Senior Policy Advisor

Elections Ontario; Toronto; On-site; CAD 86,000 - 127,000; Full time

Job summary

Elections Ontario is seeking a Senior Policy Advisor within the Corporate Affairs unit to coordinate policy review, analysis, and maintenance across the agency’s portfolio. You will prepare briefings, presentations and reports, write procedures, and engage with committees and networks.

The role requires strong communication, strategic thinking, and ability to influence across divisions, with five days in-office presence and a focus on accountability and transparency in policy development.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years’ relevant experience, public sector experience is an asset.
• Must be legally entitled to work in Canada.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of various policies.
• Ensure policy review and recommendations are informed by subject-matter consultations.
• Take initiative to resolve policy implementation issues with minimal supervision.
• Brief Senior Leadership Team and Executive on policy portfolio and decisions.
• Prepare briefing notes and presentations for leadership.
• Maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholder groups to ensure effective communication.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Policy knowledge

Research

Analytical thinking

Interpersonal

Flexibility

Technical: MS Office & AI tools

Tools

Microsoft Office

SharePoint

AI tools

Job description

Salary Band: $86,379 - $127,288 per year

Hours of Work: 36.25 per week

Posting Date: September 24, 2026

Closing Date: October 5, 2026

Who we are

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (Elections Ontario) is an independent, non-partisan office of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, responsible for administering provincial elections, by-elections, and referenda.

At the heart of our work is a commitment to democracy – making voting easy and accessible for all electors, while maintaining the integrity, security, and transparency of the electoral process.

Join our team

The Strategic Planning and Portfolio Management division of Elections Ontario is seeking a results-oriented Senior Policy Advisor to join the Corporate Affairs unit, a diverse team of professionals in corporate planning, strategic analysis, policy development, stakeholder relations and protocol services.

This is an opportunity to demonstrate your highly developed strategic and analytic capabilities to coordinate the review, analysis, revision, and maintenance of the agency’s policy portfolio. The role will also include preparing briefings, presentations and reports, writing procedures, and engaging with internal and external stakeholders through our Political Advisory Committee and Political Support Network. Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to adapt to changing priorities will be essential to your success.

What you can expect in this role

Reporting to the Manager, Corporate Affairs, you will:

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of various policies.
• Ensure that policy review, analysis, and recommendations are informed by consultation with relevant subject‑matter experts and approved by relevant teams.
• Take initiative to resolve policy implementation issues with minimal supervision.
• Brief members of the Senior Leadership Team and Executive regularly on the policy portfolio and coordinating key policy decisions.
• Contribute to a range of reports, including but not limited to Board of Internal Economy (BOIE) Submissions, Annual Reports and Post‑Event Reports, legislative briefings and submissions.
• Prepare briefing notes and presentations for the Extended Leadership Team and Executive.
• Maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholder groups including other business units, the Political Advisory Committee and Political Support Network, to ensure effective communication and collaboration.

What you need to qualify

• Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead initiatives (e.g., policy, planning, operations, research, writing various enterprise‑level documents) and cross‑divisional teams.
• Communication: Excellent written skills with the ability to produce clear, concise, and well‑structured written materials, presentations and documentation, and a demonstrated ability to verbally present such information (e.g., reports, briefings, recommendations, presentations).
• Policy: Knowledge of policy development approaches (e.g., policy development, research‑policy‑practice cycle, legislative reform, etc.).
• Research: Undertake research into various areas of interest as directed by executive.
• Analytic and strategic skills: Proven conceptual, research, and evaluative skills
• to identify strategic issues, underlying causes, and develop options and recommendations.
• Interpersonal: Demonstrated interpersonal skills with a customer‑focused approach and a proven ability to build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external partners. Represent Corporate Affairs and/or Elections Ontario on internal and external committees as assigned.
• Flexibility: Ability to adapt to changing priorities, demonstrating resilience and a proactive approach to problem‑solving.
• Technical skills and knowledge: Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office, with an emphasis on Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and SharePoint; experience using AI tools for research purposes.
• Minimum of five years’ relevant experience, public sector experience is an asset.
• Must be legally entitled to work in Canada.

This role requires in‑office presence five (5) days per week. There is no hybrid option.

The successful candidate will be required to complete criminal background and social media checks as part of the hiring process.

Elections Ontario is an equal‑opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and accessible environment, where all employees feel valued, respected, and supported.

Under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code, we provide accommodation for applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment and selection process. If you require a disability‑related accommodation to participate, please call 1-888-668-8683, send a fax to 1-866-714-2809, TTY at 1-888-292-2312 or email [e-mail].

At Elections Ontario, all resumes are screened by the Talent Acquisition team and Hiring Managers, without the use of AI. Criminal record checks also do not use AI. However, AI technology is used when conducting social media checks.

Elections Ontario posts salaries in accordance with ESA pay/transparency legislation. Individual salaries within the anticipated salary range are determined through various factors, including but not limited to internal equity, education, relevant experience, knowledge and applicable skill sets.