Operational Excellence Advisor

Government of Alberta•Edmonton, AB

8d•CA$82,168 - CA$107,710•Onsite

About The Position

The Ministry of Jobs, Economy, Trade, and Immigration (JETI) is seeking an Operational Excellence Advisor to function as an internal consultant. This role will lead the planning, evaluation, and implementation of business process improvements within the department. The Advisor will partner with business areas and project sponsors to identify key business drivers, requirements, and process improvement opportunities, and to design and implement future state processes that enhance service delivery and performance. The position supports the design, delivery, and sustainment of operational excellence initiatives across the organization by leading projects from problem identification through implementation and review, with a strong focus on change management and adoption. The Advisor will work closely with leaders and frontline teams to analyze current processes, challenge existing practices, and recommend innovative, practical improvements. The role applies operational excellence principles, tools, and techniques, including process mapping, process redesign, and performance measurement, to improve efficiency and effectiveness. This includes guiding business areas in the development of meaningful process metrics, researching best practices, assessing outcomes, and supporting continuous improvement capability. The Advisor will provide expert input into the ongoing development of the Operational Excellence and Digital Transformation program and offer project management guidance and advisory support to Business Process and Automation Specialists within the team.

Requirements

University graduation in Business, Social Sciences, or a related field combined with a minimum of four years of progressively responsible related experience in process improvement/operational excellence, preferably within a complex project portfolio, with responsibility for leading process improvement initiatives that work within tight deadlines and to a high-quality standard.
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification is required.

Nice To Haves

Training and/or certification in organizational change management (e.g. Change Management training from Prosci), project management (e.g. PMP), robotic process automation (RPA), and facilitation is desirable.
Understanding of government strategic and policy directions and priorities as they relate to the Department; Department business plan, organizational structure and strategic priorities; knowledge of the businesses, services, and processes of the Department; and clients and stakeholders of the department is desirable.
Strong stakeholder engagement, communication, and training skills.
Experience facilitating rapid improvement/Kaizen events.
Ability to conceptualize problems, integrate conceptual and practical problem solving, assess options and implications, and analyze and develop alternative solutions.
Strong facilitation skills, with ability to lead project team members on specific process improvement activities, stimulating innovative ideas, and synthesizing learnings.
Organizational and time management skills, including ability to prioritize and manage multiple activities and projects in an ambiguous, fast-paced, and rapidly evolving environment with multiple priorities and deadlines.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present and articulate complex concepts in a clear and concise manner.
The ability to work with minimal supervision.

Responsibilities

Lead and Deliver Operational Excellence: Utilizing Operational Excellence and Business Process Management expertise, the Advisor functions as an internal consultant and driver for business process improvement in the department by leading operational excellence workshops, kaizen events, process mapping sessions, and projects with internal clients. In consultation with the Manager, Operational Excellence and Digital Transformation and the project sponsor, develops and reviews project deliverables, strategies, work plans, schedule estimates, and implementation plans, and resolves or escalates more complex issues. Identifies and assesses opportunities and issues throughout the department for documenting existing processes, identifying potential improvements, and the development of new processes.
Digital Transformation: Works with technical experts (including Process Improvement and Automation Specialists) to identify and implement opportunities for robotic process automation (RPA) to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of business processes and programs.
Change Management: Incorporates change management principles into all projects and programs. Provides support from a process improvement perspective to ensure that changes can be translated from high-level business objectives into feasible and efficient business and operational processes.
Training and Facilitation: Develops, maintains, and delivers presentations, training, and workshops related to operational excellence, business process management, and other topics as required. Creates and delivers executive-level presentations and documents as required, including preparing briefings, reports, and presenting to Executive Team and senior departmental leadership.
Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborates with members of the Strategic Performance Branch on joint endeavors. Participates in various working committees for corporate initiatives (e.g., Data and Digital Community of Practice). Manages and provides coaching and mentorship to project stakeholders and team members when leading projects and department-wide initiatives. Demonstrating exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, builds consensus, influences others, and mediates conflict. Often working with stakeholders with non-technical knowledge, this role is responsible for synthesizing and communicating information to ensure common understanding among all.