Senior Business Analyst (Program Admin Officer 4)

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 emp