Job Specification

Purpose :

To provide support to the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB).
To provide project leadership, advice, and expertise in the research, analysis, development and implementation of provincial policies related to institutional governance and quality assurance of degree programs by post-secondary providers in Ontario.

Key Responsibilities :

1. Policy Development and Research
- Undertakes all aspects of policy and program development and evaluation, from research and analysis of trends and directions, environmental scans and analyzing policy proposals and operational policy frameworks. Assesses policy and planning needs with respect to emerging trends in degree granting and determine effectiveness and impact of current practice for enhancing capacity, quality and outcomes.
- Develops standards and benchmarks to assess institutional; and program quality and collaborates with universities/colleges in Ontario and other jurisdictions to ensure the Boards criteria are aligned with recognized standards
- Ensures that options and recommendations meet board's objectives, and consider factors such as funding, governance, stakeholder needs and interests, cross-sectoral implications, implementation issues, and immediate and long term impacts across the educational system.
- Maintains a current knowledge of postsecondary school issues in the Province, identifies trends and directions which affect the broad system, and both current and emerging policy issues requiring legislative reform, policy, or program responses.
- Develops policy options/recommendations for the consideration of the Board and minister by; identifying issues, preparing policy papers, conducting research projects, consulting with stakeholders/other jurisdictions/educational institutions, in order to ensure consistency with legislated mandate and requirements of international agreements.
2. Project Leadership and Stakeholder Relations:
- Leads assigned project teams to plan/design research and conceptualize frameworks for policy studies, develops/recommends project goals, parameters, resources, and deliverables, and conducts or coordinates qualitative and quantitative analysis, trends, evaluation of options and impact analysis, in order to support policy and program recommendations.
- Consults and solicits input on proposed policies with key ministry and postsecondary institution stakeholders, to gather intelligence, obtain data, develop consensus, identify concerns and issues, and ensure consistency of policy approach and integration with the overall education mandate.
- Leads and/or represents the Board on ministry, cross-ministry or inter-jurisdictional working groups and committees, and consults with educational experts in other governments, to strategically position educational issues, and develop a consistent and integrated approach to post-secondary education governance and quality.
3. Issue Analysis/Information/Advice:
- Provides expert policy information, interpretation, support and advice to the Board and senior management on post-secondary education quality, policy and statistics.
- Provides advice, research, and interpretation to major stakeholders with respect to Board policy, programs and services, and negotiates/mediates contentious policy issues with stakeholder groups.
- Prepares a range of analyses/communications [e.g. applicant cases, briefing notes, correspondence, policy papers, presentations, speeches] requested by senior management and other stakeholders.

Knowledge / Skill :

Knowledge of and skills in:
- Policy and program development principles and techniques and government legislative/decision making processes to undertake issue analysis lead and/or participate in the development of strategies, policies, and program frameworks and standards, that that meet post-secondary educational objectives in the Province.
- Case preparation, interpretation of board requirements, assembling information, drafting motions to support the Board meetings.
- Program analysis/evaluation techniques to assess the effectiveness of new/changed policies and programs and to provide recommendations on policy and program quality and governance/accountability frameworks.
- The broad socio-economic issues impacting postsecondary education in the province, relevant legislation, provincial and ministry strategic directions pertaining to the educational system in the province, funding, governance and related critical issues, to ensure that ministry and government objectives and directions are considered in the development of policy and program performance criteria and benchmarks, and to provide sound information and advice to the Board, senior management, clients and stakeholders.
- Research and project management, analytical skills/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, briefing materials and correspondence, to represent the Board on working groups, and to promote Board initiatives and requirements.
- Standard software programs and tools to conduct research, manipulate data, prepare briefing notes, reports and make presentations.

Interpersonal / Influencing Skill :

- Consultation and negotiation skills to develop key stakeholder linkages, and to gain support for ministry policy and program initiatives from other ministries and stakeholders.
- Consensus-building and mediation skills to ensure that policy and program frameworks reflect coordinated input from all key players, and to mediate/resolve identified policy issues with stakeholders.
- Presentation and persuasion and mediation skills to provide policy and/or program advice and to explain policy and/or program recommendation.
- Facilitation skills and diplomacy to communicate the Ministry and board policy/position on program quality issues to working committees, other governments and stakeholders.

Analyzing / Problem Solving Skill :

Analytical and problem-solving skills to:
- Respond promptly to information and interpretation requests from internal/external stakeholders.
- Plan/design/undertake research studies to assess/evaluate issues; analyze and identify implications of statistical, demographic and labour market data, educational performance indicators, and conceptualize/develop strategies, policies and program frameworks, options, and accountability mechanisms.
- Assess both qualitative and quantitative information in developing policy proposals including impact of economic and societal trends on policy and criteria development, and evaluate a range of policy factors such as: funding, governance, and stakeholder interests.
- Evaluate other jurisdictional policy submissions to assess implications/impacts on policy/programs/submission requirements.
- Identify and evaluate the 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 stakeholders, mediate issues, and/or develop policies/ solutions that integrate concerns.

Decision Making / Responsibility :

Responsible for:
- Providing support to the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board by providing policy recommendations/ options and/or program frameworks to senior management that impact broad post-secondary education policy and program quality, governance and accountability mechanisms in the province.
- Identifying program Board's response within broad Provincial strategic directions for post-secondary education and legislative/regulatory and policy framework.
- Planning/carrying out research and evaluation of Provincial post-secondary educational policies, programs, services, and accountability relationships.
- Representing the ministry in consultations with inter-jurisdictional stakeholder working groups/committees to resolve identified issues and to interpret legislation, policies and other requirements.
Has the latitude to determine methods and scope of research identify and recommend policy/program options to senior management.
Decisions are guided by Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act, provincial and ministry strategic directions pertaining to post-secondary education in the Province, the existing legislative/regulatory and policy framework, and government directives and procedures.

Contacts / Stakeholder :

- Board Chair and members, senior staff to exchange information and collaborate on joint efforts; other Branch members to exchange information, resolve problems, provide interpretation of data and participate in planning activities
- Policy counterparts in own and other ministries, and other jurisdictional partners, to consult on program and policy development, and to collaborate on issues resolution.
- Ministry senior management to submit/promote recommendations for policies and programs, information, reports and design and maintenance of quality standards and to provide information and advice on post-secondary education policy.
- External research sources and experts in the field, colleges, universities, other post-secondary education institutions, quality assurance agencies to obtain/ exchange information, coordinate programs and provide policy advice and interpretation

Guidance / Supervision :

- Provides technical guidance to administrative staff and work teams when leading/coordinating assigned research, policy development, and other projects.
- Provides advice and information on current and proposed policy and programs to Board, senior management, external stakeholders and other government policy counterparts.

Demands / Pressures :

Work Demands :

- Frequently required to respond to requests 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 that are subject to change without notice, priorities that are not anticipated or contentious issues that arise unexpectedly and require quick turnaround for issues management.

Mental / Sensory :

- Frequent 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 attending meetings, or seeking input from stakeholders.

Conditions / Environment :

Work is performed in a typical office environment.