Legislative Assistant to Speaker

About Our Opportunity

The Legislative Assistant to the Speaker of the House of Assembly reports directly to the Speaker and is directly responsible for the efficient, effective and confidential operation of that office. The Office of the Speaker is non-partisan from government operations and Legislative Assembly Proceedings. The Speaker’s Office is to be perceived by the Legislature and the public as a fair and consistent ruler on Legislative Proceedings, particularly when the House is in session. As well the Office provides service and advice throughout the year to all parties and their caucuses as well as individual MLA’s, legislative divisions, government departments, other governments and the public. The Legislative Assistant to the Speaker receives and must deal with these day to day requests and demands upon the Speaker’s Office.

The Legislative Assistant is accountable for maintaining a record of all parliamentary events as they occur each year, ensuring that Nova Scotia participates in as many of these events as possible; for providing administrative support to the Speaker in all legislative matters for the general operation of the office; for providing non-partisan administrative constituency support to the Speaker whenever possible, including preparation of expense claims for submission to administration; coordinating approvals by the Speaker for MLA expense claims; liaising between the Speaker and members of the Legislative Press Gallery; organizing visits to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly by parliamentary delegations; organizing delegations to parliamentary conferences held throughout North America and the Commonwealth, makes travel arrangements; maintains a record of meetings of the Special Committee on Assembly Matters; prepares press releases and notifications to MLAs of sittings of the House of Assembly on behalf of the Speaker; and serves as liaison officer for Commonwealth Parliamentary Conferences when they are held in the Canadian Region. Collaborates with the Manager of House of Assembly Operations to co-ordinate parliamentary conferences held in Nova Scotia and coordinates hospitality for dignitaries hosted by the Speaker.

Qualifications and Experience

Completion of an administrative assistant/secretarial program coupled with at least 5 years of related experience with various levels of government and the legislative process. Equivalent combination of training and experience may be acceptable. The successful candidate must be extremely well organized and resourceful and will have the ability to communicate effectively, both in writing and verbally, in dealing with a variety of confidential and sensitive issues. They must be meticulous with superior English-language skills and have a focused attention to detail in producing professional and error free work. They must be able to balance multiple priorities, accommodate tight time lines, be adaptable, show initiative, have proven experience working in a high-pressure environment and have the ability to respond to urgent situations which may require additional long hours with little notice. They will be proficient with current software programs including MS Office Suite, Power Point, Outlook and other desk top publishing applications and have broad experience and knowledge with computers and the internet.

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.