Provincial Archivist

Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan (PAS)

Location: Regina, Saskatchewan

Compensation: $121-157,000 p.a.

The Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan (PAS) is the provincial agency responsible for acquiring, preserving and making available public (government) and private records which are of significance to the history of the Province of Saskatchewan.

Since its creation in 1945, the PAS (formerly the Saskatchewan Archives Board) has served as custodian of the documentary heritage of the province. The PAS holds an extensive and diverse Permanent Collection of historical records, from government documents of the Territorial period to modern day, as well as the records of individuals, organizations, businesses and associations of the mid-19th century to recent times.

The PAS is an essential source for both in-person and distance research into family history, government policy, educational history, business and social organizations, land settlement, local history, geographic places, cultural developments, human rights, community events and provincial celebrations.

Enabling the Government of Saskatchewan to fulfill its public trust by preserving and providing access to its official record, the PAS also provides expertise and advice to government about information management, policy standards and effective record keeping practices in the public sector.

Description and Duties

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Provincial Archivist is the leader and ambassador of change and public relations for the PAS and is tasked with driving the organization forward as a key pillar in the province. While building positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, the Provincial Archivist is responsible for providing vision and leadership to the operational team in accordance with policies established by the Board and provincial legislation.

The Provincial Archivist serves as the Board’s Secretary and is the representative to the province and community organizations, media, various levels of government as well as internal and external stakeholders. The Provincial Archivist advises the Board and recommends actions to address current emerging issues and trends and ensures that policies and programs result in the attainment of the Board’s vision and mission, and embody its values.

All Board authority delegated to staff is delegated through the Provincial Archivist.

Major Responsibilities

• Leads the organization through positive change, cultivating relationships with all stakeholders, both internal and external, and various levels of government.
• Drives the organization forward as a leading cultural heritage institution in the community and ensures it is a leader in archives services.
• Provides leadership for the development of the strategic plan embracing the expanding role of new technologies (including digital archives and social media) balanced with traditional services. Plans for appropriate technological development considering all factors, including funding for improvements and maintaining infrastructure once established.
• Ensures involvement of Board members in the strategic planning process; assists the Board in planning at a strategic level through assessing needs, evaluating effectiveness of services and identifying trends in archives services.
• Oversees all functional areas in Corporate Services, Archival Services and Information Management Services.
• Maintains a cohesive Management team and cultivates trust and a sense of camaraderie. Develops and sustains positive and effective employee and labour relations to ensure staff function as an effective and cohesive group.
• Leads the overall budgeting and fiscal planning process for the organization. Accountable for financial planning and ongoing monitoring and adapting of budget.
• Develops and implements effective communication strategies to enhance public awareness of the PAS, its services and successes. Actively develops contacts with media, promotes awareness at all opportunities including social media. Acts as Provincial Archives spokesperson within community and on broader provincial/territorial archives councils.
• Acts as Secretary to the Board, ensuring that all legal and reporting requirements of the PAS are met. Provides assistance to Board members in development as members through providing information on training and networking opportunities.

Qualifications

• Post-graduate Masters degree in archival studies/science or equivalent, library science, social sciences or history and a minimum of five years of increasingly responsible management experience, including experience in an executive leadership position for a similarly-sized organization.
• Extensive experience working in a public sector or legislative environment, and managing large -scale strategic, cross-divisional initiatives, while balancing political, community and other stakeholder interests, with an excellent track record of business transformation, change management and project management.
• Extensive knowledge of archival theory and best practices including working within an archives environment.
• Demonstrated understanding and engagement with archival digitization preservation and processes.
• Experience in records and data management practices and principles in a complex organization such as government,
• Experience managing a diverse workforce and leading cross-functional teams with a track record of developing leaders within an organization.
• Demonstrated success in effectively promoting services to the broader community.
• Proven success working effectively with a governance Board and collaboratively with government ministries, agencies and officials.
• Proven success developing and implementing strategic and operational business plans.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize, multi-task and manage projects, translating vision and strategy into tangible results and outcomes.
• Strategic and innovative thinker; politically astute with a proven ability to champion and successfully implement change.
• Excellent verbal/written and interpersonal skills; able to resolve conflicts and deal with sensitive or political issues in an effective and timely manner.
• Ability to lead and consistently demonstrate excellent customer service across the organization.
• Demonstrated level of professionalism and confidentiality with strong ethics.

Additional Information

Reports to the Board of Directors, Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan

How to Apply

For more information, please contact:

David Howes, Executive Search Consultant, WMC, Email: davidh@wmc.on.ca

Candidates must be legally eligible to work in Canada and, where applicable, must have a valid work permit that allows the candidate to fulfill the requirements of the role.

Application Deadline: June 9, 2021