Platform Lead

Job Description

Salary: $3,091.70 - $3,631.17 Bi-Weekly / $80,384.20 - $94,410.42 Annually (PR 17) Position Type: Full-Time Permanent (35 hours a week) Benefits : Paid Holidays, Vacation, Sick/Family Leave, Health, Dental, and Defined Benefits Pension Location: Halifax Department: Cyber Security and Digital Solutions Union Status: NSGEU-NSPG Closing Date: January 16, 2024 @ 11:59PM Atlantic Time ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF CYBER SECURITY AND DIGITAL SOLUTIONS (CSDS) Welcome to the Department of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions (CSDS), the guiding force behind digital transformation within the Government of Nova Scotia. Formerly known as the Nova Scotia Digital Service (NSDS) within the Department of Service Nova Scotia and Internal Services (SNSIS), we have evolved into a standalone department with a focused mission. At CSDS, we support government departments and partners in their digital transformation journeys. We don't just implement digital solutions; we navigate the complexities of digital transformation, modernizing outdated systems and ways of working. Our role is to ensure that digital services are user-centered, efficient, and make a real difference to Nova Scotians. Our team is diverse and passionate, championing innovation and embracing the richness of multiple perspectives. We're not just an IT department; we're a community dedicated to enabling digital transformation and bolstering cybersecurity across the province. Join us at CSDS as we shape the future of digital services in Nova Scotia, and make a real difference to Nova Scotians The Mission: We are looking to transform the way we serve our citizens and to strengthen our team with the addition of a Platform Lead. This position is part of the Digital Platforms team that builds and operates reusable software services supporting the delivery of modern digital experiences to Nova Scotians. As the Platform Lead, you will report to the Manager, Platform Solutions and be part of an empowered multi-disciplinary team working alongside product managers, product associates, technical architects, software developers, and development operations working in the open on complex digital products. You will be the lead for the overall service, ongoing operations, development, continuous improvement, and support for our digital payment, notification, and simple forms platform, with the potential to expand to new platforms. Who You Are You are passionate about people’s experiences and want to make people’s lives better. You’re curious, and your humbleness helps you learn and grow. You love to collaborate across roles and organizations, and you can create a path forward from uncertainty. You are comfortable inspiring others with your communication skills whether they be senior leaders or technical teams. You share our values of Respect, Integrity, Diversity, Accountability & The Public Good, have a passion for service excellence and actively promote and encourage the importance of people, teams, diversity, and culture. Your Role & Its Impact: As the Platform Lead, your primary accountabilities will include: Creating and maintaining the product strategy and vision that captures higher-level, longer-term decisions. Mentoring, coaching, and fostering a dynamic team of individuals to elevate the delivery of technology using a platform product mindset approach. Leading a team of platform product associates to guide the product management, onboarding, and support for multiple digital platforms. Work with product associates to: Lead the design and use of operational processes and support needs for the running and maintenance of platform products or services throughout their entire lifecycle. - Lead the product roadmaps that capture more detailed, shorter-term decisions. - Keep stakeholders informed and engaged by working in the open about the design and development of your platform products, and promote their use. -Develop efficient client communication and feedback channels. -Develop, maintain, and communicate technical documentation and release notes. -Guide the product release cycle, acceptance testing, and training internal clients. You will also be accountable for the following: Representing users and working collaboratively with service designers to complete usability testing, when appropriate, throughout the delivery process and use their feedback to inform continuous improvement. Foster the use of Agile methods for product delivery, including daily stand-ups, working in sprints, managing features and product backlogs in tools such as Jira, delivering minimum viable products and continuous improvement. Working collaboratively across government and with various stakeholders and sectors to build collaborative relationships and innovate. Keeping a strong focus on delivery priorities, being accountable for delivery, and acting swiftly to respond to changing requirements. Working with a multidisciplinary team to promote internet-era ways of working and providing strategic direction to achieve the platform product vision. Diving deep to understand the needs of internal and external users, stakeholders, and partners and their related program goals, program policies and operational constraints so that you can develop platform products that are