Job Specification

Purpose :

To provide project leadership and expertise in the development of legislation, regulation, policy and guidelines relating to the provision of ambulance services in Ontario. This includes providing senior level expertise, advice and recommendations to ministry senior management, emergency health services sector and service providers on issues related to policy development, implementation and measurement. To develop and maintain relationships and networks with key information providers, research policy organizations and other stakeholders (i.e., AMO, OAPC, OAGO, Ontario Ombudsman, municipal CAO and EMS Chiefs, First Nations, LHIN executives, hospital administrators and physicians, Fire Marshal, Cabinet Office, TBS, MOF, MMAH, MOL, MCSCS, MAC, WSIB etc.).

Key Responsibilities :

- Leads projects to conceptualize, develop and recommend policy, programs standards and evaluation and implementation frameworks, related to the ambulance system that are consistent with strategic policy objectives and frameworks and reflects ministry's best business and service delivery practices.
- Undertakes/leads all aspects of policy development, from analysis of trends and directions, evaluation of exiting services/programs and delivery models, issue identification, analysis and synthesis of research and related evaluation materials, stakeholder consultations, system and financial modelling, impact analysis, development of options and recommendations, implementation planning and preparation of legislative documentation where appropriate.
- Leads and/or undertakes policy research and analysis to support policy and program recommendations (e.g., funding models, service delivery options) and consults and solicits input on proposed policies and programs with other ministries, health care agencies and stakeholders (i.e., AMO, OAPC, OAGO, Ontario Ombudsman, municipal CAO and EMS Chiefs, First Nations, LHIN executives, hospital administrators and physicians, Fire Marshal, Cabinet Office, TBS, MOF, MMAH, MOL, MCSCS, MAC, WSIB etc.) and federal/provincial/territorial counterparts in the sector.
- Reviews and finalizes Branch material for requests from government committees (e.g., Public Accounts, Estimates etc.) and special Minister and Premier's meetings/engagements.
- Ensures that policy and program options and recommendations consider key factors such as funding, governance, stakeholder interest and needs, implementation issues, and immediate and long-term impacts.
- Maintains a leading edge awareness of new policy developments and trends and directions which may impact provincial policy directions for ambulance services.
- Analyzes/evaluates other ministry/jurisdictional policy proposals from a best practices perspective and identifies both current and emerging issues requiring legislative reform, policy or program response.
- Develops and evaluates in-depth and comprehensive reports and analyses, prepares policy papers and briefing materials and presents policy options and recommendations to ministry senior management for decision making purposes.
- Develops critical stakeholder relationships with ministry and corporate fiscal and policy areas and other provincial ministries and federal/provincial and territorial jurisdictions; and occasionally international counterparts. Consults and solicits input on proposed policies, gathers intelligence, develops consensus and identifies concerns and issues.
- Leads and/or participates on inter-ministerial forums or working groups to review emergency health policy and program or service policy issues (i.e. ministry program/policy developers in Cabinet Office, TBS, MOF, MMAH, MOL, MCSCS etc.), inter-government/ ministry committees, MAC, WSIB etc.) and external stakeholders (i.e., AMO, OAPC, OAGO, Ontario Ombudsman, municipal officials (e.g., CAOs, EMS Chiefs etc.), public, First Nations communities, LHINs, hospitals (e.g., administrators, physicians), Fire Marshal, etc.; occasionally international sector counterparts).
- Leads and/or researches 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)
- Provides advice on policy issues to senior management and prepares a range of analyses/communications to support issues management (e.g. briefing notes, correspondence, policy papers and presentations).

Knowledge / Skill :

Knowledge of and skills in:

- Ministry policies, regulations and significant legislation, including the Ambulance Act in order to assess advice to the Minister, Deputy Minister, Assistant Deputy Minister and Director on proposed action that is consistent with the legislated mandate of the Ministry.
- Policy and program development principles and techniques and government legislative/decision making processes to lead and/or participate in the development of strategies, policies and evaluation and legislative frameworks related to ambulance services.
- Program analysis/evaluation techniques 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 plan/conduct qualitative/quantitative research studies, to undertake analysis of trends, system modelling and evaluation of best practices, options, costs and impacts.
- Oral and written communications to respond to issues, provide recommendations, prepare reports, options papers, socio-economic analysis, 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 establish key stakeholder linkages across the OPS and with federal/provincial/territorial counterparts, to be able to work cooperatively on joint emergency health system policy development projects.
- Consensus-building, mediation and negotiation skills to gain support for ministry policy and program initiatives from other ministries and stakeholders, to resolve issues, to develop a coordinated position on policy issues.
- Presentation and persuasion skills to provide policy advice and to explain policy and/or program recommendations.
- Facilitation skills and diplomacy to represent the ministry/province on inter-ministerial forums and to communicate/advise on, and advocate/defend the Ministry/provincial policy/position on sensitive, socio-political, emergency health issues to working committees, counterparts in other governments and
other stakeholders.

Analyzing / Problem Solving Skill :

- Plan/design/undertake cross-sectoral research studies to conceptualize/develop strategies, policies and program frameworks, options and operational guidelines.
- Assess both qualitative and quantitative information in developing policy proposals and evaluate a range of policy factors such as: funding, governance and stakeholder interests.
- Evaluate other 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 independent and/or inter-dependent stakeholders with complex relationships 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:

- Providing policy recommendations/options and/or program frameworks to senior management for ambulance services and programs in the province.
- Identifying issues requiring policy or program response within broad provincial strategic directions and legislative/regulatory and policy framework.
- Planning/carrying out research on provincial policies, programs, services and accountability relationships with respect to emergency health system policy development.
- Recommending options/best practices based on comparative analysis of research information and evaluation of stakeholder interests and existing programs/frameworks.
- Assessing proposed policy changes/proposals on stakeholder interests, needs, funding, governance and service delivery.
- Representing the ministry in consultation with inter-ministerial working group/committees that are involved with collaborative issues analysis and that shape/evaluate policy and programs.
- Has latitude to identify and recommend policy/program options 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 social framework and government directives and procedures.

Contacts / Stakeholder :

ADM and senior management staff to provide briefing information.
- Branch/divisional senior management and ministry staff to provide advice and to exchange information on provincial/municipal operational ambulance system issues and maintenance of standards i.e., multiple ministries (Cabinet Office, TBS, MOF, MMAH, MOL, MCSCS etc.), inter-government/ ministry
committees, MAC, WSIB etc.); external stakeholders (i.e., AMO, OAPC, OAGO, Ontario Ombudsman, municipal officials (e.g., CAOs, EMS Chiefs etc.); public; First Nations communities; LHINs; hospitals (e.g., administrators, physicians); Fire Marshal; and etc.
- Other ministries? staff, stakeholders and agencies such as ambulance service, hospitals, paramedics, scientific, technical or medical experts to exchange information and facilitate management of operational ambulance system issues, maintain operational and patient care standards for the ambulance system.
- External consultants to provide leadership relating to maintenance of ambulance system standards/policy/legislation.

Guidance / Supervision :

- Provides guidance to other policy analysts/work teams when leading assigned research and policy development projects.
- Provides advice and information on current and proposed policy and programs to ministry and cross-ministry policy decision-makers.

Demands / Pressures :

Work Demands :

- Frequently required to respond to spontaneous and frequent demands from the Minister's Office (Frequently requires response within hours).
- Frequently required to respond to potentially conflicting demands, priorities and/or request 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 providing information sessions for stakeholders and answering policy inquiries relating to legislation, standards and policies.

Conditions / Environment :

- Work is performed in a typical office environment.