Job Specification

Purpose :

- To provide ministry/government direction, consultation, expertise and advice to transfer payment service providers and municipalities, in the planning, management, governance and service delivery of social programs.
- To build partnerships among the ministry and transfer payment agencies/service providers to deliver services within a system management framework.

Key Responsibilities :

1. Ministry/Service Provider Consultation and Advice
- Provides ministry policy and program direction, expertise and advice to service providers/agencies (e.g., transfer payment agencies and municipal social services,) within a region, ensuring they are informed and guided by ministry's business plans and strategic directions.
- Analyzes service plan submissions for consistency within prescribed procedures, data and rationale used to support budget requests.
- Negotiates and approves annual service contracts with Boards of Directors/senior staff of transfer payment agencies to establish funding, service targets/outcomes, service descriptions and accountabilities with respect to governance and system management in the context of ministry business plans.
- Monitors and evaluates agency performance, according to service contract and ministry policies and directives through review and analysis of financial, statistical and operational reports.
- Analyzes population needs, program targets and benchmarks, supply and access to local services, in order to recommend and negotiate changes within existing individual agencies or between agencies or initiates new agreements with new transfer payment agencies.
- Develops action plans to accomplish strategic and operational requirements. Leads, participates or acts as Ministry resource for operational or program reviews and/or evaluations.
- Manages all phases of the capital process including: coordinating technical review of detailed capital and analyzing operating requirements, negotiating alternatives, recommending and managing review and decision- making from funding approval to project completion.
2. Issues Management and Stakeholder Relationships
- Manages critical incidents and complaints; liaises and facilitates resolution with service providers in context of legislation, policy and government position; proactively identifies and resolves issues.
- Provides information, advice and recommendations to ministry staff in support of provincial policy and program development and issues pertaining to the transfer payment sector.
- Advises manager and senior management, and as appropriate the Minister, on complex, sensitive issues.
Writes briefing notes, communications material. Prepares material for information requests and presentations.
- Works with government and non-government agencies to resolve complaints, develop creative solution/responses to service challenges and enlist collaborative partners.
3. Project Management
- Manages/leads initiatives to implement government priorities and strategic directions; reviews and evaluates service plans and proposals, and recommends funding approvals to achieve desired outcomes and respond to community needs.
- Develops community capacity to deliver services within system management framework. Collaborates with community partners and stakeholders to establish working protocols for service delivery within and across education/health/housing service sectors, municipal and federal government programs.

Knowledge / Skill :

Knowledge and skill in:
- Public administration, organizational theory and practices, community development, social service delivery, Ministry and other government/NGO programs for client groups served by transfer payment agencies to promote effective business planning within a rationalized system of social programs and to develop options and recommend action plans to accomplish strategic and operational requirements.
- Relevant legislation, policies and programs relating to governance and accountability (e.g. Substitute Decisions Act, freedom of information and protection of privacy, young offenders, human rights, child welfare), financial management, licensing, capital asset management, services delivery, to review and analyze financial, statistical and operational reports and contribute to management plans, including strategic, service, operational and contingency plans.
- Ministry business plans, service delivery and customer service standards to establish funding and service targets/outcomes, service descriptions and accountabilities and service values and principles, customer service standards to deliver services within system management framework.
- Social service practices such as case management, behaviour management, individual program planning, issues related to client groups served, e.g. persons with developmental disabilities, dual diagnosis, crown wards, victims of violence, to understand their needs and advise on provision of the appropriate service.
- Analytical and quantitative methodologies to develop data and apply benchmarks in analyzing large variety of financial and operational statistical information to assess agency and social service system performance, conduct or participate in operational reviews and program evaluations.
- Project management to implement initiatives, review and evaluate proposals, service plans and monitor project deliverables.
- Communications to prepare briefing notes and other correspondence for communications, senior staff and Minister's office, presentations.
-Oral and written communications in French at an advanced level.
- Computer applications for word processing, graphics and spreadsheets.

