Senior Policy Advisor

at  Elections Ontario

WHO WE ARE

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (Elections Ontario) is an independent, non-partisan office of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, responsible for administering provincial elections, by-elections, and referenda in Ontario. We are committed to making voting easy and accessible for all electors, while maintaining the integrity, security, and transparency of the electoral process.

JOIN OUR TEAM

The Corporate Affairs unit within the Strategic Planning and Portfolio Management division of Elections Ontario is seeking a results-oriented leader to conduct policy research, development, and evaluation. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your highly developed strategic and analytic capabilities to coordinate the review, analysis, revision, and maintenance of the agency’s policy portfolio. The role will also include writing procedures, preparing briefings and reports, and engaging with internal and external stakeholders through our Political Advisory Committee and Political Support Network.
The Senior Policy Advisor requires strong leadership capabilities to lead a broad range of strategic, operational and program policy projects and initiatives, and excellent interpersonal skills to build collaborative relationships with key partners and stakeholders. Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to adapt to changing priorities and work environments and facilitate coordination across teams will also be essential to your success.

WHAT YOU NEED TO QUALIFY

• Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead initiatives (e.g., policy, planning, operations, research, writing various enterprise-level documents) and cross-divisional teams.
• Communication: Excellent written skills with the ability to produce clear, concise, and well-structured written materials, and verbal communication skills with demonstrated ability to prepare and verbally present information (e.g., reports, briefings, recommendations, presentations).
• Policy: Knowledge of policy development approaches (e.g., public sector policy development, research-policy-practice cycle).
• Analytic and strategic skills: Proven conceptual, research, and evaluative skills to identify strategic issues, underlying causes, and develop options and recommendations.
• Interpersonal: Demonstrated interpersonal skills with a customer-focused approach and a proven ability to build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external partners.
• Flexibility: Ability to adapt to changing priorities and work environments, demonstrating resilience and a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Master’s Degree in Public Policy, Social Science, Political Science or a related field.
• Minimum of five years’ relevant experience, preferably in public sector roles.
• Technical skills and knowledge: Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office, with an emphasis on Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and SharePoint.
• Must be legally entitled to work in Canada.

Reporting to the Manager, Corporate Affairs, you will:

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of various policies.
• Ensure that policy review, analysis, and recommendations are informed by consultation with relevant subject-matter experts and approved by relevant teams.
• Take initiative to resolve policy implementation issues with minimal supervision.
• Brief members of the Senior Leadership Team and Executive regularly on the policy portfolio and coordinating key policy decisions.
• Write comprehensive reports, including but not limited to Annual Reports and Post-Event Reports, legislative briefings and submissions.
• Maintain stakeholder engagements, including the Political Advisory Committee and Political Support Network, to ensure effective communication and collaboration.