Job Specification

Purpose :

To provide advice, consultation and expertise to stakeholders and transfer payment agencies and program leadership in the analysis, planning, design, development, and delivery of ministry, inter-ministry and provincial initiatives and accountability measures to meet strategic objectives for community programs and services across the province.

Key Responsibilities :

. Program and Policy Development
- Leads and./or coordinates the review, development and implementation of operational policy, programs, and performance and accountability frameworks, that are consistent with strategic policy objectives and reflect best business and service delivery practices, and leads the transition of programs to LHINs and other organizations.
- Undertakes/leads all aspects of program and policy planning and development, from analysis of trends and directions, evaluation of existing services/programs and delivery models, issue identification, analysis and synthesis of research and related evaluation materials, stakeholder consultations, system and financial modelling; impact and risk analysis, development of options and recommendations, and implementation planning.
- Plans, leads, and manages program and policy research to support recommendations such as funding models and service delivery options, and consults and solicits input on proposed policies and programs and joint health policy concerns, with other ministries, community health care agencies and stakeholders, and federal/provincial/territorial counterparts in the sector.
- Ensures that policy and program options and recommendations consider key factors such as funding, governance, stakeholder interest and needs, implementation issues, opportunities for efficiencies, service overlap, and immediate and long-term impacts of recommended changes.
- Prepares legislative documentation, program and privacy risk assessments, interprovincial agreements, cabinet submissions and MB20's where appropriate.
2. Program Analysis and Advice
- Provides advice and plans and conducts consultations with external and internal stakeholders including agencies, LHINs and health service providers, ensuring they are informed, guided and aligned with ministry strategic directions and priorities and integrated within an overall health services plan.
- Leads or conducts the development of operational and accountability measures, and the review of accountability agreements with service providers on a province wide basis.
- Monitors the allocation and use of transfer payment funds flowing through agencies, LHINs, hospitals and other organizations, and conducts an ongoing analysis of programs and funding to ensure compliance with government priorities and directives and obligations under accountability agreements.
- Assesses program and service delivery issues, develops action plans and solutions, and coordinates/prepares a range of analyses/communications to support issues management such as briefing notes, correspondence, policy papers and presentations.
3. Stakeholder Relations/ Partnerships:

- Develops critical stakeholder relationships with ministry and other provincial ministries and federal/provincial jurisdictions. Consults and solicits input on proposed policies, gathers intelligence, develops consensus, and identifies and resolves concerns and issues.

- Leads, coordinates and /or participates on working groups mandated to review strategic policy and program or service issues, and represents the Branch/ Ministry interests, at conferences, meetings and forums.

4. Special Projects and Branch Planning Support

- Leads assigned special projects and initiatives and ensures appropriate policy/program implementation of new initiatives within the branch/unit: establishes priorities and timelines for work projects; applies project management principles to work assignments; and provides expertise or direction to Program Analysts and/or unit or branch staff.
- Researches and coordinates information from various sources within own and other ministries to respond to information requests from ministry senior management or central agencies (e.g., Cabinet Office).

Knowledge / Skill :

Knowledge of and skills in:
- Policy and program development principles, legislative/regulatory amendment processes and government legislative/decision making processes, to provide program leadership, policy advice, and expertise in the analysis, planning, development, and implementation of policies and/or programs and evaluation frameworks that meet strategic objectives for delivery of provincial community programs and services across the province.
- The broad socio-economic issues impacting provincial health care, relevant legislation, provincial and ministry strategic directions pertaining to the community healthcare system in the province, the models of health care delivery, funding, governance and related critical issues, to ensure that ministry and government objectives are considered in the development of policy and/or program design submissions, to develop comprehensive and sound policy proposals that integrate a range of social, fiscal and governance factors, and to provide sound information, analysis, and advice to senior management and stakeholders.
- Program analysis/evaluation techniques to lead development of operational review and accountability measures, and to assess the effectiveness of new/changed policies and programs and to provide recommendations on policy and program change.
- Research and project management techniques to lead/plan/conduct qualitative/quantitative research studies, to undertake analysis of trends, system modelling, and evaluation of best practices, options, costs, and impacts.
- Business and financial planning and analysis in order to provide effective fiscal and strategic oversight and management of agencies, LHINs and hospitals for provincial programs.
- Risk assessment in order to evaluate impacts of proposed province-wide policy changes and make decisions affecting provincial programs across Ontario.
- Oral and written communications to respond to issues, provide recommendations, prepare reports, options papers, socio-economic analyses, Cabinet submissions, briefing materials and correspondence, to represent the ministry/province on intergovernmental task forces, and to promote policy initiatives to internal and external stakeholders.
- Standard software programs and tools to research and prepare own materials.

