports senior decision-making.

Independent file leadership

You can lead complex files with limited direction. You are comfortable working in areas where the answer is not obvious, the issue may be sensitive, and the path forward requires judgment.

You work independently, but not in isolation. You build strong working relationships with leaders, colleagues, subject matter experts, municipalities, and government partners.

What will help you succeed

Success in this role requires demonstrated strength in complex policy work including legislative and regulatory analysis and strong written and verbal communication skills.

The successful candidate will be able to develop practical options and sound recommendations in response to complex, sensitive, and ambiguous issues.

Assets

• Experience developing or coordinating Requests for Legislation, Regulations and Orders, Memoranda to Executive Council, Treasury and Policy Board submissions, or similar government decision materials would be considered an asset.
• Experience with municipal governance, housing, land use planning, infrastructure, climate adaptation, emergency management, or intergovernmental relations would also be an asset.
• Experience using CanLII, legislative databases, regulations, case law, or other legal and policy research tools would be valuable in this role, as would experience developing policies and Cabinet submissions.
• A master's degree in a relevant field is an asset.

Equivalency

We recognize that strong policy professionals come from a range of backgrounds. An equivalent combination of training, education, and experience may be considered.

This may include significant experience leading or supporting complex policy, legislative, regulatory, municipal, intergovernmental, planning, legal research, or public administration files where the work required research, analysis, written advice, options development, and recommendations for senior decision makers.

Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must clearly demonstrate those 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

Most of your work is in a comfortable office environment. There is a need to balance competing priorities, attend multiple meetings, and meet strict deadlines. Provincial travel may be required.

This role involves a high volume of work and requires steady judgment under pressure. You will manage sensitive client and community issues, complex program requirements, financial risk, urgent requests, and competing operational priorities.

What We Offer

• Career development, including access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career
• An engaging workplace where employees feel valued, respected, connected, and informed, supported by forward-thinking policies and strategies
• Countless career paths

Pay Grade: EC 12

Salary Range: $3,929.22 - $4,911.52 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 and Other Racially Visible Persons, Persons with Disabilities 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.

Current government employees may access this posting through the link below:

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.