Business Officers and Senior Business Officers

Duties
Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) is seeking Business Officers (CO-01) and Senior Business Officers (CO-02) to join our high-performing regional teams in temporary opportunities to March 2028. If you are looking to broaden your experience, PrairiesCan is offering exciting opportunities in dynamic, high-impact roles that directly support economic development across the Prairies.Business Officers (CO-01) and Senior Business Officers (CO-02) work in a team environment to support the planning, development, implementation, delivery and assessment of programs, services, research and projects that advance Prairies Economic Development Canada’s mandate to grow and diversify the economy across the Prairie provinces.Business Officer (CO-01)
The Business Officer supports program, project and service delivery activities as part of a regional team. The role contributes to research, consultation, analysis and intelligence gathering to support regional policy and program advice, and participates in the development, implementation and performance assessment of programs and projects.
• Delivers and develops initiatives through Grants and Contributions programs.
• Reviews and analyzes contribution payments, receivables, write-offs or compromise settlements and recommends appropriate action.
• Drafts briefing materials, reports, correspondence and related documents in support of program, project and issue management.
• Builds working relationships with clients, partners and stakeholders to support program delivery and regional economic development priorities.Senior Business Officer (CO-02)
The Senior Business Officer leads or provides senior-level support for more complex policy, program, project and stakeholder files. The role provides advice and recommendations to management on emerging issues, risks, opportunities and implications for PrairiesCan programs and services.
• Delivers and develops initiatives through Grants and Contributions programs.
• Coordinates or leads briefings, reports, correspondence and issue-management materials for management review and decision-making.
• Develops and maintains broader networks across the region and the Prairies, including with other federal departments, other levels of government and key economic development partners.
• Develops terms of reference for contracts, reviews submissions to requests for proposals and recommends best-value options.
• Provides guidance and support to colleagues on program delivery, project analysis, stakeholder engagement and issue management, as appropriate.
• Reviews and analyzes contribution payments, receivables, write-offs or compromise settlements and recommends appropriate action.

Work environment
PrairiesCan fosters a corporate culture that values the diversity of its employees. We have a proud history of positive results in the Government of Canada’s Public Service Employee Surveys.Our organization offers a hybrid work environment, with employees able to work remotely one day per week, subject to operational requirements.

Intent of the process
A pool of qualified candidates will be established and may be used to staff similar positions at these groups and levels. This process may be used for various positions and tenures (including but not limited to term and indeterminate appointments, internal assignments, secondments, deployments, acting appointments) as well as various locations, security requirements, language requirements and conditions of employment.

Important messages
TIPS FOR APPLICANTS: When answering the screening questions related to your qualifications, provide complete and detailed information related to your experience. Do not assume that the screening board has any previous knowledge of your background, qualifications, or work history. You must be specific and provide concrete examples/details for each "Experience" element, as applications will be screened on the information provided by the candidate. Failure to provide sufficient information may result in your application being screened out of the competition.We intend to communicate with all candidates by email. Candidates must include a valid email address in their application, ensure it is functional at all times, and accepts messages from unknown users as some email systems block these types of email.Depending on the number of applicants and Human Resources plans, volume management strategies, such as random selection, top-down approach and/or establishing cut-off scores to determine who will continue in the staffing process, may be used for the purpose of managing applications.

---

• Reliability security clearance

---

• Willingness and ability to travel occasionally.
• Willingness and ability to work overtime on occasion as required.
• Willingness and ability to report to a PrairiesCan office location a minimum of 4 days per week per the Direction on Prescribed Presence for the Government of Canada.

---

ALL STREAMS
Education:
• Completion of a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with acceptable specialization in accounting, public administration, economics, law, business administration, commerce, finance or other specialty relevant to the position.

Stream 1: Business Officers (CO-01)
Experience:
• Supporting the evaluation of economic development or related project proposals, applications for funding or business plans.
• Monitoring project progress against agreements throughout the lifecycle of a project.
• Maintaining collaborative working relationships with internal and external stakeholders to advance economic development initiatives or projects.
• Providing strategic advice and recommendations to management including assisting in the preparation of briefing notes.