Interpersonal / Influencing Skill :

- Consultation, partnership building and relationship management skills to plan and conduct consultations with transfer payment agencies, and to establish key stakeholder linkages across the OPS and with federal/ provincial / territorial counterparts, in order to work cooperatively on joint health care policy projects.
- Consensus-building, mediation and negotiation skills to gain support for ministry policy and program initiatives from other ministries and inter-jurisdictional stakeholders, to resolve issues, to develop a coordinated position on policy issues.
- Presentation and persuasion skills to provide advice, and to explain health policy and/or program recommendations.
- Advisory skills to provide strategic advice to senior management on issues related to the operational reviews, planning, management and evaluation of new or existing provincial initiatives and programs.

- Facilitation skills and diplomacy to represent the ministry/province on intergovernmental forums, and to communicate/advise on, and advocate/defend the Ministry/provincial policy/position on sensitive, socio-political, health issues to working committees, counterparts in other governments, and other stakeholders.

Analyzing / Problem Solving Skill :

Analytical and problem-solving skills to:
Develop innovative solutions to address contract management and program design issues, and make recommendations affecting provincial programs and services.
- Plan/ design/undertake research studies to conceptualize/develop strategies, policies and program frameworks, options, and operational guidelines.
- Assess both qualitative and quantitative information in developing policy/program proposals, and evaluate a range of factors such as: funding, governance, and stakeholder interests.
- Critically analyze, evaluate and reviews operating/business plans, proposals for new or expanded programs and other provincial initiatives.
- Evaluate other jurisdictional policy submissions to assess implications/impacts on policy/programs.
- Identify and evaluate the cross-sectoral implications and impact of proposed policy changes, implementation issues, and medium and long term impacts of changes, and modify/make changes to mitigate identified potential risks.
- Analyze competing interests of stakeholders, and develop policies/ solutions that integrate concerns.
- Process and distill information from a range of sources, including research and scientific data, trends analyses, and independent research, to identify issues and discern salient points.

Decision Making / Responsibility :

Responsible for:
- Leading development of and recommending policy, programs, services, and evaluation and implementation frameworks, for a health care service delivery area, that are consistent with strategic health care objectives and reflect best business and service delivery practices.
- Leading/conducting operational reviews of accountability agreements and developing performance measures for an area of province wide health services delivery.
- Providing advice and expertise to external and internal stakeholders including agencies, LHINs and health service providers to discuss issues, and communicate ministry directions.
- Reviewing transfer payment funds flowing through agencies, LHINs, hospitals and other organizations, to ensure that obligations under accountability agreements are met.
- Representing the ministry in consultations with inter-jurisdictional stakeholder working groups/committees that are involved in collaborative issues analysis, and that shape/evaluate health care policy, programs, and services.
Has latitude to identify and recommend policy / program options and solutions to senior management, and to determine research scope for developing policy options/program frameworks.
Decisions are guided by provincial and ministry strategic directions, by the legislative/regulatory and health policy framework, and government directives and procedures.

Contacts / Stakeholder :

- Ministry senior management to provide advice and expertise, to respond to issues, submit recommendations for approval of policies and programs, and contribute to communications messaging.
- Counterparts in own and other ministries to consult on program and policy development and impact analysis, to collaborate on issues resolution, develop joint recommendations for policies/programs.
- Federal, provincial, and other government representatives to work cooperatively on joint undertakings, to align services, participate in discussion/ negotiation of issues and solutions, and to share information on health policy approaches and best practices.
- Community health care providers and stakeholders (LHINs, provincial organizations, and hospitals) to discuss issues, lead consultations, provide advice, participate on working committees.
- Consultants, to provide leadership/ direction on projects.

Guidance / Supervision :

- Provides guidance/supervision to other policy analysts/work teams when leading/coordinating assigned research and policy development projects.
- Provides advice and expertise on current and proposed policy, programs and health services to ministry and cross-ministry policy decision-makers.

Demands / Pressures :

Work Demands :

Frequently required to respond to requests within short deadlines where time pressures result in the need to work beyond normal work hours for response to information requests.
- Frequently required to deal with deadlines, which are subject to change without notice, priorities that are not anticipated or contentious issues which arise unexpectedly and require quick turnaround for issues management.

Mental / Sensory :

Continuous requirement to concentrate when reading materials, analyzing documents and research, and when drafting reports, briefing notes and policy related materials.
- Frequent requirement to listen intently when attending meetings, seeking input from stakeholders.

Conditions / Environment :

Work is performed in a typical office environment.