Manager, Program Design & Policy

Agricorp; Guelph; On-site; CAD 107,000 - 126,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health and dental benefifi

Pension plan

Paid vacation days and sick leave

Work-life balance

Learning and professional development

Job summary

Agricorp in Guelph, Ontario, seeks a Manager, Program Design & Policy to guide policy development, program design, government relations, and issues management. You will lead a team of Program and Policy Specialists, driving strategic initiatives and cross‑functional collaboration.

You will work with senior leaders and partners to shape programs, ensure operational readiness, and align policy with government priorities, while managing resources and promoting excellence.

Qualifications

• Five years’ experience in people management, budget management, strategic business planning and leadership.
• Experience in government or public policy is required.
• Knowledge of agricultural or financial/insurance program delivery is an asset.
• Occasional travel within Ontario to meetings is required.
• Strong ability to lead teams and manage performance.
• Planning, organizing and resource management are essential.
• Critical judgment, decision-making and problem solving are expected.
• Initiative and accountability for results are required.
• Analytical thinking to identify patterns and risks.
• Client focus and service excellence with internal/external clients.
• Familiarity with legislation, policies, procedures and standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead analysis of government policies, program proposals, and issues to identify opportunities and risks.
• Provide strategic advice on high-profile issues affecting program delivery and risk.
• Support corporate positions on priorities with evidence and stakeholder input.
• Lead development of policy options and program recommendations aligned with mandate.
• Build relationships with government partners (OMAFA, AAFC) and other agencies.
• Represent Agricorp in policy discussions and priority initiatives.
• Collaborate across departments to ensure consistent issues management and delivery.
• Provide day-to-day direction to the Program Design and Policy team and manage resources.

Skills

People management

Budget management

Strategic planning

Leadership

Policy analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Team leadership

Travel willingness

Analytical thinking

Client focus

Legislation & standards

Job description

What makes Agricorp a great place to work? Our people. We care about Ontario agriculture. We come to work every day knowing that what we do matters. And we care about each other too.

Agricorp offers a professional and flexible environment, with a generous vacation allowance, good benefits including a defined-benefit pension plan, and a commitment to supporting our employees’ individual training and development.

If you’re enthusiastic and committed to excellence, we want to hear from you.

We believe our employees are our greatest strength, which is why we offer:

• Comprehensive health and dental benefits - to keep you and your family well
• Pension plan - to support your long-term financial security
• Paid vacation days and sick leave - to support your overall well-being
• Work-life balance - with supportive leaders who respect your time outside of work
• Opportunities for learning and growth - including mentoring, coaching, and support for professional development

Agricorp is seeking a Manager, Program Design & Policy to join our Program Development Division.

The Program Development Division leads program analysis, policy development, stakeholder engagement, and program design in partnership with government and industry. The team plays a key role in shaping new programs, supporting program changes, and ensuring operational readiness so that programs can be delivered effectively, efficiently, and transparently.

The Role

Reporting to the Senior Director, Program Development, the Manager, Program Design & Policy is a strategic leader responsible for guiding policy development, program design, government relations, and program issues management.

You will lead a team of Program and Policy Specialists and provide direction on complex policy, program, and business issues that support Agricorp's mandate and government priorities. Working closely with senior leaders across Agricorp, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), and other partners, you will build strong relationships, influence decision-making, and ensure the efficient and effective management of issues and critical government relationships.

In this role you will:

• Lead the analysis of government policies, program proposals, and emerging issues to identify opportunities, risks, impacts, and implementation considerations.
• Provide leadership and strategic advice and recommendations on high-profile and complex issues that may impact program delivery, corporate risk or stakeholder relationships to the Senior Director, senior leadership, and executive team.
• Support the development of corporate positions on program priorities, government initiatives, and strategic issues and ensure they are informed by evidence, analysis, stakeholder input and operational considerations.
• Lead the development of policy options and program recommendations that align with Agricorp's mandate and government direction.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key government partners, including OMAFA, AAFC, and other provincial agencies.
• Represent Agricorp in discussions related to policy development, program priorities, and strategic initiatives.
• Work collaboratively across Agricorp to ensure a coordinated and consistent approach to issues management and program delivery.
• Build strong partnerships across Program Delivery, Strategic Management and Communications, Information Technology Services, and Corporate Services to advance corporate objectives.
• Provides day-to-day direction, leadership and technical direction to the Program Design and Policy Team
• Manages people and financial resources within area under responsibility; reports and forecasts variances

Job status: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: $107,075 - $125,970
Work status: Full time in office
Location: Guelph, Ontario

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years’ experience in people management (supervisory/leadership experience), budget management, strategic business management and planning.
• Experience in financial sector, government or public policy required.
• Agricultural experience, specific knowledge of financial or insurance sector program delivery processes and proficiency with project management methodologies and business analysis tools is an asset.
• Occasional travel within Ontario and to other provinces, to attend off-site government and industry meetings, is a requirement for this role.
• Leading teams – Leads and supports the performance of a team towards achieving excellent results.
• Planning and organizing – Develops, implements, evaluates, and adjusts plans to reach goals, while ensuring the optimal use of resources
• Critical judgment, decision making and problem solving – Uses critical judgment to make decisions and solve problems involving varied levels of complexity, ambiguity, and risk.
• Initiative – Identifies and deals with situations and issues proactively and persistently, seizing opportunities that arise.
• Achieving personal results – Focuses efforts on managing one’s self to achieve high-quality results consistent with the organization’s standards and measures, while managing risk.
• Analytical thinking – Interprets, links and analyzes information and situations by breaking them down into component parts, and identifying patterns, connections and underlying issues.
• Client focus – Provides service excellence to internal and external clients.
• Legislation, policies, procedures, and standards – Understands and uses relevant legislation, policies, procedures and/or standards in performing one's work.

Background

Agricorp, an agency of the government of Ontario.

Agricorp delivers government programs. These programs help protect the livelihood of over 47,000 Ontario farmers against the many risks farm businesses face every day. Our employees are skilled professionals who respond when industry and government need us, manage public funds with great care and integrity, and deliver a quality customer experience.

Agricorp helps grow Ontario agriculture. We underwrite $6-8 billion in risk each year. The agency was established in 1997, and since then we’ve made over $8 billion in payments to farmers when they needed it most.

October 30, 2026