- Business and Operations Support
- Change Management Specialist
- NOC #11201
Change Management Specialist
You can’t make progress without change. Those new processes and ideas can make people uncomfortable though, so change management specialists develop plans to help the affected people in a company accept and embrace operational changes, new tools and new processes in a reasonable period of time.
A change management specialist oversees and supports the people side of change initiatives within an organization by applying change management practices, approaches, tools and techniques, to assist the company in achieving its desired business objectives. In the energy industry, many of the larger organizations employ change management specialists to provide assistance to multi-functional project teams to ensure employees impacted by the changes are provided with the necessary support they need.
Change management is a specialized area of business management that once was primarily a consultant role. The prevalence of change, including the challenges of rapid information technology change, has led to more change management specialists working permanently within companies as a support service to the business units or project teams they work with.
Change management specialists assess the company’s readiness for change, and the potential impact that the proposed change will have on the organization as well as the adoption and sustainment of change. They then develop strategies and plans, in alignment with the organization’s project management framework, to assist business units and project teams in achieving the desired business objectives. This role often bridges various functions within the organization such as Human Resources, Information Technology (IT) and Communications, in addition to the business area being impacted by the proposed change.
I'm interested in a career in
- Sub-sector Exploration and production, Pipelines, Oil sands
- Environment Primarily indoor/office work
- Average Salary $69,000 to $101,000
- Education Post-secondary diploma
In this occupation activities may include:
- Assessing the potential impacts of a proposed change. This includes conducting impact and change readiness assessments, identifying key stakeholders within the organization, and creating a vision for change.
- Advising and coaching project leads on utilization of change management techniques within their projects and project teams.
- Facilitating stakeholder workshops on the change material as part of the rollout.
- Assessing the overall adoption and sustainment of the change. This includes conducting surveys and assessments to determine the degree of adoption, and supporting leaders in helping to close the gaps.
Education
- Typically a bachelor’s degree or college diploma in business administration, human resources, commuications, commerce or a related discipline is required.
- Some employers require change management certification.
Certifications
- There are several recognized Change Management certifications, and employers may prefer none, one, or more.
- Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP®) from the Association of Change Management Professionals® (ACMP®)
- Change Management Certification from APGM International
- Change Management Certification in the ADKAR Model from Prosci
- In addition, business improvement certifications in Lean Six Sigma (green or black belt preferably) may be preferred
Additional Requirements
- Specific health and safety certifications may be required, determined by location of work and company requirements.
- Travel likely required
- Primarily indoor/office work
- Work not physically demanding
You interact with many different people across the organization, so you need to have excellent communication skills. You are also a strong project manager and analytical thinker.
- Education and Training
- Information and Document Management
- Understanding Risk
- Public Speaking
- Writing, Technical Writing, Document Production
- Managing Conflict
- Persuasion
- Planning and Organizing
- Time Management
- Collaborative
