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Position Title: Director
Position Type: Full-time, Seconded or Contracted

Position Description
Reporting to the ARPDC Provincial Executive Director, and working collaboratively with six other professional learning consortia, who comprise the Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortia (ARPDC), the Director of the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium (SAPDC) is responsible for the successful leadership of professional learning programs, initiatives, and services that support provincial curriculum implementation in alignment with Alberta Education’s Business Plan, school authority education plans, provincial priorities, and the articulated professional learning needs of regional stakeholder organizations.

The SAPDC Director ensures that the design and delivery of professional learning supports offered through SAPDC aligns with the vision, mission, and goals of ARPDC, are created through evidence-informed research about adult learning and are responsive to the K-12 education needs of the province, regional school authorities, and stakeholder organizations.

The SAPDC Director is responsible for the operations of the Consortium including oversight of staff and budgets. The SAPDC Director creates, implements, and evaluates the Annual Professional Learning Implementation Plan and Annual Budget of SAPDC.

Major Areas of Responsibility
Exemplifying exceptional leadership, the Director oversees the daily operations of the Consortium, on behalf of the ARPDC Provincial Executive Director and the CASS Board of Directors, with the following areas of responsibility:
• Planning and Reporting,
• Human Resources,
• Financial Planning,
• Community Relations and Advocacy.

 
Duties and Specific Responsibilities
Community Relations and Advocacy
• Collaborate with educational stakeholders and leaders across the regional service area to support the implementation of the professional learning priority areas identified for the Consortium by Alberta Education.
• Consult and collaborate with education stakeholder organizations in the delivery of professional learning supports to support regional learning needs.
• Collaborate with ARPDC Provincial Executive Director and regional Directors to explore common and effective approaches to professional learning provincially and regionally for each identified priority area.
• Advise the CASS Board of Directors (governance board), through the ARPDC Provincial Executive Director, on all aspects of internal and external developments that affect the organization.
• Consult with a Regional Advisory Committee comprised of stakeholders from within the service delivery area of the Consortium to advance the regional professional learning interests through the Consortium.

Planning and Reporting
• Establish collaborative processes, with regional school authority partners and other stakeholders, to develop and implement an annual Curriculum Implementation Plan that is responsive to regional professional learning needs as they relate to the priority areas identified by Alberta Education.
• Ensure excellence in program delivery through evaluation and analysis of relevant data.
• Create comprehensive reporting mechanisms to share ongoing Consortium data with stakeholder organizations and the CASS Board of Directors.
• Develop the SAPDC Annual and Financial Results Report that contributes to the ARPDC report which is submitted by the ARPDC Executive Director to the CASS Board of Directors and Alberta Education.

Human Resources
• Hire staff, in consultation with the ARPDC Provincial Executive Director, as identified to achieve the Annual Curriculum Implementation Plan.
• Delegate responsibility to staff, where appropriate, to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness of the Consortium.
• Ensure excellence in program delivery through evaluation and analysis of impact data, and on-going mentoring/coaching of the Consortium’s educational staff.
• Ensure excellence in administrative practices that support the work of the consortium through on-going mentoring/coaching of the Consortium’s administrative staff.

Financial Planning
• Ensure fiscal responsibility and monitoring of financial expenditures that comply with the annual CASS Board approved budget.
• Collaborate with ARPDC Executive Director in the creation of the final annual financial reports for approval by the CASS Board of Directors, and submission to Alberta Education.

 
Competencies Required
• Ability to work collaboratively using an inquiry approach with a variety of educational local and provincial stakeholders’ organizations, and Alberta Education.
• Ability to establish consultative and collaborative decision-making that is informed by open dialogue and multiple perspectives.
• Ability to think critically in the formation of innovative, creative, and responsive solutions that ensure quality design and delivery of professional learning programs and supports.
• Ability to mitigate risk through the development of risk management strategies that result in positive change.
• Capacity to strategically plan and make decisions to allocate resources (human, physical, technological, and financial) to effectively meet ARPDC and consortia goals.
• Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging to create a positive and productive work environment.
• Demonstrate visionary leadership with an ability to lead a team in a respectful and collaborative manner.
• Demonstrate relational leadership and engage stakeholders to build personal and professional capacities and expertise.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Proven organizational skills.
• Understanding the Alberta Education Professional Practice Standards.
• Understanding the Alberta Education Leadership Certifications
• Understanding of the Alberta Education Ministerial order on student learning.
• Understanding of the Alberta Education Assurance and accountability in Alberta’s K to 12 education system.

Personal and Professional Requirements
• Valid teaching certification, Master of Education degree (or equivalent), and experience in an educational leadership role.
• 4 or more years of experience at a school, district, or provincial level in designing and delivering professional learning experiences.
• Understanding of current education initiatives and projects in Alberta, and ability to engage stakeholders in developing a shared understanding of current trends and priorities in the K-12 Education system.
• Knowledge of current educational research in effective program delivery for improved student learning, promising practices in education, effective professional development practices, adult learning theory, and change theory.
• Knowledge of K-12 programming, initiatives, policies, and legal frameworks that provide the foundations for the Alberta K-12 education system.
• Understanding of, and ability to use, the Guide to Comprehensive Professional Development Planning (2006) and Guide to Essential Conditions for Successful Implementation (n.d.) to work with education partners/stakeholders in developing professional learning plans.

Compensation
A competitive compensation package will be provided including an attractive base salary and excellent benefits. Further details will be discussed with shortlisted candidates in a personal interview.

Requirements
Applicants are invited to submit a resume outlining qualifications, competencies, and skills pertaining to this position, and the names and contact information for three references. Applications must be submitted in a single pdf file that includes three (3) parts in the order of:
• cover letter,
• current resume,
• contact details for three professional references (include a recent supervisor’s reference).

The successful candidate will be expected to be available face-to-face and online to lead and manage the operations of SAPDC.

Deadline for Applications
Applications must be emailed to admin@cass.ab.ca by 12:00 noon, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. In the subject line state SAPDC Director Application. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only individuals selected for interviews will be contacted.

Further Information
Visit the SAPDC website at https://www.sapdc.ca/ and the ARPDC website at https://arpdc.ab.ca/