Interpersonal / Influencing Skill :

- Interpersonal/influencing skills with staff of agencies, municipalities and other community stakeholders to provide information on legislative, program requirements and government direction to diverse stakeholders with various levels of understanding and expertise.
- Influencing skills to support emerging policy and manage change where government strategic directions, policy are challenged by stakeholders; to develop working protocols between and across service sectors balancing competing interests and priorities to ensure quality service delivery.
- Negotiation skills with Boards of Directors/senior agency staff to reach agreement on annual service contract with transfer payment agencies for funding, service targets/outcomes, service descriptions and accountabilities within context of ministry business plans, take corrective action where standards, expectations of contract are not met.
- Consultation and persuasion skills to deal with critical incidents and complaints, resolve sensitive compliance and servicing issues with service agencies, and to facilitate resolution of conflict between service providers and clients.

Analyzing / Problem Solving Skill :

Analyzing and problem-solving skills to:
- Assess impacts of agency decisions (e.g., to reduce or terminate services) to identify and resolve service problems and service gaps.
- Evaluate a range of information/data, impact analysis to determine risks, use benchmarks for assessment of agency and social service system performance and recommend funding allocations in the context of funding pressures.
- Evaluate current service delivery capacity against projected needs and develop short and long-term plans.
- Develop creative solution/responses to resolve sensitive funding, compliance and servicing issues with service agencies.

Decision Making / Responsibility :

Responsible for:
- Approving transfer payment agencies service contracts, making recommendations for approval of contracts above authorized limit and management of capital process.
- Conducting performance evaluation of agencies and service system to assess impact on the community service system quality and integration.
- Managing critical incidents and complaints.
- Developing community capacity to deliver services within system management framework, and identifying and resolving service problems and gaps in service.
- Making recommendations to ministry staff in support of provincial policy and program development and issues pertaining to the transfer payment sector.
Has latitude to:
- Determine priorities, provide direction and expertise to agencies to support equity, effectiveness and efficiency in the operation of the government and NGO service system, within the position's assigned area.
- Negotiate and approve annual service contracts (up to a prescribed amount) with Boards of Directors/senior staff of transfer payment agencies.
Work is performed within the broad framework of the ministry's strategic directions, mandate and policies for children's/developmental/municipal social services. Ministry specialists are available for expertise and advice.
Decision-making is guided by ministry strategic directions, ministry policies on governance and accountability, risk assessment models and accounting standards and impacts the type/level of service delivery and service system quality and integration within the community.

Contacts / Stakeholder :

- Boards of Directors and senior staff of agencies concerning accountability for service contract to respond to agency decisions that impact service system and provide information on government priorities and directions.
- Agency officials and community development representatives on committee work on initiatives to review capital and system issues with stakeholders.
- Colleagues in other ministries, community organizations, levels of government and First Nations administration to answer questions, collaborate on initiatives, resolve service delivery issues between funded agencies or on behalf of clients and attend events; meetings with the Minister on local visits.
- Clients, families of clients and the public to respond to concerns or questions about services, legislative requirements.(redundant)

Guidance / Supervision :

- Provides technical advice, guidance and leadership to colleagues and other ministry staff in related work with interpretation and application of legislation and directives that impact their client group.
- Provides support in the performance of technical/administrative assignments to clerical or program administrative staff.
- Provides guidance and advice to colleagues and team members, developing and implementing action plans for initiatives, program/operational reviews, monitors human, financial and community resources.

Demands / Pressures :

Work Demands :

Frequently deals with changes to deadlines and work demands, concurrent requests, conflicting demands and priorities.

Mental / Sensory :

Work involves periods of concentration to review and analyze complex data, submissions and reports, and listening in responding to questions when attending forums and meetings, over the telephone.

Conditions / Environment :

- Occasional exposure to adversarial/challenging clients, volunteers, Board members, families or public who are angry and/or frustrated with government messages.
- Frequent travel to meet with agencies, community stakeholders
- Occasional exposure to inclement weather while travelling.