valuable, usable, accessible, scalable, and feasible. Seeking to understand how a product technically works, asking questions and challenging assumptions. Setting measurable goals for your platform product and reporting against these to demonstrate progress against stated benefits. This position involves engagement with external and internal partners, requiring strong problem-solving, analytical thinking, and adaptability to new technologies. Building meaningful relationships characterized by mutual trust and respect with management, peers, clients, and operational staff is also a key aspect of this role. Who You Are & What You Bring to the Table As the Platform Lead, you must have a Bachelor’s degree with six (6) years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of training and experience. The ideal candidate will possess: Leadership: Experience with being a mentor and leading a multidisciplinary team to achieve common goals. Sharing your strengths and experience to make a team even stronger! Decision Making: Exercise good judgement and strong initiative. Self-directed: Ability to work in a self-directed culture and navigate ambiguity. Customer Service: Take the time to understand the needs of our clients to provide friendly, efficient, personalized, empathetic customer service. Enjoys building solid, positive relationships built on proven caring and trust. Problem-Solving Skills: Demonstrated excellence in troubleshooting and problem-solving. Superior skills in root-cause analysis to diagnose and assign resolution of problems faced by clients. Product Management: Remove complexity from products and services. Make it easy for people to do the things they need to do! Demonstrate experience creating, maintaining, and prioritizing product backlogs. Design Thinking: Expertise in design thinking/human-centered design. Organizational Skills: Ability to prioritize and manage high-level tasks under tight deadlines, exhibiting sound judgment under pressure. Communication Skills: Exceptional verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with a knack for conveying information effectively to clients, peers, and leadership. Adaptability: Flexibility to quickly adapt to new technologies. A curious mindset that enjoys learning! Equivalency: Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must demonstrate such equivalencies in their application. We recognize that everyone brings different skills and experiences to the table. If you don’t “check all the boxes”, we encourage you to apply anyway and tell us why you’re the right fit for the job. We value diversity of thought and believe that the best teams are those that bring together people with a range of experiences and perspectives. Benefits & Perks At the CSDS with the Government of Nova Scotia, we are committed to providing a fulfilling work environment with numerous benefits and opportunities: Work-Life Balance: Maintain a healthy work-life balance with a 35-hour work week. Secure Your Future: Take advantage of our defined benefits pension plan for a stable retirement. Generous Time Off: Enjoy all national/civic holidays, 18 sick days, and family leave provisions. Flexible Work Arrangements: Accommodate your needs with various options for flexibility, such as hybrid schedules. Employee and Family Support: Access our Employee and Family Assistance Programs for resources and guidance. Support in Times of Need: Receive short- and long-term disability assistance when required. Cross-Sector Collaboration: Experience the power of collaboration as you engage with various government departments. Unlock a world of knowledge, expertise, and connections, contributing to the betterment of our province. Growth & Development: Open doors to professional growth within the CDSD and beyond. Explore diverse career paths in specialized areas such as digital service design, cybersecurity, enterprise risk, digital platform services, and mission IT. Lifelong Learning: Continuously expand your knowledge and skills through training and development programs. Professional Advancement: Immerse yourself in the government landscape and discover endless opportunities for learning, advancement, and making a meaningful impact. Join the Department of Cyber Security & Digital Solutions and experience the benefits of a fulfilling career, supported by comprehensive perks, career development opportunities, and a diverse range of paths to explore within our department and across the government. Pay Grade: PR 17 Salary Range: $3,091.70 - $3,631.17 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. This is a bargaining unit position initially restricted to current civil service employees represented by the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union (NSGEU). If applying from outside a government office, employees must apply correctly via this link: Failure to apply correctly means that your application will not be given first consideration as a bargaining unit applicant, and will only be included if external applications are pursued. External applicants and current casual employees will only be considered if there are no qualified civil service bargaining unit candidates. PLEASE NOTE: Candidates will not be considered for an interview if applications are incomplete or are missing 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.