About Us

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) is leading the transformation of the early years and public education system in Nova Scotia. We are doing this by designing an innovative curriculum, facilitating excellence in teaching and learning, ensuring an inclusive education experience, and working closely with our partners in early learning and education. This will provide children, students, and families with a strong foundation for success. This department is a perfect fit for those that want to be part of the future of early learning and public education in the province by supporting student learning in a progressive and responsive policy environment.

About Our Opportunity

The Program Lead supports initiatives that strengthen quality, inclusion, innovation, and capacity across Nova Scotia’s early learning and childcare sector.

Reporting to the Manager, Sector Development and Partnerships, you will help coordinate programs, resources, and partnerships that support childcare operators, educators, and sector organizations. Your work will help ensure quality initiatives are accessible, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of the sector.

Working with colleagues, government partners, and community organizations, you will identify sector needs and trends, use evidence and data to inform decisions, and contribute to the development of policies, standards, and strategies that promote excellence, equity, and sustainability across the early learning and childcare system.

Primary Accountabilities

As the Program Lead, you will:

Plan, coordinate, deliver, monitor, and evaluate sector-wide quality initiatives, pilots, and programs that support continuous improvement and sector capacity building.
Develop frameworks, tools, resources, and communications that help the sector apply evidence-informed strategies to advance quality and inclusive practices in early learning and child care.
Work with government and external partners to identify sector-wide concerns, trends, and innovations, and use this information to support departmental decision-making.
Build strong partnerships with departmental and community partners, including Quality Assurance Specialists, Pyramid Model Coaches, Developmental Interventionists, Professional Learning Support Site Coordinators, regional Pre-primary Leads, and others.
Support effective and coordinated program delivery by helping partners align services, resources, and initiatives with the needs of children, families, educators, and communities.
Strengthen community engagement by supporting professional learning communities, consultations, workshops, and learning sessions with sector partners.
Develop, manage, and monitor funding agreements with partner organizations to support accountability, timely delivery, budget alignment, and achievement of departmental outcomes.
Collect, review, and synthesize information from quality assessments, licensing data, surveys, engagements, and research from other jurisdictions to improve initiatives related to quality, inclusion, and sector capacity building.
Prepare reports, summaries, recommendations, and briefing materials to support accountability and evidence-informed policy-making.

Qualifications and Experience

As the ideal candidate, you have a bachelor’s degree in a related field, along with at least 6 years of related experience. An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience may be considered.

Your experience includes a combination of:

Leading or supporting the planning, development, implementation, monitoring, or evaluation of programs, initiatives, or services of varying size and complexity.
Working in or with early learning and childcare, early childhood education, child development, inclusion, professional learning, quality improvement, or related early years programs.
Applying research and analytical skills to identify issues and trends, collect and review data, synthesize information, and provide clear recommendations.
Developing or supporting tools, resources, standards, frameworks, policies, communications, or program materials.
Building relationships with partners, service providers, community organizations, government, or sector stakeholders.
Communicating complex information clearly and respectfully to diverse audiences through writing, presentations, facilitation, engagement, or advice to decision-makers.
Managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while demonstrating sound judgement, initiative, and attention to detail.
Working effectively both independently and as part of a team.

You bring strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills. You are collaborative, organized, and able to support work across multiple partners and priorities. You also demonstrate a commitment to equity, inclusion, accessibility, cultural responsiveness, service excellence, and continuous improvement.

We will assess the above qualifications using one or more of the following tools: written examination, standardized tests, oral presentations, interview(s), and reference checks.

Assets

The following would be considered assets:

Education, training, or certification in early childhood education.
Experience with licensed child care, family home child care, before-and-after school programs, Pre-primary, early intervention, inclusion supports, Pyramid Model, professional learning, quality assurance, or pedagogical leadership.
Experience working with Indigenous, African Nova Scotian, Acadian/francophone, newcomer, disability, rural, or other equity-deserving communities.
Bilingualism, with fluency in both French and English.

Equivalency

Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

Benefits

Based on the employment status and union agreement, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, Health, Dental, Life Insurance, General illness, Short and Long Term Disability, Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs. For information on all our Benefit program offerings, click here: Benefits for government employees.

Additional Information

This is a Term position with an anticipated end date of March 5, 2027. This position may require occasional travel within Nova Scotia to meet with partners, attend meetings, or support program and sector engagement.

What We Offer

Career development where you have access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career. Engaging workplace: our employees feel valued, respected, connected, and tuned in, we have forward-thinking policies and strategies. Countless career paths. Department specific flexible working schedules.

Pay Grade: PR 17

Salary Range: $3,410.48 - $4,005.58 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.

Accommodation Statement

We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Candidates may request accommodations based on any grounds protected by the Human Rights Act. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process, please contact us at competitions@novascotia.ca.

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.

If you are receiving a pension from the Nova Scotia Public Service Superannuation Plan (PSSP) or any related plans, you cannot receive pension payments while contributing to the same plan. If you accept a position that requires PSSP contributions, your pension payments must be stopped. Please contact the Nova Scotia Pension Services Corporation for more 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.