Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To provide confidential support and administrative and financial services to the Director and staff of the Ontario Geological Survey (OGS).

Duties / Responsibilities :

In an office where the Director and staff are frequently absent, the position is to provide confidential support services to the Director, and administrative and financial services to the Director and OGS staff, by performing such tasks as:

1. Organizing and prioritizing the daily, weekly and monthly activities of the Director; reviewing the appropriateness of requests for meetings and speaking engagements, ensuring that the Director is well briefed for each event; keeping informed of other senior staff whereabouts to facilitate prompt contact as well as arranging appointments in the Director's absence; coordinating , travel arrangements (including international), meeting arrangements (both within home community and throughout the province), and conference arrangements.

2. Reading all incoming correspondence, including confidential and sensitive information addressed to the Director, checking for appropriate attachments, selecting priority matters and conducting research and assembling relevant background information pertaining to a particular subject area prior to bringing to the Director's attention.

3. Receiving and screening all incoming communications and visitors, attaching where required, pertinent background information, routing/directing on own initiative to appropriate staff for action and/or providing information for enquires based on own knowledge, experience or direction of Director.

4. Preparing presentation and other materials (e.g.: executive letters, correspondence; briefing notes & reports) utilizing a variety of software packages; edits executive letters and replies prepared by various staff within the OGS to ensure consistency in style and format; composing routine correspondence and/or memos on own initiative or from brief verbal instructions.

5. Facilitating the flow of required documents such as house notes, briefing notes, issues management/ forecast plans and/or ministerial correspondence including tracking, expediting, processing and transmitting signed documents within established deadlines, verifying for completeness (e.g. signatures & copies), taking corrective action when required.

6. Maintaining schedule calendars and tracking director/staff to ensure shifting priorities are addressed, approvals received and to deal with all other ad hoc requirements.

7. Assisting in the completion of information requests and projects by obtaining background information including researching data/information sources, obtaining files, compiling/preparing findings, advising on protocols/format required and/or liaising with ministry branches to ensure response coordination as required.

8. Maintaining Director/branch filing system containing letters, memoranda, reports, minutes, directives and other related documents in accordance with retention schedules; maintaining logs; updating manuals and directories.

9. Coordinating meetings and teleconferences/video conferences logistics including contacting participants, rearranging schedules, preparing agendas, registering participants, taking minutes, making arrangements for travel, food and accommodation; liaising with Aboriginal communities to organize onsite meetings.

10. Providing administration support duties such as photocopying and collating material, operating office machines, processing/distributing mail, monitoring assets including office supplies and equipment; ordering supplies, equipment and/or services; liaising with suppliers for services, inputting, approving and verifying attendance, invoices and travel claims for approval, reconciling monthly statements/reports, co-ordinate information technology support, staff training, office accommodation/renovations and/or office equipment installations.

11. Ensuring secure and confidential clerical and office services and procedures including electronic mail, organizing and maintaining the Director's personal electronic and manual filing and bring forward systems, updating and retrieving information from files as requested, maintaining supplies, word processing and outside services.

12. The incumbent shall work in compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations and any workplace practices as directed by the employer.

Note: Managers have the right to assign additional duties.

Staffing and Licensing :

Word processing and keyboarding skills to Ministry standards.

Knowledge :

Job requires knowledge of the Ministry of Northern Development Mines and of the organizational structure of the Mines and Minerals Division as well as the Ontario Geological Survey Branch, and Ontario Public Service (OPS) as well as Ministry/OPS priorities and activities sufficient to provide verbal and written information to general inquiries from internal and external sources or to determine where or whom complex inquiries should be directed such as inquiries from staff, senior staff, other ministries, federal government, associations such as Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada,(PDA), Ontario Mining Association (OMA), industry clients and universities.

Job requires knowledge of government policies, e.g. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to ensure accurate information is shared with parties when providing information and responses to inquiries.

Job requires knowledge of Ministry and OPS administrative manuals, financial, travel and purchasing directives and guidelines to carry out a variety of support and administrative services for the Director, such as procedures for routing correspondence, processing invoices, expense claims, establishing and maintaining filing systems, ordering office supplies.

Job requires knowledge of multi- ministries involved in inter-related projects (e.g. MNR Far North Land Use Planning) including the federal government (e.g. Natural Resources Canada (NRC), Minerals and Metals Sector) in order to schedule meetings, prepare meeting packages and assign priority to issues requiring resolution.

Job requires knowledge of word processing equipment and related software packages in order to produce documents/presentations/reports using a variety of features such as formatting and merging text, maintaining electronic files and bring forward systems, and managing electronic mail on the Director's system.

Job requires general knowledge of Indigenous culture and decision-making process to obtain information, respond to enquires and coordinate meetings with Indigenous communities.

Job requires knowledge of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and those regulations made under the act that apply to the workplace and the work being performed.

Skills :

Reasoning to set priorities, organize workload and carry out tasks independently and with minimal guidance; discretion in handling information of high confidentiality, contentious and/or political sensitivity.

Analytical and research skills to determine when and what types of information to release when reviewing and responding to information requests, inquiries or complaints on behalf of the Director and when to refer to them or other staff; to judge importance of/prioritize various issues that pass through the offices.

Problem-solving for independent decision making to deal with constantly shifting priorities, briefing note requests, and incoming calls/requests and to ensure deadlines are met and identify and resolve administrative problems.

Written communication skills to compose correspondence, to edit for correct terminology, grammar, spelling and syntax for own or the Director's signature and to edit letters prepared by other staff to ensure accurate content.

Oral skills to deal effectively with senior officials and staff, within the ministry and in multi ministries, and the public; when dealing with annoyed clients or callers and when explaining or clarifying a request for information on behalf of the Director, briefing notes coordinator, Minister's office, all the while ensuring deadlines will be met. Advising senior managers of Director's requests or requirements.

Interpersonal skills to deal tactfully and diplomatically with Minister/Deputy minister's offices, other senior government officials, senior management, coworkers, heads of associations such as PDAC, mining company executives, and the general public.

Organizational skills to retrieve background file information with efficiency to provide proper context for issue resolution by the Director; to prioritize work in order to meet deadlines, set-up and maintain files, events calendar and make travel or meeting arrangements.

Freedom of Action :

Position works under the general supervision of the Director, Ontario Geological Survey, and in accordance with established procedures and method with access to ministry directives, guidelines, administrative manuals and quality standards.

Position requires exercise of latitude in decision making by independently managing the Director's Office activities during frequent business outside of the office and ensuring issues/requests are explained to and coordinated with other areas within the Ministry and Ontario Public Service and within tight deadlines. This may require the position to take proactive action and make decisions in the absence of direction from the Director.

Position required to review all Director correspondence, prioritizing information for the Director's review and action and assigning urgent items in the Director's absence to appropriate staff.

Position requires ensuring the Director is kept apprised of all scheduled appointments and ensuring that briefing material and files are available to support them at meeting/presentations.

Errors could result in delays and/or the release of confidential information causing operational inefficiencies, lost mining investment opportunities and embarrassment to the Ministry.