Policy & Project Advisor

City of Toronto•Union, NJ

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Business and Technology Transformation (BTT) branch is responsible for information technology projects and business support services for the Parks and Recreation Division. The branch also provides consultation and advice for large-scale technology projects as they move from concept to implementation to sustainment. Reporting to the Director, the Policy & Project Advisor will lead issues management, City Council coordination, branch development, and special projects for the branch working closely with the Director and associated management teams, as well as the General Manager’s Office, other branches of P&R and other City divisions.

Requirements

Must have post-secondary education in Public Policy and Administration, Communications, Planning or a relevant discipline or equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
Considerable experience in preparing communication materials for all levels of government, stakeholders, and the public through a variety of platforms (memos, briefing notes, presentation decks, emails, etc.).
Considerable experience in issues management, public relations, media relations, internal staff communications, stakeholder relations and monitoring key strategic partnerships.
Considerable project management experience with a demonstrated ability to take initiative and work independently to meet deadlines, handle multiple and diverse projects, and function as a strong team player in fulfilling the branch’s and the division's goals.
Excellent presentation skills and outstanding writing, editing and communications skills with the ability to structure and present information clearly, concisely, and logically, to both internal and external stakeholders, through a variety of communication platforms, while ensuring corporate branding and messaging.
Ability to have high degree of judgement, political acumen and discretion; ability to analyze, problem solve and mediate complex situations with multiple stakeholders; strong networking and relationship building skills; and ability to handle matters of confidential/sensitive nature as it relates to Council, senior staff, management and unionized employees.
Knowledge of municipal operations, Committee and Council proceedings, collective agreements, City guidelines, policies, municipal bylaws, and relevant legislation including Employment Standards Act, Human Rights Code and Occupational Health & Safety Act, AODA, and a general understanding of issues facing divisions and the City.
Ability to thrive in a highly demanding, rapidly changing and very creative environment with frequent and completing priorities, deadlines, and multiple tasks.
Proficient in a variety of computer platforms, including MS Office, SharePoint, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, WebEx, Slido, internal/intranet technologies, digital asset management systems and various databases.

Responsibilities

Manages agenda items to Community Council, Committees of Council and City Council, ensures coordination of responses from appropriate staff, direction to the division is identified and analyzed for divisional impacts and reviews reports to ensure they are appropriate and accurate before processed in a professional, thorough and timely manner.
Provides support with on-going strategic planning, priority setting and development of branch annual work programs, functional standards, policies and procedures, in consultation with other City divisions and community stakeholders.
Prepares and drafts briefing notes, presentations and reports on emerging issues, requests for information, and reports for presentation to senior management, standing committees, partners, and Council for strategic decision making.
Manages assigned projects, ensuring effective teamwork and communication, high standards of work quality and organizational performance and continuous learning.
Acts as a common escalation point for issues that require multiple functional team inputs and perspectives to resolve.
Analyzes complex issues and identifies potential root causes, with the support of relevant technical subject matter experts.
Monitors issue resolution, ensuring work is complete, and updates stakeholders and systems, as appropriate.
Mobilizes cross functional staff to review issues, and to present solutions and resolution.
Cultivates effective working relations, represents the branch and division as a subject matter expert and consults with Members of Council and their staff, internal and external stakeholders, other divisions and members of the public on community and project committees, programs, services and in cross-divisional strategic planning and activities.
Leads a variety of assigned and special projects.
Manages a high volume of work in a fast-paced environment requiring independent decision making, significant judgement and experience managing issues.
Deals with confidential, sensitive, and urgent information affecting operations, assets and resources.