Stream 2: Senior Business Officers (CO-02) – General
Experience:
• Evaluating economic development or related project proposals, applications for funding or business plans.
• Reviewing financial statements or other financial analysis to evaluate financial sustainability of organizations.
• Negotiating project agreements and monitoring progress against agreements throughout the lifecycle of a project.
• Developing and sustaining collaborative working relationships with internal and external stakeholders to advance economic development initiatives or projects.
• Providing strategic advice and recommendations to senior management including the preparation of briefing notes.

Stream 3: Senior Business Officers (CO-02) – Receivables/Payments/Claims Unit
Experience:
• Reviewing financial statements or other financial analysis to evaluate financial sustainability of organizations.
• Managing project agreements and monitoring progress throughout the lifecycle of a project.
• Auditing financial records or in evaluating compliance with contract terms and conditions.
• Developing and sustaining collaborative working relationships with stakeholders.
• Providing strategic advice and recommendations to senior management.

Stream 1: Business Officers (CO-01)
Knowledge:
• Knowledge of how Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) supports economic development and diversification in the Prairie provinces.
• Knowledge of key factors influencing the Canadian economy and of the current economic and business trends, opportunities and challenges in the Prairies.

Stream 2: Senior Business Officers (CO-02) – General
Knowledge:
• Knowledge of how Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) and other federal, provincial and regional/municipal economic programs/policies support economic development and diversification in the Prairie provinces.
• Knowledge of key factors influencing the Canadian economy and of the current economic and/or business trends, opportunities and challenges in the Prairies.

Stream 3: Senior Business Officers (CO-02) – Receivables/Payments/Claims Unit
Knowledge:
• Knowledge of interpreting financial statements and providing related advice, including analysis and assessment.
• Knowledge of assessment of financial strength and viability of a for-profit or not-for-profit organization in relation to a funding application or business plan.

ALL STREAMS
Competencies:
• Demonstrating integrity and respect
• Thinking things through
• Working with others
• Showing initiative and being action-oriented
• Effective communication (Oral and Written)

---

Applied / assessed at a later date

English essential

---

ALL STREAMS
Education:
• Graduation with a master’s degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with a specialization in Commerce, Finance, Business or Public Administration, Economics or other relevant specialty.
• A recognized professional accounting designation.

ALL STREAMS
Experience:
• Experience in development and/or implementation of projects that support the economic inclusion of underrepresented groups.
• Experience in commercial lending, credit or repayable contributions.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas:
o Advanced Manufacturing
o Agri-food
o Health Bio-Sciences
o Clean Technology
o Digital Industries
o Primary Industries
• Experience working with First Nation Communities.
• Experience in delivering or developing initiatives through Grants and Contributions programs.
• Experience processing financial claims under a Contribution Agreement model.
• Experience in managing accounts receivables.
• Experience in assessing the viability of business operations, including those focused on technology commercialization, productivity improvements or business scale-up activities.
• Experience in development and/or implementation of projects that build business capacity and resiliency within rural and remote communities.
• Depth, breadth and scope of experience in any one or combination of the experience requirements.

ALL STREAMS
Knowledge:
• Knowledge of one or more industries/sectors: petrochemical, energy, life sciences, clean technology, Trade, values added agriculture, defence, aerospace.
• Knowledge of Transfer Payment Policy and related policy governing the delivery of repayable or non-repayable Contributions in a Regional Development Agency context.
• Knowledge of key project or stakeholder management systems used in PrairiesCan, e.g. Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Adobe Writer, Project Gateway, etc.
• Knowledge of best practices for working in an inclusive manner with diverse groups.

---

---

---

Preference will be given to veterans first, followed by Canadian citizens and permanent residents, with the exception of jobs located in Nunavut or Yukon. For positions located in Nunavut, qualified Inuit enrolled under the Nunavut Agreement will be appointed first. For positions located in Yukon, qualified Yukon First Nations will be appointed first, followed by qualified Indigenous persons.

Learn more about preference to veterans.

---

---

---

---