Victim Specialist

Ontario Provincial Police; Elliot Lake; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Join the Ontario Provincial Police as a victim support advocate. This role involves providing trauma-informed assistance to crime victims and collaborating with community partners to ensure their needs are met. Candidates should demonstrate empathy, strong communication skills, and commitment to cultural responsiveness, particularly towards Indigenous communities. This opportunities offers a chance to contribute to public safety and community well-being.

Benefits

Employee Assistance Programs

Professional Development Opportunities

Inclusive Workplace Policies

Qualifications

• Knowledge of victims' rights and support systems.
• Ability to interpret and apply legislation related to victim support.
• Cultural responsiveness to Indigenous communities.

Responsibilities

• Provide guidance and support to crime victims during the investigative process.
• Collaborate with police and community partners to enhance victim support.
• Maintain working relationships with various stakeholders.

Skills

Communication

Empathetic Listening

Problem Solving

Cultural Understanding

Education

Degree in Social Work, Psychology, or related field

Job description

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is one of North America’s largest deployed police services with more than 5,800 uniformed officers, 2,400 civilian employees and 830 Auxiliary officers. We provide essential services that ensure the safety and security of the people of the Province of Ontario. The OPP is a division of the Ministry of the Solicitor General, the largest operational ministry in the province with a presence in every community across Ontario. We are the largest police service in Ontario and the second largest in Canada.

The Crime Prevention and Community Support Bureau provides vital operational support to regions, bureaus, and detachments across the province, coordinating programs in areas such as offender management and apprehension, victim support, auxiliary programs, and community well-being.

The Bureau operates with a core commitment to prioritizing a victim-centered approach in all its endeavors. With victims’ needs and rights at the forefront, the Bureau collaborates closely with communities, and stakeholders to identify safety concerns and implement effective strategies. At the heart of its mandate is the development of initiatives aimed at enhancing public safety and preventing crime throughout Ontario.

In tandem with these efforts, the bureau sets provincial standards for programs focused on crime prevention and community well-being, ensuring consistency and excellence in program delivery while ultimately fostering safer and more resilient communities across Ontario.

The OPP Values promote always doing the right things for the right reasons, by:

Serving with PRIDE, PROFESSIONALISM and HONOUR.
Interacting with RESPECT, COMPASSION and FAIRNESS.
Leading with INTEGRITY, HONESTY and COURAGE.

About the job
You will provide essential support, advocacy and guidance to victims and survivors involved in a criminal justice process, inquest or inquiry, ensuring that individuals affected by crime receive trauma-informed, compassionate and impartial assistance during the investigative process. To collaborate with police and community partners to create a holistic and victim-centred response.

What you bring to the team
Mandatory requirements
Ability to pass an OPP background/ security investigation.
Valid Class “G” driver’s licence.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the rights of victims as defined by federal/provincial legislation.
Ability to interpret and apply legislation such as criminal justice system/law enforcement, mental health laws, working knowledge of federal, provincial and municipal statutes.
Knowledge of Victim Quick Response Program to support referrals to victim services.
Knowledge and understanding of the diversity of Indigenous culture and traditions.
Community focus to maintain regular contact with and show genuine respect for the Indigenous community and the community at large by initiating involvement with community organizations or agencies.
Demonstrated understanding and commitment to be culturally responsive, in keeping with Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Calls to Justice.
Understanding of the guidelines of victim confidentiality and privacy.
An understanding of trauma and its impact on victims (i.e. trauma informed response).

Interpersonal and Communication Skills
Empathetic listener with the ability to understand and respond appropriately and to treat all people with respect, understanding and compassion.
Ability to communicate orally and in writing.
Ability to liaise with and maintain relationships with local, provincial, and federal agencies, human service systems, non-profit organizations and other stakeholders to ensure the smooth transition of and/or adequate and appropriate resources/referrals to victims.
Exhibits teamwork and collaboration by participating constructively in group decisions.
The ability to establish and maintain working relationships with different persons of different cultures, ethnicities, and socio-economic status and variety of personnel in varying positions both internal and external to the organization, treating all individuals with patience, sensitivity, respect, and dignity.
Ability to work with and develop relationships within the community supported.

Problem Solving/Analytical skills:
Negotiating/mediation skills and problem solving and analytical skills related to victimization.
Ability to navigate the resources required for victims to ensure their needs are met during the investigative process.
Planning, organizing and coordinating skills to manage multiple victim assistance projects/initiatives concurrently.
Ability to exercise sound judgement, critical thinking, and decision-making when providing recommendations to victims/witnesses/survivors

Don’t meet every qualification?
If you are excited about this position and meet most, but not all, of the listed qualifications, please still consider applying. We recognize that no one person might have every qualification in this job ad, and you just might be the right candidate!

How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility
We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.

Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario’sHuman Rights Codeand theAccessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please contact us.

Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace:
diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
accessibility
Anti-Racism Policy

Additional information:
Apply by:
Tuesday, June 17, 2025 11:59 pm EDT
Position details:
1 English Permanent, 47 Hillside Dr N, Elliot Lake, North Region, Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check (Fingerprint Based)

How to apply:
You must apply online.
Your cover letter and resume combined should not exceed five (5) pages. For tips and tools on how to write a concise cover letter and resume, review the Writing a Cover Letter and Resume: Tips, Tools and Resources.
Customize your cover letter and resume to the qualifications listed on the job ad. Using concrete examples, you must show how you demonstrated the requirements for this job. We rely on the information you provide to us.
Read the job description to make sure you understand this job.
OPS employees are required to quote their WIN EMPLOYEE ID number when applying.
If you require a disability related accommodation in order to participate in the recruitment process, please Contact Us to provide your contact information. Recruitment services team will contact you within 48 hours.
Language requirements and assessment:
All external Ontario Public Service (OPS) job ads are posted in English and French. Check the “position(s) language” section at the top of each job ad for the language requirements. For all roles, candidates are assessed in English, the business language of the OPS. If the position is bilingual (English/French), you’ll also need to pass a French-language proficiency test.

About security checks:
A criminal or other federal offence recorddoes not automatically disqualify youfrom the position. We consider each situation based on the position’s responsibilities.
If a check is needed and you’ve lived outside of Canada in the past 5 years for 6 or more months in a row, or if you are not a Canadian resident, you’ll need to provide an out-of-country police clearance certificate from the country you lived in.
Employment screening checks are only reviewed and evaluated by the Transition and Security Office, which also maintains them and keeps them strictly confidential.

Exigences en matière de langue et évaluation:
Toutes les offres d’emploi externes de la fonction publique de l’Ontario (FPO) sont affichées en français et en anglais. Consultez la section « Langue du ou des postes » en haut de chaque offre d’emploi pour connaître les exigences linguistiques. Pour tous les postes, les candidats sont évalués en anglais, la langue d’affaires de la FPO. Si le poste est bilingue (anglais/français), vous devrez également passer un test de compétences linguistiques en français.