Company Bio

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

The Manager, Strategy, Risk and Integrated Planning Program supports the Executive Director, ESM, by leading the operational delivery of LAO’s business planning, enterprise risk management, 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 (KPIs, KRIs, and dashboards) for executives and the Board.

In the area of enterprise risk management, the Program Manager works with divisional risk delegates to prepare the quarterly enterprise risk report and oversees agency risk reporting to MAG, focused on high risks. This work is carried out in support of the Chief Risk Officer (VP SPA), ensuring alignment with OPS directives and effective risk governance across LAO.

The role also contributes to the successful delivery of LAO’s strategic initiatives by working closely with the Manager, Delivery Services and Standards, project delivery staff, and change management consultants. In this capacity, the Program Manager ensures initiative reporting aligns with enterprise planning and risk frameworks, 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 and risk.

Home Location: Provincial Office - Toronto
Secondary/Other Locations: Not applicable

Reports to: Executive 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, business planning, and risk management.
• 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:

o Forward-looking letters that establish divisional priorities for the year ahead.
o 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.

• Collaborate with the Manager, Delivery Services and Standards to 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.

Enterprise Risk Management

• Lead and continuously improve LAO’s enterprise risk management (ERM) framework, policies, and reporting processes.

• Identify, assess, and monitor enterprise-level risks, and provide strategic advice on mitigation strategies.

• Work with divisional risk delegates to prepare and update the quarterly enterprise risk report for executives and the Board (full enterprise risk profile).

• Oversee preparation of agency risk reporting to MAG, focused on high risks only.

• Oversee adherence to the Responsible Use Directive, ensuring that AI risk assessments are completed and documented for all proposed AI use cases.

• Support the VP SPA (Chief Risk Officer) with risk governance and alignment with OPS directives.

• Ensure risk considerations are integrated into planning, decision-making, and execution of LAO’s strategic initiatives.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Provide direction, coaching, and resource management to assigned staff (consultants/analysts supporting risk and 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 and risk management.
• 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, business planning, and enterprise risk management, ideally within the public or broader public sector.

• Knowledge of enterprise risk management concepts, principles, and practices, including OPS directives, with experience preparing risk reports for executives, Boards, and Ministries.

• 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, risk reports, 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 risk management, project management (e.g., PMP), change management (e.g., Prosci) or finance/accounting are considered assets.

• Experience with AI governance, technology risk, or compliance with directives (e.g., Responsible Use Directive) is an asset.

To apply submit a cover letter & résumé.

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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Once you have successfully applied you will receive a confirmation email.

Trouble applying? For telephone support please call 1-877-427-7717 or email support: candidate.njoynhelp@cgi.com

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.

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, enterprise risk management framework, and strategic initiative delivery. ESM is responsible for the development of LAO’s 5-year Strategic 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, Annual Report, and quarterly risk reporting, and integrates enterprise risk into planning, execution, and decision-making.

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