Job Specification

Purpose :

To provide the ministry with senior level expertise and strategic advice in health economics to drive the ministry's strategic directions and provincial priorities for the health system in Ontario.

Key Responsibilities :

1. Health Economics Leadership/Expertise
-Acts as a leading Health Economics expert and authoritative advisor to ministry decision-makers to prioritize, plan, and invest health system resources.
-Develops ministry-wide policy options and recommendations aimed at stimulating health economic development in the province.
- Provides specialized expertise and advice to senior ministry officials regarding the application of health economics analysis in terms of policy development, planning, funding decisions, Management Board approvals and government allocation decisions.
- Represents the ministry and speaks on economic analyses with economic leaders, the academic community, stakeholders and counterparts in the federal and other provincial governments.
2. Health Economic Analysis
-Leads economic and statistical analysis for key ministry projects and priorities and acts as liaison utilizing contacts with broader economic and health technology sector.
-Designs and builds complex health economic modelling and analyses on the impact and implications of strategic and major policy initiatives.
-Leads knowledge translation and interpretation of complex economic analysis and modelling for the purpose of strategic decision making related to investments.
- Provides leadership in the planning and management of provincial health policy development and planning projects in support of major initiatives, decisions, negotiations, central agency submissions and policy changes in other jurisdictions and the development of health policy related to health economic issues.
- Develops tools and standards for the preparation of branch products including papers and publications on health economic issues specific to the ministry.
- Develops and prepares various reports and papers, including costing//budget impact statements, briefing notes on health economics and health expenditures, sectoral reviews, pressures facing the system, forecast future demands, impact of policy changes and other relevant information to support decision-makers.

Knowledge / Skill :

Knowledge of/and skills in:
-Health economic methods and techniques, including expertise in macro/micro economic theory to act as the ministry's expert resource in the field of health economics and provide technical expertise in support of ministry policy development and planning directions.
- Econometric modelling and evaluation design for the development and evaluation of strategic policies and initiatives.
-Government policy development processes, current and emerging health economic trends, issues and directions on both a national and international level to develop the ministry's health economics capacity and credibility.
-Health care system trends, models of delivery, governance and legislation and understanding of critical issues and concerns faced by health care stakeholders.
-Project management skills for project planning and leadership on concurrent projects, working collaboratively with team members to manage deadlines and competing priorities.
- Government policy development processes, current and emerging health economic trends, issues and directions on both a national and international level to recommend policy options which cut across the ministry and to support ministry policy decision-making.
- Oral and written communication to prepare and present complex policy options, advice in the field of health economics through reports, training materials and briefing papers.
- Computer programs and ministry databases to access the internet and databases in support of research and to prepare own materials using various software programs.

Interpersonal / Influencing Skill :

- Advisory and influencing skills to provide health economic expertise and consultation s with outside medical/clinical/economics experts on matters pertaining to economic analysis of new health technologies and policy design for new initiatives within the ministry.
-Relationship management and partnership building skills to work towards mutual goals, initiate partnership arrangements and establish formal collaboration to drive current initiatives.
-Leadership and team work skills to work collaboratively within multiple teams simultaneously.
-Marketing skills for increasing knowledge of health economics in the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Government of Ontario more broadly.
-Negotiation and facilitation skills to lead economic analysis within projects and work teams.

Analyzing / Problem Solving Skill :

Analytical and problem-solving skills to:
- Synthesize, interpret and understand the implications of policy initiatives and impact analysis in order to develop policy options/program frameworks and to review and analyze proposals and recommendations developed by staff and project teams.
- Plan and implement health economic research involving monitoring of trends, directions and issues, analysis of multiple sources of information/data, and consideration of qualitative and quantitative factors to assess and make recommendations.
- Conduct significant analysis and interpretation of scientific data related to the Ontario economy, the health care system, and the interaction of the two, identifying the best course of action and provide senior management with recommendations/options.

Decision Making / Responsibility :

Responsible for:
Providing expertise in the field of health economics as an input to the development and implementation of strategies and directions to drive critical health system planning, policy and strategy decisions within Ontario.
Providing leadership and expertise in health economics at the local, national and international levels and as a key representative of Ontario with health system leaders, the academic community, stakeholders and counterparts.
Has latitude to:
- make recommendations on strategic planning for provincial policy and program priority setting in the field of health economics.
Position works under the general direction of the manager and within the broad strategic framework of ministry principles and objectives, the Division and Branch mandates and ministry/government directions for Ontario's health system.

Contacts / Stakeholder :

-Director, ADM and senior ministry officials to provide specialized expertise and act as the ministry's expert resource in the field of health economics.
-Policy colleagues in other ministries by participating/leading ministry, inter-ministerial and inter-provincial committees.
-Academic researchers and policy makers in other jurisdictions to build linkages, conduct research and analyse trends and with external consultants to acquire and manage support on projects.
-Corporate and special projects, task forces, policy forums, committees, and working groups both within and outside the OPS, including the federal government, in order to provide leadership and advice.

Guidance / Supervision :

- Provides expertise and direction to Division management in the development, implementation and management of policies and approaches in the area of health economics.
- Provides technical guidance and economic expertise when conducting consultations with stakeholders or leading projects or studies related to issues/policies/options.
-Provides training and reviews the work of Project staff in order to ensure data and analysis quality.

Demands / Pressures :

Work Demands :

Frequent deadlines and competing demands for economic evaluations.

Mental / Sensory :

Frequent requirement to concentrate when conducting research and analyses.

Conditions / Environment :

Work is performed in a typical office environment.