Job Specification

Purpose :

- To lead the conduct of research and analysis, formulate policy proposals for student transportation funding reform and cooperative business approaches for school boards across the province, and to recommend implementation strategies and approaches to support improved efficiencies of board operations.
- To provide advice and support to the Minister, Deputy Minister and senior Ministry staff regarding education funding policies and initiatives and school business support initiatives.

Key Responsibilities :

1. Policy Development
- Leads the development of regulation/funding policy. Identifies issues, undertakes policy analysis, develops options, elicits input from stakeholders, makes recommendations and obtains required reviews and approvals.
- Coordinates and facilitates required actions and implementation plans.
2. Project Leadership
- Leads and manages research, policy development and implementation projects. Develops project plans and methodologies, identifies deliverables and timelines, and determines and recommends budget and required resources.
- Coordinates the work of staff in Unit/Branch and other branches, ministries, school boards and other sectors that participate in project activities.
- Monitors and reports on progress and provides status updates and ensures completion of deliverables within established timelines.
3. Research and Analysis
- Leads and coordinates the collection, research and analysis of data pertaining to education funding, policy and school board business operations across the province. Selects, interprets and projects data to provide indicators, forecasts and recommendations on student transportation policies and related socio-economic trends.
- Examines ways to strengthen school board business operational systems and practices. Conducts comparative reviews of the effectiveness and efficiency of operational systems and practices. Analyzes business practices, identifies best practices and improvements and prepares reports on key business operations systems/practices to attain improved results and cost-savings.
- Leads the development of research analysis papers and cooperative initiative recommendations.
4. Issues Management
- Addresses and resolves or participates in resolving complex, sensitive and/or contentious funding issues related to education funding, policy and initiatives.
- Leads the development of responses to issues and proposals related to educational funding, policies and initiatives. Identifies and evaluates options, risks, analyzes quantitative and qualitative impacts, and makes recommendations and contingency plans for resolution.
- Documents and communicates issues to stakeholders.
- Identifies, investigates and manages day-to-day student transportation issues.
5. Communications
- Recommends and develops communication strategies for effective communication with stakeholders including reporting format, status update, issues and impacts and mitigation steps.
6. Consultation, Advice and Support
- Provides expert advice to senior Ministry officials and management, the Minister and Deputy Minister regarding education funding, policies and initiatives and school business support issues and proposals.
- Coordinates and leads consultation processes regarding research and analysis results for best business systems/processes, with representatives of school boards and business officials of schools and associations across the province.
- Liaises with school board officials on the development of business standards and operational quality/cost savings goals and objectives, and on the development and implementation of methods, tools and processes to achieve goals, objectives and standards.
- Provides advice to school board representatives regarding research and analysis requirements, activities and associated issues.
- Responds to requests from stakeholders, the media and Ministry offices. Liaises with Ministry offices for responses and follow-up.
7. Ministry Representation
- Represents the Ministry on inter-ministerial committees.
8. Documentation
- Prepares briefing notes, options papers, Cabinet Board submissions, financial summaries, presentations and correspondence on a broad range of school board business operations, issues and related topics.

Knowledge / Skill :

Knowledge of and skills in:
- Ontario education funding model; funding priorities of the education system; and relevant legislation to facilitate the development of policy proposals; and to provide advice to senior Ministry officials.
- Ministry operations and programs and related transportation technical terminology to develop policy and analyze related studies.
- Government/Ministry priorities, policy development process, and decision-making structures and processes; relevant Government/Ministry/Division policies and guidelines to ensure that Branch/program studies and initiatives are carried out in accordance with Government/Ministry processes and directives.
- Planning and project management methodologies, guidelines, standards and processes to coordinate research studies, data collections and data analysis; to lead and coordinate annual transportation reporting, and to plan the work of project team members.
- Risk assessment and risk management principles and processes to identify and assess the implications of options, and make recommendations on complex policy issues regarding student transportation and cooperative services proposals.
- Research, analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to perform or oversee research, to conduct policy analysis and quantitative/qualitative analysis, and to identify issues, and develop and analyze policy options in the policy development process.
- Quantitative and modelling methods and techniques to support the analysis of complex issues and options.
- Leadership skills to coordinate the work of staff assigned to projects.
- Computer software applications, including spreadsheets, database, word processing and presentation software.
- Written communication techniques to prepare and/or edit draft policies, research analysis papers, briefing notes, options papers, Cabinet Board submissions, financial summaries, presentations and correspondence.

