Senior Advocacy Specialist

Canadian Cancer Society•St. John's, NL

1d•CA$56,000 - CA$64,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) is seeking a Senior Advocacy Specialist to join their team. This role is crucial in shaping the future of cancer care in Canada by advocating for policy changes and improving access to cancer drugs and diagnostics. The specialist will engage with various external stakeholders, including government bodies, patient organizations, and clinicians, to ensure patient and caregiver perspectives are integrated into advocacy efforts. The position will also support the design and execution of engagement activities to strengthen public and stakeholder input, thereby sustaining CCS's capacity for high-quality engagement.

Requirements

A university degree in a relevant health or science focused field, such as but not limited to public health, Health policy, Health sciences or life sciences.
Experience supporting Health Technology Assessment (HTA) processes in Canada, including contributing to submissions to CDA and/or INESSS, is considered a strong asset.
Demonstrated familiarity with drug approval, reimbursement, and pricing pathways in Canada, including the roles of key system stakeholders.
Combined total of at least 5 years working at a patient-focused charity or non-profit showcasing a solid foundation in identifying, synthesizing and advocating for identified needs of patients and their caregivers.
Experience building and maintaining relationships with diverse stakeholders, including patients, clinicians, researchers, and external partners.
Experience conducting qualitative and quantitative data analysis, including designing surveys or interview tools, synthesizing findings, and developing reports to make informed choices.
Proven ability to lead and deliver complex projects or workstreams involving multiple stakeholders, tight timelines, and a high degree of accuracy and accountability.
Excellent written and verbal English communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple contending priorities and deliver high-quality work within tight deadlines.
Demonstrated ability to work independently, identify opportunities for improvement, and proactively address issues in a complex, evolving environment.
Ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information.

Nice To Haves

Additional training or certifications related to health policy, market access, research methods, pharmacy or patient/public engagement is considered an asset.
Experience developing engagement tools, training materials, or resources for patients and/or clinicians is considered an asset.
Familiarity with the Canadian cancer landscape and the work of national health system stakeholders is considered an asset.
Bilingualism (French/English) is highly preferred, with French being an asset due to the organization’s nationwide operations and the need for effective communication across various regions.

Responsibilities

Lead the delivery of the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) program, including coordinating and developing patient submissions to pan-Canadian bodies.
Monitor all CDA/INESSS open calls for patient feedback on drug reviews relevant to CCS’s mandate.
Conduct research and liaise with internal mission teams and external stakeholders to develop a strong knowledge of the drug under evaluation and its clinical context.
Develop patient surveys and interview questionnaires aligned with the cancer type, indication, and drug under review; work alongside the Strategic Initiatives team to refine these tools and support dissemination of related calls to action.
Evaluate qualitative and quantitative data from surveys and interviews, and synthesize findings into draft patient submissions for review and approval.
Build and maintain relationships with senior staff at patient organizations and health charities to support collaboration and resource sharing.
Sustain and build relationships with senior patient engagement staff at pharmaceutical companies to generate contacts for clinical trials patients, as well as develop an awareness of similar drugs available on the market and funding status.
Promote the work of CCS in Health Technology Assessments to external partners.
Liaise with CDA/INESSS staff regarding CCS led or partner HTA submissions. Track the outcome of submissions.
Evaluate the success of each submission and the total number of patients engaged to contribute to advocacy key performance indicators. Maintain program data and existing tracking tools related to this program for advocacy performance measurement.
Develop and submit all patient submissions within a tight and defined timeframe to ensure CDA and INESSS have the information required to inform oncology recommendations.
Work across the organization to support the establishment of advocacy priorities to non-elected, pan Canadian bodies involved in the assessment, approval, and price negotiation of new drugs and health technologies that benefit people living with cancer.
Support the design and implementation of advocacy and public engagement plans to implement these advocacy priorities.
Seek opportunities to improve patient input into approval processes.
Build & maintain relationships with target public sector & private sector stakeholders.
Coordinate and sustain a community of practice among patient groups to share information on upcoming submissions, promote education and best practices, and build capacity in the HTA space.
Evaluate progress according to the focus areas and KPIs set out in the CCS organizational and mission—advocacy strategic plans.
Work closely with the Advocacy Content team on identified advocacy priorities.
Conduct CCS patient and clinician engagement in advocacy more generally. This involves overseeing advocacy priorities to ensure that the needs of patients, caregivers, and clinicians are reflected.
Support the design of engagement frameworks, tactics, implementation of public engagement priorities, working to reduce Mission—Advocacy dependency on external consultants to deliver these projects.
Support the Director, Advocacy, with the integration of advocacy department into broader CCS mission including research and support services.
Lead the development of self-advocacy toolkits on various issues to support patient engagement in CCS advocacy.
Track, examine and evaluate advocacy and mission integration activities.
Lead and maintain external advocacy working groups comprised of patients, caregivers, clinicians, and/or other relevant populations or professionals as required to encourage public engagement in new or existing advocacy priorities. Lead activities related to these groups.
Contribute to our culture of diversity, inclusion, belonging and equity (DIBE) by ensuring that all staff feel represented, valued, and heard across all aspects of their identity, including gender, age, religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, and sexuality.
Other duties as assigned