Abilities Advisor

Description

About Red Deer:

Red Deer sits at the heart of Central Alberta along the QEII corridor, perfectly positioned between Calgary and Edmonton. With more than 100,000 residents and a regional reach of over 300,000, it’s a growing hub for business, services, and opportunity.

Here, big-city amenities meet small-city ease. Enjoy abundant parks and trails, vibrant arts and culture, excellent recreation and education, and a strong sense of community.

With easy access to lakes, outdoor adventures, and the mountains, plus a thriving economy and high quality of life, Red Deer is an inviting place to live, work, and grow.

About The City of Red Deer Municipal Government:

The City of Red Deer is a dynamic municipal organization with a $480M operating budget, a $60M capital program, and a workforce of nearly 1,700 employees. It is focused on growing with purpose by attracting talented, community-minded people who want to make a difference.

Guided by the vision “Our City, One Voice,” Red Deer is building a thriving, inclusive, and connected community, with priorities centered on a vibrant economy, community wellbeing, and strong engagement.

At its core, the City values its people, embracing diverse perspectives and fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and shared success

The Opportunity:

The Abilities Advisor will be a primary liaison between supervisors, employees, Human Resources, unions, and third-party disability management consultants with the Worker’s Compensation Board (WCB) and medical adjudicators of the Employee Disability Support Plan (EDSP)/Sick Plan to support safe, timely and sustainable return to work outcomes. The role will support employees and supervisors with attendance support, return to work planning, workplace accommodation and coordinate with third party disability management adjudicators and WCB to identify concerns, inconsistencies or opportunities for clarification. The primary focus will be employee support with an emphasis on collaboration, proactive approaches, policy interpretation, labour relations, attendance and accommodation processes, workplace education, operational coordination advisement to the Peer Support Team, development of wellness initiatives in collaboration with others, and claims administration.

Top Key Responsibilities:

• Disability Management & Return-to-Work Coordination: Manage disability and WCB claims, monitor employee absences, coordinate accommodations and modified work, and support safe, timely return-to-work plans.
• Attendance, Accommodation & Employee Support: Advise leaders and employees on attendance management, accommodations, collective agreement provisions, and disability-related processes.
• Appeals & Claims Administration: Support claim reviews, appeals, and reconsiderations by gathering documentation, tracking timelines, and identifying issues requiring further review.
• Training, Education & Wellness: Develop and deliver training, resources, wellness initiatives, and mental health supports to improve organizational understanding and employee well-being.
• Data Analysis & Reporting: Maintain confidential records, analyze attendance and disability trends, prepare reports, and provide recommendations for program improvement.
• Compliance & Program Development: Ensure compliance with legislation, collective agreements, and policies while supporting the development and enhancement of attendance, accommodation, and disability management programs.
• Health & Safety: Participate in and support organizational health and safety programs, policies, and legislative requirements.

As our preferred candidate, you will have:

• Diploma or degree in Human Resources, Labour Relations, Business Administration, Occupational Health, or a related field.
• A certificate in Disability Management or accreditation with the National Institute of Disability Management and Research is preferred.
• Minimum 3–5 years of experience in disability management, labour relations, attendance management, or human resources, preferably in a unionized environment.
• Experience coordinating WCB and disability-related processes, including appeals or claim reviews, with third-party providers is considered an asset.
• Experience with reporting tools, HRIS systems, and data analysis is preferred.
• Municipal or broader public-sector experience is an asset.
• Current Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), or other related training, course work or certificates in the field of mental health and wellness is considered an asset.
• Strong customer service and communication skills, with the ability to display a high level of respect, empathy, and confidentiality when dealing with sensitive and personal information.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain productive and collaborative working relationships and effectively work through conflict and emotionally driven situations as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Demonstrated critical thinking skills with sound judgment and decision-making abilities.
• Policy interpretation and procedural consistency
• Customer service and employee support orientation
• Continuous improvement mindset
• A background in emergency/first responder/health services, may be an asset.

Affiliation:

Exempt

Status:

Regular Full-time

Remuneration:

$46.22 to $57.78 per hour

$90,478 to $113,098 per annum

Hours of Work:

75 hours biweekly; Monday to Friday, some evening and weekend work may be required when needed.

The City of Red Deer does not permit the use of unauthorized internet resources or Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (for example, Copilot, ChatGPT or any other form of AI) during interviews or any supervised or timed assessments. Any violation may be investigated and result in serious consequences, including the rejection of your application.

We thank you for your application. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.