Interpersonal / Influencing Skill :

- Interpersonal, consultation, facilitation and advisory skills to develop and maintain effective working relationships, to present recommendations, to provide convincing explanations on complex policy issues and strategies to Ministry officials and education partners, to collaborate with others to develop legislation and policies, to translate technical issues into clear, understandable language; and to discuss situations and issues that need addressing and resolving; to advise school board representatives on best business practices and to obtain, provide or exchange information with all levels of management, program staff, staff of other jurisdictions, school board officials and representatives, and stakeholders.
- Interpersonal, persuasion and negotiation skills to lead consultations with stakeholders who may have opposing needs and positions with respect to Ministry policies, and to elicit their input and to convince stakeholders to accept an alternative response to an issue.

Analyzing / Problem Solving Skill :

Analytical and problem-solving skills to:
- Interpret and apply Government/Ministry priorities to align policies with Government objectives.
- Research, investigate and assess relevance of information, identify and research key issues; identify contentious issues related to policy development that need to be addressed, and recommend an appropriate response, approach or course of action.
- Identify needs and lead the development of comparable data/information requirements from annual school board reporting.
- Select, interpret and project data to provide indicators, reports and forecasts on student transportation policies, and make related recommendations.
- Conduct research related to improved statistical or quantitative methods, or data models.
- Conduct comparative reviews of the effectiveness and efficiency of operational systems and practices in school boards.

Decision Making / Responsibility :

Responsible for:
- Leading research and analysis, formulating policy proposals for student transportation funding reform and cooperative business approaches for provincial school boards, and recommending implementation strategies and approaches.
- Making recommendations for student transportation funding policy and related regulatory changes that impact student transportation service delivery and funding.
- Making recommendations for multiple-year and in-year student transportation funding requirements, and on improvements to reporting mechanisms and processes.
- Recommending communication tools for effective communication with stakeholders.
- Monitoring financial reports from the school board sector to identify issues to be resolved to ensure stability in the system.
- Providing advice to senior Ministry officials and management regarding transportation funding and cooperative services proposals and reporting of associated issues.
- Advising school board representatives on research and analysis requirements and associated issues and providing related information.
Has latitude to determine data/information to be collected for annual transportation report from school boards, and to determine the reporting format and layout in data/information collection.
Decisions are guided by relevant Government education legislation, regulations, policy and practices; Ontario education funding model; Ministry priorities, objectives, policies, guidelines and standards related to the program; Government/Ministry policy development process, and decision-making structures and processes; project management guidelines, standards and processes; and corporate and Ministry procedures governing the preparation of documents.

Contacts / Stakeholder :

- Senior Ministry officials and management to discuss and resolve policy matters and to provide advice and information related to transportation funding policy and cooperative services initiatives.
- Staff in the Finance, Policy and Legal Branches of the Ministry to share information; to seek advice; and to address and resolve issues.
- Staff in other ministries to obtain, provide and share information; and to collaborate on student transportation initiatives and issues.
- Personnel in other levels of government to exchange information.
- Members of the Transportation Review Committee to seek advice on behalf of the Government on the development of a new funding approach for student transportation.
- Representatives of the Ontario School Bus Association to identify, address and resolve issues; and to provide expert advice.
- Ontario Association of School Board business officials to exchange and provide information; and to address and resolve issues.
- Participates on inter-ministerial committees.

Guidance / Supervision :

- Provides leadership and technical guidance in policy development to Policy Analysts in the Student Transportation and Cooperative Services Unit. Coordinates data collection and analytical work; provides direction; monitors progress and reviews work; and ensures completion of work within established deadlines.
- Coordinates the work of staff in Unit/Branch and other branches that participate in project activities.

Demands / Pressures :

Work Demands :

- Occasional unexpected work demands on short notice.
- Frequent tight time pressures.
- Occasional limited control over pace of work.
- Occasional requirement to work beyond normal hours and disruption to personal life.

Mental / Sensory :

- Frequent periods of concentration to analyze issues, assess impacts, identify and propose options and strategies on student transportation services and funding issues; to perform or oversee research policy development; and to conduct comparative reviews.
- Frequent periods of uninterrupted reading to read/review legislation, research papers, and policy and program related documents.

Conditions / Environment :

Work is performed in a typical office environment.