Help safeguard the financial interests of vulnerable adults
Bring your financial management, decision making, and client advocacy skills and join a dedicated, client-centred team in delivering in-person frontline services to high risk and high liability vulnerable clients deemed incapable of managing their own finances.
About the job
As a member of the 27-person Property Guardianship Services unit of the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee (OPGT), working in the Hamilton regional office, you will deliver essential services to clients within your region. Every day will be a little different depending on the needs of your clients. You can expect the typical day to include activities like:
- Researching clients' financial, business, and legal affairs to identify assets and liabilities
- Visiting clients in-person to assess their needs, which can include exposure to unsanitary conditions and unsafe neighbourhoods, anger, hostility and verbal abuse from clients and family members
- Balancing a high-volume caseload of clients by evaluating, organizing, and prioritizing needs
- Making financial decisions in clients' best interests including:
- Developing, implementing and adjusting personal budgets
- Overseeing diverse financial portfolios, including real estate, investment properties, securities, RRSPs, RIFs, mortgages, stocks, bonds and special trusts.
- Investigating financial risks, including abuse, and referring to legal counsel or police if needed
- Ensuring client asset sales are at fair market value
- Identifying and solving legal issues by preparing briefs, consulting with legal counsel, and making decisions for clients
- Acting as a mentor and senior expert within the team including guiding or instructing Client Representative Assistants, Client Representatives, and support staff
- Reviewing and assessing private applications for guardianship – learn about guardianship of mentally incapable adults in Ontario.
Please note that the successful candidate will be required to complete the following mandatory training upon starting the role: De-escalating Emotionally Heightened Situations (DEHS) and Vicarious Trauma Awareness.
Read about the
Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee and how we safeguard the legal, personal and financial interests of specific Ontarians and their estates.
What you bring to the team
Financial Management and Technical Knowledge
You can:
• make informed financial decisions involving real estate, investment properties, securities, RRSPs, RIFs, mortgages, stocks, bonds, and special trusts.
• learn and apply relevant policies and legislation such as the Substitute Decisions Act, Mental Health Act, or Health Care Consent Act to make decisions as a financial guardian
• learn and apply knowledge of the health care sector when working with providers and administrators of secured settings such as nursing homes, homes for special care, and psychiatric hospitals
• consult with legal counsel and make decisions based on legal knowledge
You are proficient with computer software to access data and prepare reports
Analytical, Organizational and Problem-Solving Skills:
You can:
• review financial information that may be conflicting, inaccurate, or incomplete
• manage a caseload of clients and set priorities in a busy environment with contending demands
• assess client needs and find the best course of action to protect their finances
• develop strategies for managing complex financial instruments.
Interpersonal, Negotiation and Counseling Skills:
You can:
• mediate, negotiate, and resolve conflicts with clients who suffer from mental illness, brain injuries, or developmental disabilities
• counsel clients and their family members to implement financial plans cooperatively
• address differences of thought or expectations and de-escalate situations where clients or family members are angry, confrontational, or uncooperative
• negotiate financial and legal settlements with creditors, insurance carriers, and legal parties and resolve financial or social crises for clients
Don't meet every qualification?
If you are excited about this position and meet most, but not all, of the listed qualifications, please still consider applying. We recognize that no one person might have every qualification in this job ad, and you just might be the right candidate!
How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility
We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.
Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's
Human Rights Code and the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer
accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please
contact us.Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace:
What we offer
We are a supportive and compassionate team who make direct and meaningful differences by acting as financial guardians for vulnerable adults. This is not a job where every day is the same. You will be challenged by ever-changing financial, social services, and legal environments and work closely with experts in those areas. You will work autonomously in an office environment and regularly visit clients in the community. This includes locations such as their homes, hospitals, long-term care homes, and group homes.
Client representatives are supported by a collaborative team that includes a direct manager, team leader, senior client representatives, legal counsel, and colleagues working in the same role. Providing informed, best interest financial decisions for individuals who are unable to do so for themselves means that each day is unique and rewarding.
The Ontario Public Service is one of Ontario's largest employers. Employees work for various ministries, with offices in more than 70 cities across the province. We offer:
• a career that can grow across ministries and job functions
• flexible learning and developmental opportunities, including education and mentorship programs
• many employee networks offering support for and education about underrepresented groups