Senior Advisor, Community Engagement

MX Career Site; Toronto; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 110,000; Part time

Job summary

Metrolinx is seeking a Senior Advisor, Strategic Engagement for an 18-month contract in Peel Region to support outreach for LRT and GO Expansion projects. You will develop strategies, engage diverse stakeholders, and coordinate with internal teams to promote project benefits.

You will also produce dashboards, analyses and presentations for senior management, while guiding community engagement activities across the 905 West region and ensuring timely information flow.

Qualifications

• Degree in Communications, Public Administration or related field.
• Experience in public sector communications and managing projects.
• Ability to build strategic relationships with stakeholders.
• Willingness to travel to Mississauga, Hamilton, and Kitchener-Waterloo.
• Knowledge of communications theory and public relations.
• Strong project management to meet timelines and budgets.
• Proficiency in MS Office.
• Strong influencing and political acumen.

Responsibilities

• Develop outreach strategies to promote understanding, acceptance and support for projects.
• Manage a range of projects (e.g., community tours, job fairs, consultations).
• Lead social responsibility initiatives and community engagement activities.
• Provide strategic options to manage risks and impact on LRT/GO Expansion.
• Develop and deploy content for neighbourhood notices and major track closures.
• Collaborate with teams on process improvements and information management.
• Support cross-functional coordination and prepare progress updates.
• Develop dashboards and synthesize information for reporting to senior management.
• Attend community meetings and external events as required.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

MS Office proficiency

Influencing/negotiating

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Public relations knowledge

Travel readiness

Education

Degree in Communications or Public Administration

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Contract /Temporary Assignment up to 18 months

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 Community Engagement Team at Peel Region is seeking a Senior Advisor, Strategic Engagement for 18 months contract role who will support the development and implementation of outreach strategies to promote the benefits of the LRT and GO Expansion projects within the 905 West regions, involve community members in the project, and create excitement about how this new transit will change the city for the better.

What will I be doing?

• Supports the development of strategies to promote understanding, acceptance, and support for projects within the 905 West Region and to build relationships with a variety of external stakeholders including, local businesses, non-profits, advocacy groups, nearby schools and the public.
• Proposes and manages a range of projects, such as a community tours program, job fairs, and consultations, in an environment of matrixed reporting relationships, rapid change and growth.
• Champions social responsibility initiatives, such as tree planting, park clean-ups, and outreach at cultural festivals, by proposing activities and opportunities for on-going community engagement.
• Identifies local issues to address strategy inefficiencies and provides leadership team with advice and strategic options to proactively manage risks and their possible impact on the LRT and GO Expansion projects within the 905 West regions.
• Leads the development and deployment of relevant content for Neighbourhood Notices, Acquisitions, Major Track Closures and any other community engagement channels that may require support.
• Identifies and collaborates with teams on process improvements to create consistency and efficiency for the team. These could include developing information management systems, budgets/forecasts, standard operating procedures, frontline office customer service protocols, call centre upgrades, and project management capacity building.
• Provides strategic support to the 905 West community engagement advisors by streamlining processes, finding efficiencies in workflows, drafting plans for program-wide initiatives and creating opportunities for collaboration and problem-solving with internal stakeholders.
• Develops data in dashboards and synthesizes meaningful information for reporting, analysis, and presentation purposes for use by senior management, internal business units and stakeholders.
• Interacts and/or works with cross functional teams, key stakeholders to coordinate information requests, develop progress updates, manage distribution of information while utilizing influencing skills to achieve desired outcomes.
• Supports the coordination and development of presentations to support internal and external conversations/connections.
• Responds to enquiries, provides advice, and makes decisions in accordance with established legislation, policies and procedures.
• Develops and maintains a strong network and collaboration with internal and external partners to coordinate projects, set priorities and deadlines and share best practices.

What Skills and Qualifications Do I Need?

• Completion of a degree in Communications, Public Administration or a related discipline – or a combination of education, training and experience deemed equivalent
• Demonstrated experience/training ideally in the public sector, developing communications materials; managing special projects, complex and sensitive issues/tasks, and timely flow of information
• Ability to build and maintain strategic relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including experience working with stakeholders with competing interests.
• This role requires to travel to Satellite offices in Mississauga, Hamilton, and Kitchener-Waterloo.
• Knowledge of the theory, principles, and practices of communications and public relations.
• Project management skills 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.
• Proficiency in computer applications, including MS Office (e.g. Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• 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.
• Analytical skills to analyze business needs and identify and assess communications risks and impacts on company reputation and develop recommendations for corrective action.
• Interpersonal and oral/written/presentation communication skills to prepare presentations, and develop community engagement materials
• May sometimes be required to attend community meetings, pop-ups and external functions, which may result in extended or irregular working hours.
• A valid G Driver's License is considered an asset, as travel between office locations is a regular requirement of the role. Travel may involve a combination of personal vehicle use and public transit.

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:

Metrolinx is an equal opportunity employer and committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are also committed to offering reasonable accommodation to job applicants in accordance with applicable legislation. If you require assistance or an accommodation at any point during the hiring process, please contact us at: 416-202-5601 or email [e-mail].

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.

For Internal applicants, with the recent implementation of the Internal Mobility Policy, the internal recruitment process has changed for non‑union roles.

Candidates must be in their current role for 12 months prior to applying for another role and each applicant must be in good standing (not participating in a Performance Improvement Plan). Please review all provisions of the policy before submitting your application.

Should it be determined that any background information provided is 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.