Job Specification

Purpose :

- To provide research and analytical services to senior management relating to agri-food research, education, laboratory services and/or food safety issues.
- To provide program review, evaluation and administration related to the OMAFRA/University of Guelph Agreement and other ministry funded research programs and services.

Key Responsibilities :

1. Research and Analysis:
- Plans/designs and undertakes research and analytical studies related to the development of competitive research programs to support ministry objectives in the agri-food, education, laboratory services and/or food safety sectors.
- Researches various sources of information (eg, existing services/programs and delivery models, environmental scans, stakeholder consultations, issues and problems) to analyze and evaluate program effectiveness, and to prepare research reports and program options/recommendations for senior management.
- Identifies and assesses research requirements and develops study designs and methodologies to address accountability and performance measures for ministry-funded programs and services.

2. Program Review, Evaluation, and Administration:
- Develops the ministry's goals, objectives, policies and performance measures for the ministry's research programs.
- Participates in the monitoring of existing programs and services, and in the design and development of operational guidelines, benchmarks, performance and accountability measures to assess and evaluate program effectiveness.
- Conducts program reviews of ministry funded research programs and services, evaluating and reporting on research progress and accountability, and recommending new and/or additional funding of projects under the OMAFRA/University of Guelph Agreement.
- Reviews and evaluates research proposals for ministry funding to determine their relevance in achieving ministry objectives and goals, and make recommendations to senior management.
- Reviews and interprets scientific research proposals from other jurisdictions to determine relevance for Ontario and identify opportunities for collaboration between the Ontario research community and other jurisdictions.
- Provides program administration for competitive research programs and the OMAFRA/University of Guelph Agreement, including reviewing and authorizing payments for funded projects.

3. Information/Advice:
- Provides information, advice and options to senior management to ensure ministry-funded research programs and services meet ministry objectives and stakeholder needs.
- Prepares research papers, memoranda and briefing documents on a range of research topics/issues for review by senior management, and provides input to the development of Cabinet Submissions on new or revised programs.
- Researches and prepares responses to correspondence pertaining to various program and service related issues on behalf of senior management.
- Provides information, advice and secretariat support to the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario (ARIO) to facilitate their provision of research advice and support to the Minister of Agriculture.

4. Stakeholder Consultation and Liaison:
- Leads and/or participates in consultations with university, industry, ministry, and other ministry and government stakeholders to gather and share intelligence, identify and assess research needs and opportunities, and maintain environmental scanning and networking systems to identify and
resolve issues. Develops and maintains research databases to support stakeholder consultation processes.
- Liaises with colleagues and staff in own and other ministries and federal government to gather and share intelligence in support of corporate initiatives, research and exchange information, seek cooperation and support, and propose solutions for consideration.
- Represents the ministry at internal and external meetings to exchange information and expertise on agri-food research issues.

Knowledge / Skill :

Knowledge of and skills in:
- Program development principles and government decision-making processes for the analysis and preparation of new or revised program options/recommendations related to agri-food research.
- Program analysis/evaluation techniques to assess the effectiveness of new/changed programs, to provide recommendations on program change, and to evaluate program compliance with ministry objectives and goals.
- Research and analytical techniques, including performance measurement, data collection and analysis, to conduct environmental scans, quantitative and qualitative research from multi-jurisdictional sources, costing of program changes, and development of program design.
- Provincial and ministry strategic directions and key objectives pertaining to the agri-food sector, and relevant research programs, models of service/program delivery and critical research issues impacting the sector to identify key issues and findings in research, and to recommend options.
- OMAFRA/University of Guelph Agreement to administer program components including authorizing payments for projects.
- Agricultural and biological science fields to provide a scientific understanding of research proposals and verify significance of research results.
- The agri-food sector, its stakeholders and current trends, standards and issues to develop research proposals to address issues and to identify opportunities for collaboration between the Ontario research community and other jurisdictions.
- Oral and written communications skills to: liaise with stakeholders, colleagues and other ministries on research, analysis and options development; prepare research reports, briefing materials and correspondence; make recommendations to senior management and stakeholders; and represent the
ministry/province on intergovernmental committees.
- Standard software programs and tools to research, analyze and prepare own materials and presentations.

Interpersonal / Influencing Skill :

- Consultation, relationship management and negotiation skills to exchange information, discuss issues, gain support for research proposals from other branches/ministries/jurisdictions/stakeholders.
- Presentation skills to explain scientific research proposals to internal and external stakeholders.
- Conflict resolution and facilitation skills to work with teams to identify issues and problems and contribute to formulating solutions.

Analyzing / Problem Solving Skill :

Analytical and problem solving skills to:
- Plan and identify research methodologies and analytical techniques to collect, organize, interpret and apply information that supports development and implementation of agri-food research programs and services.
- Research and evaluate different methods for administering competitive research programs from multiply sources, and to identify options and make recommendations for program improvements.
- Assess research progress of ministry-funded research projects, and identify and resolve issues and problems.
- Evaluate research proposals for ministry funding to determine their relevance in achieving ministry objectives and goals, and make recommendations to senior management.
- Research, analyze and monitor agri-food trends, policies, standards and issues in other jurisdictions, and assess their application in Ontario.
- Assess both qualitative and quantitative data in the development of options, and 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:
- Recommending future research, education and laboratory program/service activity that meets the needs of the agri-food industry, to ministry senior management, university/industry organizations and other jurisdictions.
- Recommending research contracts with external organizations to senior management, to further the ministry's strategic objectives in the area of agrifood research, education and laboratory programs and services.
- Researching and analyzing research issues, and evaluating industry and other jurisdictional research developments to identify opportunities for collaboration between the Ontario research community and other jurisdictions.
- Identifying and evaluating program effectiveness and impact on ministry budget.
- Providing program administration and support to ARIO and ministry-funded research programs under the OMAFRA/University of Guelph Agreement.
- Has latitude to review and authorize payment for invoices submitted on competitive research programs, to review and approve requests for changes to research contracts, to approve reports from research projects, and to determine research scope for developing options.
- Decisions are guided by established ministry priorities, strategic directions, guidelines and precedents, program mandate, and internal policy decisionmaking structures.

Contacts / Stakeholder :

- Senior management in a range of commodity and industry organizations to conduct research needs assessments, communicate research leverage opportunities and research findings that affect the competitiveness of the industry.
- Members of the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario (ARIO) to provide information, advice and secretariat support to facilitate their provision of research advice to the Minister.
- Stakeholders from the province, other governments and jurisdictions and other research institutions to identify common priorities for research, service delivery, technology transfer and emerging issues, and to promote ministry research programs.
- University of Guelph senior management to plan, monitor and evaluate terms of OMAFRA/University of Guelph Agreement.
- Ministry senior management to obtain direction, provide information, respond to issues, and submit recommendations for approval of research programs and proposals.
- Research counterparts in own and other ministries to consult on research issues, monitor and evaluate service delivery, and collaborate on issues resolution.

Guidance / Supervision :

- Provides information and guidance to other research analysts to ensure effective linkages on related research projects.
- Represents the ministry on technical committees dealing with technology transfer issues, coordinating joint issues, and ensuring ministry position is properly presented.

Demands / Pressures :

Work Demands :

- Frequently required to work with multiple files and issues simultaneously, thereby creating conflicting work demands.
- Frequently required to deal with deadlines that are subject to change without notice and priorities that are not anticipated and require quick turnaround.

Mental / Sensory :

- Frequently required to read and concentrate on materials such as research proposals, scientific papers and other reports (eg, OMAFRA/University of Guelph Agreement).

Conditions / Environment :

Work is performed in a typical office environment.