Department: Environment and Climate Change
Location: HALIFAX
Type of Employment: Term
Union Status: NSGEU - NSPG
Closing Date: 18-Sep-25 (Applications are accepted until 11:59 PM Atlantic Time)

ABOUT US

Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change’s role is to protect the environment, and human health through regulatory excellence, conservation, partnership, and promotion. To achieve this, we strive to develop legislation, regulations and policies, process notifications, applications, and approvals for regulated activities based on sound scientific knowledge and expertise.
Our goal is to educate, inspect and enforce to ensure compliance with legislation and regulations. We proactively respond to environmental, conservation, farm animal welfare, and human health risks and work to develop programs and deliver services to enhance protection in these areas.
For more information, please visit Nova Scotia Environment - Department

POSITIONING SUMMARY

The Environmental Data and GIS Innovation Lead is a senior technical–strategic role that modernizes how Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change collects, manages, and uses environmental and water resource data. Acting as a bridge between scientists, GIS specialists, and decision-makers, the role leads innovation in data systems, governance, and visualization—turning complex datasets into actionable insights that shape environmental policy and programs.

PRIMARY ACCOUNTABILITIES

As the Environmental Data and GIS Innovation Lead, you will drive improvements in how environmental and water resources data are collected, managed, analyzed, and reported. You will develop tools, dashboards, and geospatial visualizations to support evidence-based decision-making while optimizing workflows using platforms such as WISKI, ArcGIS, and Microsoft Power Platform. This role also includes system administration, vendor coordination, and supporting change management through user engagement and testing. You will ensure data integrity through governance and QA/QC practices, provide training to users, and promote strategic collaboration across teams and departments. By fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, you’ll help advance the department’s data capabilities and GIS strategies to inform environmental policy and programs. You may also be required to perform other related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

A bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g. environmental science, water resources, geography, computer science) plus six (6) years of related experience; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
You also possess the following:

EXPERIENCE

• Experience working with environmental and water resources datasets.
• Proven experience improving data workflows and managing databases/systems (e.g., user access, performance, contracts/agreements).
• Experience acting as a liaison between business users and software vendors, including support for change management and user testing.

KNOWLEDGE

• Strong working knowledge of:
• Environmental data management systems
• ESRI ArcGIS software
• Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft SharePoint, and Microsoft Teams
• Knowledge of data governance principles and experience developing or implementing data governance frameworks.
• Understanding of quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) practices for environmental data.

CAPABILITIES

• Skilled in designing tools, dashboards, and visualizations for data reporting and analysis.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a continuous improvement mindset and the ability to identify innovative solutions using existing tools.
• Effective communicator with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in a relevant field.
• Experience with scripting or programming languages (e.g., Python, R, M, SQL).
• Experience leading user engagement and supporting data strategies in technical settings.
• Familiarity with data science standards and practices at the national and international level.
• Experience working in a government or regulatory setting.
  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 or will result in termination of your employment.
  We may assess the above qualifications using one or more of the following tools: written examination, presentations, interviews, and reference checks.

Please refer the Job description for details