Senior Policy Advisor

About the job

You will work closely with ministry partners to:
• Use your human-centred mindset and principles to define, plan, and deliver impactful projects that improve how government services are delivered and experienced
• Bring your analytical skills and creativity to tackle complex challenges within key policy priority files and deliver tangible outcomes using service design and systems thinking best practices.
• Provide a challenge function to existing and emerging initiatives
• Work with autonomy to scope ambiguous projects, engage diverse stakeholders, and facilitate workshops with cross-functional teams, while providing expert consultation and mentorship to staff.
• Identify and resolve roadblocks
• Undertake deep-dive, collaborative problem solving
• Connect teams with resources and subject matter experts

What you bring to the team

Policy Development and Performance Measurement Skills

You can:
• apply creative qualitative and quantitative research techniques (e.g. user research) to inform evidence-based policy options
• develop policy improvement opportunities based on current and future needs of people, balancing system constraints and challenges
• understand public sector decision-making practices to help manage the planning, implementation and evaluation of our team’s recommended approaches
• develop and implement performance measurement and evaluation strategies for programs, projects, systems and strategic initiatives

Problem-solving and Analysis Skills

You can:
• apply research tools (e.g. service design, process mapping, prototyping, user research) to understand and improve complex policy or program issues
• frame problems and research approaches within ambiguous contexts
• engage diverse groups of partners, stakeholders, and members of the public on complex topics through various techniques (e.g. interviews, workshops)
•synthesize and analyze qualitative and quantitative data to identify actionable insights and recommendations

Leadership and Project Management Skills

You have:
• led multiple projects and meet deadlines within a high-demand work environment
• comfort operating in a matrix structure, working with multiple, cross-functional teams at once
• experience identifying potential risks for projects, including financial, political, operational, and legal, to determine mitigating strategies and best course of action
• flexibility to adapt to shifting priorities and evolving roles as part of a team

Communication and Facilitation Skills

You have:
• sound judgement, tact and political acuity to advise senior executives on the strategic policy work
• enthusiasm for cooperativeness, co-design, and human-centred outcomes.
• strong verbal, visual, and written communications skills and can produce high-quality, easy-to-digest reports and presentations to support decision making
• influencing skills to support and resolve issues
• networking, influencing and partnership building skills to discuss and resolve competing policy and program related issues