POSITION SUMMARY:

Reporting to the Manager, Knowledge and Strategic Services, the Information Governance Specialist provides leadership for the Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS) Foundational Standards through the promotion of evidence-informed decision-making at all levels across the organization, and with external partners by leading, managing, and consulting in the areas of population health assessment (including the collection, management, and/or reporting of epidemiologic and other health-related data and information), health equity, and effective public health practice, (including program planning; evaluation; research; knowledge exchange; communication; quality and transparency); and partnerships, collaboration, and coordination.
The Information Governance Specialist is responsible for providing leadership to develop, implement, and continuously improve our data governance framework by ensuring the security, quality, compliance, and accessibility of our organization’s data assets and lead efforts to build and refine our governance policies, processes, and technology solutions (including intersecting projects related to artificial intelligence and EMR technologies, Indigenous Data Sovereignty, and projects that support the migration of data to approved repositories), to ensure data is appropriately managed and utilized across the Agency. The Information Governance Specialist contributes to the organizational mission of working with local communities to promote and protect health and to prevent disease for everyone.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Master’s degree in Epidemiology, Information Governance, Information/Data Science, or Information Technology Management, AND/OR relevant professional certification, such as Information Governance Professional (IGP).
• Minimum of five years’ experience working in public health, specifically in Ontario.
• Minimum of five years’ experience working in a variety of the following areas:
• DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT DATA GOVERNANCE STRATEGY:Lead the design and execution of a comprehensive information governance strategy that aligns with organizational objectives and ensures compliance with regulatory and security standards.
• GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK DESIGN:Create a robust information governance framework that outlines policies, procedures, standards, and controls for managing the entire data lifecycle (collection, storage, processing, archiving, and deletion).
• DATA QUALITY MANAGEMENT:Establish and enforce data quality standards and protocols to ensure the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of data across all programs and services.
• COLLABORATION & STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT:Work closely with a variety of internal and external stakeholders, community partners and government ministries to ensure alignment and adoption of data governance principles.
• COMPLIANCE & RISK MANAGEMENT:Ensure all data practices adhere to relevant regulations and standards (e.g. HIPAA). Identify and mitigate risks related to non-compliance, and data misuse.
• DATA STEWARDSHIP & OWNERSHIP:Establish clear data stewardship roles and responsibilities to promote data ownership across all teams, ensuring that data is managed responsibly and ethically.
• TECHNOLOGY & TOOLS:Evaluate, select, and oversee the implementation of data governance tools, ensuring they are properly integrated into the organization’s data ecosystem.
• TRAINING & AWARENESS:Support the development and delivery of information governance awareness and education for internal staff to ensure understanding and adherence to information management best practices.
• METRICS & REPORTING:Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for Information governance initiatives, provide regular updates to staff and produce regular reports on the progress of information governance efforts.
• CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT:Stay current with emerging trends, technologies, and best practices in information governance. Recommend and implement improvements to governance policies and tools to adapt to evolving organizational needs.
• Experience working with Indigenous communities, including First Nation communities, urban Indigenous communities and/or Metis communities, is an asset.
• Advanced understanding of the public health system and relevant legislation.
• Experience in developing and supporting collaborative relationships with various groups, partners and/or agencies.
• Aptitude for problem-solving, critical appraisal, strategic and analytical thinking abilities
• Demonstrated project management skills, including the ability to set priorities, organize resources, provide systematic updates, and deliver on product timelines.
• Demonstrated research and knowledge exchange, program evaluation, population health assessment, and surveillance skills.
• Strong communication (verbal and written), facilitation, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work independently and as an integral team member.
• Ability to handle sensitive issues diplomatically and confidentially.
• Experience in platforms such as Microsoft 365 Online (Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint & MS Teams) and software applications including MS Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), as well as software used for analytics (Stata, Power BI, SQL, Arc GIS, Python, Power Apps, etc.).
• Advanced oral and written proficiency in English is required.
• Maintains a means to travel on an occasional basis, such as having a current valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle.

• Leads, consults, develops, and manages assigned projects related to the OPHS Foundational Standards. In collaboration with divisions and teams, plays a leadership role in the implementation of the OPHS Foundational Standards at an organizational and division level.
• Provides support and expertise to divisions on local, provincial, and federal issues of relevance to public health.
• Acts as a key liaison to Knowledge and Strategic Services for organization-wide Foundational Standards work and issues impacting more than one team or division.
• Facilitates engagement of multi-sectoral collaborations with external partners, including, local municipalities, OHT, public health practitioners, policy makers, health care providers, academic partners, and other appropriate organizations, decision-makers, and populations.
• Lead the design and execution of a comprehensive information governance strategy that aligns with organizational objectives and ensures compliance with regulatory and security standards.
• Create a robust information governance framework that outlines policies, procedures, standards, and controls for managing the entire data lifecycle (collection, storage, processing, archiving, and deletion).
• Establish and enforce data quality standards and protocols to ensure the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of data across all programs and services.
• Work closely with a variety of internal and external stakeholders, community partners and government ministries to ensure alignment and adoption of information and data governance principles.
• Ensure all data practices adhere to relevant regulations and standards (e.g. HIPAA). Identify and mitigate risks related to non-compliance, and data misuse.
• Establish clear data stewardship roles and responsibilities to promote data ownership across all teams, ensuring that data is managed responsibly and ethically.
• Evaluate, select, and oversee the implementation of information and data governance tools, ensuring they are properly integrated into the organization’s data ecosystem.
• Support the development and delivery of information governance awareness and education for internal staff to ensure understanding and adherence to information management best practices.
• Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for Information governance initiatives, provide regular updates to staff and produce regular reports on the progress of information governance efforts.
• Stay current with emerging trends, technologies, and best practices in information governance. Recommend and implement improvements to governance policies and tools to adapt to evolving organizational needs.