Public Affairs Advisor, Policy, Equity and External Relations - 12 Month Contract (Hybrid, Toronto)

Law Society of Ontario • Toronto, ON

46d • Hybrid

About The Position

Engages with the Law Society’s stakeholders to increase licensee and public awareness of, and commitment to, Law Society initiatives, while ensuring the organization remains informed about issues of relevance within the membership and stakeholder community. Strengthens understanding of the Law Society’s mission, goals, initiatives, and services, and advocates on its behalf to justice system stakeholders.

Requirements

• Requires a 3-year Bachelor's Degree in public policy or a related discipline.
• Requires a minimum of 5 years’ experience in building relationships and alliances with stakeholders throughout the province, preferably in government, stakeholder relations, or a related field.
• The Law Society’s organizational structure, services, mandate, rules, and regulations.
• Law association structures and mandates.
• Political and government structures and processes.
• Creation of promotional copy and the designing and editing of publications.
• Microsoft Office Suite / 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
• Event hosting and meeting platforms.
• Web content management systems (e.g., Kentico).
• Relationship management platforms.
• Database systems.
• Mass email systems.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills
• Project coordination, prioritization, and time management skills
• Interpersonal, oral, and written communication, and presentation skills
• Organizational and multitasking skills with attention to detail
• Relationship Management

Nice To Haves

• French language is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Contributes to the development and implementation of the stakeholder engagement plan and provides strategic support to the CEO’s and Treasurer’s offices and the Law Society’s engagement and outreach activities.
• Develops and implement a focused outreach plan and support bencher (i.e. Board member) outreach initiatives.
• Provides significant input to the Manager, External Relations in the development and management of strategic responses to issues that impact the Law Society by conducting research, analysis, and drafting proposed responses, briefing notes, and speaking notes.
• Assists in identifying and developing outreach activities, events, and issues management strategies to advance Law Society initiatives.
• Supports the proactive and comprehensive stakeholder relations strategy and programs, including information exchange and personal contact with key stakeholders, such as key politicians and civil servants.
• Plans initiatives that require development of working relationships with multiple level contacts across departments to manage information and provide input for solutions to stakeholder issues.
• Supports the Law Society’s Action Group on Access to Justice (A2J) as lead staff overseeing the development and implementation of the A2J Week programming.
• Supports A2J Week and other CPD programs from formulation to filming, liaising with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the themes and content are relevant and reflect Law Society and access to justice objectives.
• Designs programs with input from stakeholders such as board members, senior management and external stakeholders, making adjustments to ensure it reflects LSO objectives.
• Monitors A2J’s budget, and informs management of the status and availability of funds.
• Develops and implements assigned projects in support of the goals and objectives of External Relations, the CEO’s and Treasurer’s offices, and the Law Society as a whole.
• Organizes and attends meetings with stakeholders throughout the province (networking events, programming and other relationship-building activities with county and district law associations, legal and paralegal organizations), and works closely with the Manager and other staff to coordinate follow-up services and activities.
• Liaises with other staff, stakeholders, and other provider organizations to obtain and to disseminate information and input about initiatives and issues of concern to the Law Society.
• Curates The Action Group on Access to Justice (TAG)’s communications vehicles and participates in the development of communications tools to ensure that timely and accurate communications reach the intended audience(s), both internal and external.
• Provide information to stakeholders to support the implementation of policies, programs, and initiatives.
• Monitors progress and provides reports to the Manager.
• Manages complex public affairs relationships in both the government field and external justice stakeholders, frequently without supervision.
• Forges strong relationships with stakeholder representatives and other organizations serving the profession to identify issues requiring action by the Law Society, to build commitment to promote initiatives and to ensure appropriate coordination of service delivery to members.
• Navigates layered and complex relationships with multiple stakeholders.
• Reacts proactively in unpredictable circumstances when in contact with stakeholders.
• Identifies emerging issues, recommends the development of policy, content, resources and other initiatives to address these issues.
• Contributes to the overall direction of policy, assessing and discussing priorities, member needs and accompanying strategies.
• Keeps stakeholders informed, and solicits their input on proposals for changes in policies and resources.
• Remains abreast of new developments in the practice of law and legal profession generally, and plans for the furtherance of policy and initiatives in conjunction with the ongoing improvement of all aspects of External Relations.
• Engages in continuous gathering and analysis of complex information on strategies employed in other jurisdictions in connection with initiatives and as well, within stakeholder and government relations communities.
• Provides quarterly activity and intelligence reports to the Executive Director.

Benefits

• We value each member of our team and invest in your professional learning and development.
• We provide access to the resources needed to support professional growth , mental health and well-being is a priority.
• Our competitive compensation package includes a defined contribution pension plan, health and dental benefits plan and a robust Employee and Family Assistance Plan (EFAP).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees