Senior Advisor, Vp Community Engagement Office

Metrolinx is connecting communities across the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Metrolinx operates GO Transit and UP Express, as well as the PRESTO fare payment system. We are also building new and improved rapid transit, including GO Expansion, Light Rail Transit routes, and major expansions to Toronto’s subway system, to get people where they need to go, better, faster, and easier. Metrolinx is an agency of the Government of Ontario.
At Metrolinx, equity, diversity, and inclusion are essential to living our values of serving with passion, thinking forward and playing as a team.
The Senior Advisor to the Vice President Community Engagement provides programmatic executive support and corporate governance by advising and recommending actions on a variety of topics related to policy, programs, and communications as well as managing special projects.
What will I be doing?

• Initiates and supports the development of divisional reports, presentations, communication strategies and plans, in collaboration with business units across the Communications and Community Engagement teams. This includes developing, reviewing, and analyzing reports, presentations, and communication documents prior to dissemination to ensure consistency, quality, and good flow of information.
• Handles complex situations and multiple responsibilities independently to support the executive agenda; identifies emerging issues and urgency of immediate demands; mediates and resolves conflicts associated with issues, ongoing work, and between competing projects.
• Understands established legislation, policies and procedures, and makes recommendations and decisions accordingly.
• Develops data in dashboards and synthesizes meaningful information for reporting, analysis, and presentation purposes for use by senior management, internal business units and stakeholders.
• Leads continuous improvement projects using LEAN methodology and best practices to create operational efficiencies in the Office of the Chief Communications Officer and the Communications and Community Engagement division as a whole.
• Collaborates with cross-functional teams, the CEO’s office, and key stakeholders to coordinate information requests, develop progress updates, and manage the distribution of information; strong influence and negotiation skills will assist in achieving desired outcomes.
• Manages the development and flow of useful, timely and accurate information between the business unit and a broad range of external stakeholders (e.g. Ministries, business partners).
• Works collaboratively with members of the Communications and Community Engagement Leadership Team on policy, projects and contentious or emerging issues; provides subject matter expertise and advice to assist with planning to ensure successful outcomes.
• Exercises a project management lens to assess business operations and effectively evaluate options, managing programs and special projects within established timelines.
• Excels in stakeholder management to develop and maintain a strong network with internal and external partners to coordinate projects, set priorities and deadlines and share best practices.

What skills & qualifications do I need?

• Analytical skills to analyze business needs, and identify and assess communications risks and impacts on company reputation and develop recommendations for corrective action
• Knowledge of the theory, principles, and practices of communications and public relations
• Minimum six (6) years’ experience, ideally in the public sector, developing communications materials; managing special projects, complex and sensitive issues/tasks, timely flow of information along with stakeholder interaction.
• Project management to plan, organize, and coordinate internal and external resources engaged in communications project activities to meet timelines, budget limitations, and adhere to quality control standards and best practices
• Interpersonal and oral/written/presentation communication skills to write speeches, prepare presentations, compile awards submissions, and add content to the newsletter and web site
• Completion of a degree in Communications, Public Relations, or related field – or a combination of education, training and experience deemed equivalent
• Strong influencing/negotiating as well as political acumen capabilities to deal with a variety of stakeholders, agencies and staff to ensure successful outcomes and achieve goals.
• Proficiency in computer applications, including MS Office (e.g. Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Don’t Meet Every Requirement?
If you’re excited about working with Metrolinx but your past experience doesn’t quite align with every qualification of this posting, we encourage you to apply. You just might be the right candidate for this or other roles. We are always looking for great talent to join our team.
We invite all interested individuals to apply and encourage applications from members of equity-deserving communities, including those who identify as Indigenous, Black, racialized, women, people with disabilities, and people with diverse gender identities, expressions and sexual orientations.
Accommodation
We value the unique skills and experiences each person brings to Metrolinx and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment. We are committed to the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act so if you require accommodation during the hiring process, please let our Recruitment team know by contacting us at: 416-202-5601 or email [email protected] .
Application Process
All applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada. Metrolinx will be using email to communicate with you for all job competitions. It is your responsibility to include an updated email address that is checked daily and accepts emails from unknown users. As we send time sensitive correspondence, we recommend that you check your email regularly. If no response is received, we will assume you are no longer interested in pursuing the opportunity. Please be advised that a Criminal Record Check may be required of the successful candidate. Should it be determined that any background information provided be misleading, inaccurate or incorrect, Metrolinx reserves the right to discontinue with the consideration of your application.
We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.
WE ARE AN EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE EMPLOYER.