General:
Under the guidance and direction of Senior Policy staff, the Program Officer II is responsible for a range of services that support the planning and delivery of CHSRF’s strategic priorities. Priority activities include: (1) identifying, developing and supporting CHSRF’s dissemination strategies within priority themes; (2) assuming a lead role in producing summary and communication products; and (3) leading and managing Policy program projects.
Characteristic Responsibilities:
Technical/Specialized or Program
- Write CHSRF research summary products, reports and external communications.
- Manage complex projects and prepare written products.
- Develop and maintain expertise on approaches to the collection, compilation, summary and/or synthesis of research.
- Develop procedures, guidelines and communication tools to disseminate CHSRF products and initiatives by engaging with community stakeholders through various channels.
- Provide research, evaluation and analytical support to the policy program through routine environmental scanning of available literature to identify leading practices and methods.
- Conduct on-going environmental scanning in the health policy field (and others) to identify trends and developments in health policy, and identify future program directions or activities.
- Contribute to the visibility of CHSRF-led initiatives with external audiences.
- Manage external contracts related to the delivery of CHSRF (and other) policy dialogue projects and initiatives.
- Manage the planning, organizing and debriefing of roundtable meetings; coordinate and plan agendas; record and distribute minutes; liaise with partners, participants, and external contractors such as event planners; manage and implement event registration processes; identify, facilitate and manage and/or prepare materials, including conference materials and registrants kits; manage on-site and off-site logistics as required.
- Perform other duties as assigned by senior Policy branch staff.
Operational
- Work closely with senior Policy program staff, and collaborate with colleagues in other departments to identify synergies and opportunities for collaboration.
- Contribute to recommendations for improvement within the policy dialogues program and throughout CHSRF.
- Collaborate with colleagues to increase the capacity of the applied health services research community to meet the needs of decision-makers. Provide information to inform and support project and event budget development, track project budgets, and ensure budget reconciliation. This includes completing, processing and reconciling expense authorization forms and expense claims and maintaining budget status reports.
- Contribute to the development of CHSRF policies where necessary.
- Work with staff throughout CHSRF to ensure a consistent approach to internal and external communication.
External Representation
- Develop and maintain solid relationships in the health services research and decision-making community to increase awareness of health services research and policy and promote communication among stakeholders.
- Sustain relationships in the health policy communities to develop opportunities for dialogue.
- Represent CHSRF at workshops and conferences.
Strategic Advice/Recommendations
- The Program Officer is expected to provide advice/recommendations to senior staff.
Skill:
- Bilingual in French and English is desired (English Communication at the Advanced, “C” level, and French oral communication at Intermediate, “B” level)
- Bachelor’s degree (master’s level preferred) in a relevant field; for example, health policy, community health, journalism or communications
- Three years of progressive experience in a similar function
- Sound oral and written communication skills, including experience writing research summaries and reports; ability to summarize, interpret and synthesize complex information
- Demonstrated leadership and commitment to objectives consistent with CHSRF’s core values: teamwork; transparency and simplicity in processes; attention to output and productivity; creativity, innovation, initiative; and evidence-informed decision-making
- Highly developed interpersonal and oral communication skills including experience developing and maintaining strategic partnerships and networks of numbers of stakeholders
- Ability to plan and carry out broad assignments including planning and coordinating large and small meetings where complex subject matter is discussed, often involving collaborative efforts; ensuring their timely completion
- Complex problem-solving skills requiring probing for information to determine the nature of the problem; developing unique solutions; comprehension of highly complex material
- Advanced software skills including word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, database, electronic mail and scheduling
- Tact and diplomacy to deal with external contacts
- Well organized and attentive to detail
- Work in a self-directed fashion
- Work well in a small, dynamic and highly motivated team
Effort:
- Regularly required to multi-task and manage several files simultaneously over an extended period of time, and juggle multiple competing priorities with occasional urgent situations
Working Conditions:
- Occasionally required to engage in local or overnight travel
- Occasionally required to extend hours of work to meet work demands and occasionally expected to work evenings and weekends during peak periods
- Frequently interrupted
