Not all competencies apply equally to all roles in the workforce. Within AM, there are distinct roles where targeted development of different AM Competencies are required. These roles are grouped into the “AM Functional Areas.” Each AM Functional Area is described in the following table, along with its key responsibilities for successful delivery of an organization’s AM program. These key responsibilities are a subset of the total AM Responsibilities.
The table also sets out a list of some common generic roles in each functional area grouping (the “AM Roles”). Each functional area page, linked in the table, shows how the AM Competencies are mapped to each AM Role, resulting in a competency profile for each. These generic roles are meant to assist communities in describing and assessing some of their own AM practitioner positions. They can provide a foundation for standard AM Competency profiles which can guide customization efforts in individual organizations. These generic roles are also starting point for ongoing development and later improvement of the AMCF.
The functional areas and roles described in this section should apply to any organizational structure. AM Roles in any AM Functional Area could be found in a central AM department, or, they might equally be part of a decentralized AM structure. A central AM department might be part of an organization’s corporate services branch. A decentralized AM structure might situate AM Roles in the public works, development services, or finance departments for example. Also, these AM Roles might encompass a person’s entire job, or only a portion of that job. Small organizations will likely not have a dedicated, full-time AM position. Instead, several different people will have a piece of their job devoted to one or more of the AM Roles or AM Functional Areas. All these approaches are equally valid. When managed appropriately they have no bearing on AM outcomes. They are simply a product of the unique circumstances of the organization.
As described above, the AMCF makes a distinction between generalist AM Roles and specialist AM Roles. The key difference is that the generalist roles in the General AM functional area are focused on the whole of AM. They are intended to support the development and sustainment of the entire AM management system and AM program. The roles making up the other AM Functional Areas would be specialist roles. These specialist AM Roles would be focused on only a portion of AM, as represented by the functional area they are found in.
Generally, these roles would include subject matter experts in that functional area, often with backgrounds, skillsets, and experience in the related domain (e.g., engineering, finance). Such roles might include a Financial Analyst, AM Data Analyst, or an Executive AM Sponsor.
Last, organizations of all sizes may outsource some of their AM Responsibilities. Any of the AM Functional Areas or AM Roles described in the table can be delivered by external service providers or consultants. The required competencies and proficiency levels outlined in the AM Competencies apply equally to these groups.
The AM Functional Areas
AM Functional Area | Description | Key AM Responsibilities | AM Roles |
| · Encompasses those roles that are directly responsible for developing and managing an organization’s AM management system and AM program. · May be in a centralized AM or infrastructure services department, often under a corporate services branch of the organization. Or, may be an AM champion or supporting role that is part of an infrastructure-related department like public works. Can be a dedicated, full-time AM position or can be only a portion of a person’s job. Can be an individual AM position or part of an AM team. | · Develop, sustain, and manage the AM management system and AM program. · Develop, align, and maintain AM principles, policies, strategies, systems, processes, practices, and integrated them into the organization. · Develop and maintain AM culture in the organization. · Plan and deliver AM Plans, the AM Roadmap, and AM projects. · Coordinate AM personnel around the organization, potentially including managing an AM team. · Measure, monitor, report on, and improve on AM performance. · Analyze AM data and information. | · AM Coordinator / Analyst · AM Project Manager / Advisor · AM Manager · Senior AM Expert |
| · Focus is on directing and managing the overall operations of the organization. · Encompasses senior management roles (director, general manager, and similar) with overall responsibility for infrastructure-related departments in the organization, possibly including an AM or infrastructure services department. · Also includes the organization’s executive management role(s), typically a chief administrative officer or equivalent in a public organization. · May include council or other publicly elected officials. | · Authorize, commit to, and communicate the AM policy, AM strategy, AM governance structure. · Commit to, reinforce and communicate AM culture to internal and external stakeholders. · Participate in, review and approve other strategic AM or AM-related processes. · Support the AM Manager and AM team | · Executive AM Sponsor AM-Adjacent Roles: · Executive Leader · Elected Official / Board Member |
| Engineering | · Focus is on identification of service-delivery solutions, planning, and selection, design, and delivery of infrastructure. · Encompasses professional engineer, engineer-in-training, and similar roles in the organization. · Typically embedded in one or more departments like development services, facilities, and public works. | · Support development of AM strategies and plans, the AM management system, and levels of service. · Manage engineering-related AM life cycle activities, including project delivery. · Support AM decision-making and analysis. · Integrate AM into engineering practice. | · Junior Engineering Specialist · Life Cycle Delivery Engineering Specialist (with Design, Project Delivery, Reliability and Maintenance, or Decommissioning and Disposal specialization) · Engineering Decision Support Specialist AM-Adjacent Roles: · Senior Engineering Expert |
| Operations & Maintenance | · Focus is on operation and maintenance of infrastructure. · Encompasses operations and maintenance (O&M) roles in the organization. · Typically, in public works, facilities, and fleet departments. But, also found embedded in parks, recreation, police, emergency management services, community and health services, IT or other similar departments responsible for physical assets. | · Support development of AM strategies and plans, the AM management system, and levels of service. · Manage O&M-related AM life cycle activities. · Support AM decision-making and analysis. · Integrate AM into O&M practice. | · Frontline O&M Specialist · Maintenance Planning & Scheduling Specialist · O&M Decision & Analysis Specialist AM-Adjacent Roles: · Senior O&M Expert |
| Planning | · Focus is on the rules of developing land and planning land use, and associated infrastructure, to meet future needs. · Encompasses planner roles in the organization, including development, zoning, land use, community, master, and long-range planning. · Typically, in development services and planning departments. | · Support contextual analysis and stakeholder engagement. · Support development of AM strategies and plans, the AM management system, and levels of service. · Manage planning-related AM life cycle activities. · Support AM decision-making and analysis. · Integrate demand and growth management into AM. · Integrate AM into planning practice. · Support stakeholder engagement and communications. | · Long-Term Planning Specialist · Near-Term Planning Specialist AM-Adjacent Roles: · Senior Planning Expert |
