Program Manager, Strategy and Integrated Planning

Legal Aid Ontario; Toronto; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Legal Aid Ontario is seeking a Program Manager, Strategy and Integrated Planning to lead the development of the Annual Business Plan and Annual Report, ensuring alignment with government priorities and LAO’s mandate. You will activate the 5-year Strategic Plan and deliver performance reporting to executives and the Board.

You will guide staff and consultants in integrated planning, KPI/KRI dashboards, and cross‑functional coordination with the CEO and VP teams.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in program management, strategy development and business planning.
• Experience leading corporate business plans, annual reports and strategic plans.
• Strong project management, leadership and change management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for executive/board interactions.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of LAO’s Annual Business Plan and Annual Report in line with directives.
• Activate and operationalize LAO’s 5-year Strategic Plan with actionable initiatives.
• Develop and maintain a planning and reporting framework for strategy and execution.
• Prepare CEO reports and Board briefings with performance insights.
• Provide direction and coaching to consultants and analysts in planning activities.

Skills

Project management

Change management

Strategic planning

Leadership

Communication & facilitation

Data-driven decision making

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business or public administration

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Legal Aid Ontario employees are committed to making a difference in the lives of our clients.

As an integral partner in the Justice system, working at Legal Aid Ontario is more than just a job. It's an opportunity to help people who need it the most; to ensure each client receives the access to justice afforded to them under the law.

If you are looking for a new challenge in your already meaningful career with a team dedicated to justice, and innovation in a flexible and supportive work environment consider this opportunity below.

Primary function

Department Overview

The Enterprise Strategy Management (ESM) department, within the Strategy and Public Affairs (SPA)Division, leads Legal Aid Ontario’s strategic and business planning processes, and strategic initiative delivery. ESM is responsible for the development of LAO’s 5-yearStrategic Plan and its activation across the organization, ensuring alignment of divisional and corporate priorities to government direction, the Letter of Direction (LoD), and LAO’s mandate.

ESM manages LAO’s project delivery framework and provides Project Delivery and Change Management Consultants to support the implementation of strategic initiatives. The department oversees the portfolio and prioritization of projects, ensuring that initiatives are aligned with LAO’s strategy and deliver on government and organizational priorities. ESM also ensures compliance with the Agency and Appointment Directive (AAD) through the Business Plan and Annual Report.

As a central hub, ESM tracks and reports on the status of strategic initiatives and corporate performance for executives, the Board, and the Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG).

The Program Manager, Strategy and Integrated Planning supports the Director, ESM, by leading the operational delivery of LAO’s business planning and performance reporting functions. The Program Manager is responsible for the development of the Annual Business Plan and Annual Report in compliance with the Agency and Appointment Directive (AAD), the activation of LAO’s 5-year Strategic Plan, and the preparation of performance reporting for executives and the Board.

The role also contributes to the successful delivery of LAO’s strategic initiatives by working closely with project delivery staff and change management consultants. In this capacity, the Program Manager ensures initiative reporting aligns with enterprise planning and may support or take a lead role in implementation depending on organizational needs. The position further provides direction and resource management to assigned consultants and analysts supporting planning.

Secondary/Other Locations:

Not applicable

Reports to:

Director, Enterprise Strategy Management

Key accountabilities

Strategy & Integrated Planning

• Lead development of LAO’s Annual Business Plan and Annual Report in compliance with the Agency and Appointment Directive (AAD), ensuring alignment with government priorities, the Letter of Direction (LoD), LAO’s strategic plan, and organizational mandate.
• Activate and operationalize LAO’s 5-year Strategic Plan, translating priorities into actionable initiatives and integrated planning activities.
• Develop and maintain a planning and reporting framework that integrates strategy and business planning.
• Support the Office of the CEO with the preparation of the CEO’s report back to the Board, ensuring alignment with organizational performance and strategic commitments.
• Coordinate development of Vice-President (VP) commitment letters, including:
• Forward-looking letters that establish divisional priorities for the year ahead.
• Retrospective summaries of achievements against those priorities, which are rolled into the Annual Report and the CEO report back to the Board.
• Provide oversight and guidance for divisional business planning, ensuring consistency, alignment, and integration with LAO’s enterprise planning framework.
• Prepare and deliver performance reporting, including KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), KRIs (Key Risk Indicators), and key initiative dashboards to executives and the Board.
• Ensure reporting on strategic initiatives is aligned with enterprise planning, business plan commitments, and board/executive reporting requirements.
• Work in partnership with the Business Intelligence team to prepare accurate and timely KPI and KRI reporting, ensuring consistency across data sources and alignment with LAO’s performance measurement framework.
• Monitor progress and provide regular reporting on key milestones, performance metrics, and deliverables.
• Act as a strategic advisor to senior leadership on planning and performance insights.
• Provide direction, coaching, and resource management to assigned staff (consultants/analysts supporting integrated planning), including workload planning, priority-setting, and performance management.
• Support staff development through training, feedback, and mentorship to build internal capacity in strategic planning
• Build collaborative relationships across LAO.
• Promote a culture of accountability, transparency, and results-oriented decision-making.

Required Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, management, public policy, or a related discipline (Master’s degree preferred).
• Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in program management, strategy development, and business planning, ideally within the public or broader public sector.
• Experience leading the development of corporate business plans, annual reports, and strategic plans in alignment with government directives.
• Strong project management, leadership, and change management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex information, synthesize insights, and provide strategic advice to senior leadership.
• Experience managing and developing professional staff, including consultants or analysts, with proven resource management and coaching capabilities.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with experience in facilitation, negotiation, and presenting at the executive/Board level.
• Strong written communication skills to prepare business plans, briefing notes, and submissions.
• High level of organizational and time management skills; able to manage competing priorities and adapt to changing needs.
• Professional designations or certifications in project management (e.g., PMP), change management(e.g., Prosci) or finance/accounting are considered assets.

Only those candidates selected for an interview will be notified by email.

Final candidates for this position will be required to undergo a criminal record check.

Please note that all applicants are encouraged to provide a valid email address for communication purposes. Applicants may receive written correspondence regarding this job posting directly to the email address provided on their resume or to the one used to set up their Candidate Profile if applying on Njoyn. As an applicant, it is your responsibility to ensure that you check your email regularly.

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Equity Statement

Building a diverse workforce that represents the communities we serve while promoting a safe culture and work environment that dismantles systemic barriers, welcomes fresh perspectives and embraces differences as a priority is a core value at LAO. LAO encourages applicants from equity-seeking groups, including but not limited to individuals who are First Nations, Inuit or Métis, Black and racialized, as well as persons with disabilities, women and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

We recognize the value of equity, diversity and inclusion and are committed to addressing systemic barriers, and prioritizing, attracting and retaining diverse staff. All interested and eligible people will be considered, with due consideration to all protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Legal Aid Ontario values integrity, respect, responsiveness, excellence, independence, accountability, openness and consistency. Our recruitment process reflects our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process as well as during employment at LAO. Please direct any accommodation requests to our recruitment team.