| Finance | · Focus is on financing the capital and operating requirements of infrastructure and managing the life cycle costs of same. · Encompasses public finance roles in the organization, including accountants, controllers, business analysts, financial analysts, risk managers, and financial officers. · Typically, in a finance department and/or embedded in a department they support. | · Develop AM financial policies and strategies with the AM Manager. · Perform AM financial analysis. · Support development of AM strategies and plans, the AM management system, and levels of service. · Develop the AM long-term financial plan with the AM Manager. · Manage finance-related AM life cycle activities. · Support AM decision-making and analysis. · Integrate AM into finance practice and organizational financial planning, including budgeting, funding, and rate-setting. | · Financial Analyst · Budget, Capital Planning, and Financial Decision-Making Specialist · Long-Term Financial Planning Specialist AM-Adjacent Roles: · Senior Financial Expert |
| Human Resources | · Focus is on meeting human resource capacity and capability needs for AM throughout the infrastructure life cycle. · Encompasses HR professional, HR generalist, HR specialist, HR analyst, HR consultant, recruiter, professional practices coordinator, and similar roles in the organization. · Typically, in an HR department and/or embedded in a department they support. | · Develop strategies and plans to resource AM teams, projects and activities. · Support and manage the resourcing of AM. · Support development of AM governance structure and AM culture. · Support the development of AM capabilities and AM knowledge retention and sharing. · Integrate AM into HR practices. | · N/A AM-Adjacent Roles: · People Management Specialist |
| Procurement / Supply Chain | · Focus is on meeting needs for infrastructure-related services, goods, and equipment from outside the organization. · Encompasses procurement specialist, supply chain specialist, contract analyst and administrator, supplier management, strategic sourcing and similar roles in the organization. · Typically embedded in corporate purchasing and/or corporate services departments and/or the departments they support. | · Develop strategies and plans to resource AM teams, projects and activities (with contractors and external service-providers). · Support and manage resourcing of AM (with contractors and external service-providers). · Support development of AM culture (in contractors and external service-providers). · Support the development of AM capabilities (in and with contractors and external service-providers). · Support the management of life cycle activities (with contractors and external service-providers). · Integrate AM into procurement and supply chain practices. | · Procurement and Supply Chain Specialist AM-Adjacent Roles: · N/A |
| Information & Records | · Focus is on infrastructure data collection, management, and analysis, aligned with the organization’s information and records practices and standards. · Encompasses data scientist or analyst, geographic information systems (GIS) specialist or analyst, business analyst, records management analyst or administrator, and similar roles in the organization. · Typically embedded in departments they support and/or in a central corporate services branch. | · Develop strategies and plans for asset information, data governance, data analysis, information communication and visualization. · Support the management of life cycle activities. · Support AM decision-making and analysis. · Integrate AM into information and records practice. | · GIS Specialist · AM Data Manager · AM Data Analyst AM-Adjacent Roles: · Senior Information and Records Expert |
Information Technology / Information Systems (IT/IS) | · Focus is on supporting infrastructure, infrastructure operations and AM staff with telecommunication services, IT infrastructure and AM-related business systems. · Encompasses asset system manager, database administrator, network analyst or technician, programmer analyst, business systems analyst or administrator, and similar roles in the organization. · Typically embedded in a departments they support and/or in a central IT department. | · Develop strategies and plans for asset information, AM management, GIS, financial, analytical and work management systems. · Support the management of life cycle activities with IT/IS. · Support AM decision-making and analysis with IT/IS. · Support asset monitoring, measurement and analysis with IT/IS. · Integrate AM into IT/IS practice. | · IT Assets Manager · AM Systems Specialist AM-Adjacent Roles: · Senior Information Technology and Systems Expert |
| Sustainability | · Focus is on strategic planning and advise on managing the organization in a sustainable manner and supporting the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of the community. · Encompasses natural asset or green infrastructure management, energy efficiency planning, climate change mitigation and adaptation planning, environmental risk assessment and management, social support and public health services, economic development planning, and other sustainability roles in the organization. · Typically in a corporate services department, or embedded in a department they service like an AM or infrastructure services department, utility, planning department, social services department, economic development office or similar. | · Support development of AM policies, strategies, and plans, the AM management system, and levels of service. · Manage engineering-related AM life cycle activities, including project delivery. · Support AM decision-making and analysis. · Support risk analysis and management, and community resiliency planning. · Integrate AM into organizational sustainability policies, strategies, plans, and sustainability practices. · Develop climate-change mitigation and adaptation strategies for community infrastructure and infrastructure services. · Assure community infrastructure and infrastructure services support community equity, health, and well-being, and economic diversity and resiliency, now and into the future. · Manage natural assets. · Support development and integration of AM and sustainability culture in the organization. | · Natural Assets Specialist · Infrastructure Sustainability Specialist (Environment) · Infrastructure Sustainability Specialist (Social/Economic) AM-Adjacent Roles: · Senior Sustainability Expert |
Competency Profiles
The generic AM Roles described in the individual AM Functional Area pages linked above are presented in the form of a Competency Profile. As described in the About Competency Management section of the Web Portal, Competency Profiles outline the specific competencies and corresponding target proficiency levels required to be successful within a role or defined group. A job description describes work activities (duties), whereas a competency profile describes the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to carry out those duties.
CNAM has also developed a blank AM Competency Profile Template that can be populated with the competency-related details of an individual’s AM position or role. Go to the Implementation Tools page for more information and to download your copy.
