Division

Health Promotion and Foundational Standards

Important Notices & Amendments

This position currently falls within our hybrid model**, allowing the employee to** typically work a minimum of 50% of your time at your regular work location and the other 50% of time at home.

As an employer of choice, Niagara Region offers competitive salaries and benefits, a defined benefit pension plan, a corporate wellness centre, access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP), mentorship and training programs, employee recognition programs, and more. In addition, the Region recognizes the value of having flexible work arrangements to support better work-life balance for our employees. Hybrid work arrangements may vary from one employee to another and may also differ in the number of remote workdays. These opportunities remain subject to the alignment of operational needs, business requirements, and customer service expectations.

About Us

Serving a diverse urban and rural population of more than 475,000, Niagara Region is focused on building a strong and prosperous Niagara. Working collaboratively with 12 local area municipalities and numerous community partners, the Region delivers a range of high-quality programs and services to support and advance the well-being of individuals, families and communities within its boundaries. Nestled between the great lakes of Erie and Ontario, the Niagara peninsula features some of Canada’s most fertile agricultural land, the majesty of Niagara Falls and communities that are rich in both history and recreational and cultural opportunities. Niagara boasts dynamic modern cities, Canada’s most developed wine industry, a temperate climate, extraordinary theatre, and some of Ontario’s most breathtaking countryside. An international destination with easy access to its binational U.S. neighbour New York State, Niagara attracts over 14 million visitors annually, as well as a steady stream of new residents and businesses.

At Niagara Region, we value diversity - in background and experience. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We aspire to hire and grow a workforce reflective of the diverse community we serve. By doing so, we can deliver better programs and services across Niagara.

We welcome all applicants! For more information about diversity, equity, and inclusion at Niagara Region, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - Niagara Region, Ontarioor email related questions to diversity@niagararegion.ca. To send input on reducing barriers in the current hiring process, please email myhr@niagararegion.ca

For the Region's full employee equity statement, Working at Niagara Region - Niagara Region, Ontario.

Don’t have every qualification?

You may be hesitant to apply if you do not have every qualification listed in the posting. While specific qualifications are important for certain roles, we invite individuals from diverse backgrounds and varying levels of experience and education to apply. Our recruiters will evaluate your suitability for the role.

Please note that for unionized roles, we must follow collective agreement requirements. However, we encourage all interested candidates to submit their applications. We believe success in a role can extend beyond meeting every single requirement.

Job Description

Job Summary

Salary Pending Review

Reporting to the Manager Planning Evaluation & CQI (Public Health), the Planning and Evaluation Advisor strives to have an impact on the health and health equity of Niagara residents through the systematic planning and evaluation of public health initiatives. The Planning and Evaluation Advisor is a central resource for the planning and implementation of effective public health practice across Public Health and promotes a culture of continuous quality improvement. The Planning and Evaluation Advisor provides advice and guidance to program staff in regards to departmental, program, and project, planning and evaluation. The Planning and Evaluation Advisor exercises considerable judgment and independence in guiding strategic and operational initiatives.

Education

• Post-secondary degree in public health, evaluation, planning, health promotion, epidemiology, or related discipline with a focus on qualitative and quantitative evaluation or quality improvement
• Master’s level training in a public health, evaluation, planning, epidemiology, or related discipline
• Credentialed Evaluator designation from the Canadian Evaluation Society is an asset

Knowledge

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in planning and evaluation in a public health unit or relevant setting
• Knowledge in applying and coaching evidence-informed decision making practices and/or rapid review methodologies, including critical appraisal skills, to program planning
• Knowledge of program evaluation, survey development and key performance indicator development to ensure effective measurement of programs, services and processes
• Knowledge and expertise with both qualitative and quantitative methodologies and data analysis, including statistical analysis software (e.g., SPSS, Stata, SAS, R, NVivo)
• Knowledge of quality improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma)

Responsibilities

Lead the implementation of planning and evaluation activities, including the implementation of the Planning and Evaluation Framework and the completion of annual business planning processes across Public Health and Emergency Services (40% of time)

• Collaborate with the Epidemiologist and Data Analyst as part of a team that supports program and intervention planning and evaluation, research, knowledge exchange and quality and transparency
• Facilitate planning and evaluation of programs, services and projects using best practice methods and documentation, including situational assessments, environmental scans, rapid reviews (including critical appraisals), work plans, evaluation plans, and related reports. This may result in the position being privy to sensitive and confidential information around operational planning and resource allocation.
• Support the collection, creation, analysis and dissemination of evidence to support decision-making and the planning and evaluation of new and existing programs and interventions that meet the needs of Niagara’s population using a health equity approach
• Direct and provide leadership for the activities within the Planning and Evaluation Framework, providing work direction, setting priorities, determining methods and procedures to be used, resolving problems, and supporting the development of skills
• Facilitate the completion of annual business planning processes, including conducting audits on completed plans and educating staff on new components of the plan
• Provide the Strategic Leadership Team with strategic and evidence-informed advice to form strategic plans and priorities
• Develop and provide project management tools and templates to planning teams to support the timely execution of projects
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of the department’s Planning and Evaluation Framework, including the accompanying methods, tools, and templates

Develop and implement multiple program, intervention and activity evaluations simultaneously, to evaluate the effectiveness, acceptability and availability of programs and services in Public Health (30% of time)

• Consult with managers and staff on the need for, and the design and implementation of program, intervention and activity evaluations. Depending on the complexity of the evaluation, the Planning and Evaluation Advisor leads, supports or facilitates the evaluation.
• Provide expert guidance to identify, monitor, and report on metrics and outcomes using data that is both measurable and meaningful for assessing the extent to which objectives and outcomes are achieved and where areas for improvement are identified
• Perform quantitative and qualitative analyses with the use of statistical software packages and other software instruments on a variety of available data (e.g., survey data, structured and unstructured Electronic Health Record data, focus group data)
• Draw conclusions, make recommendations, and use appropriate knowledge exchange methods to report evaluation findings, results and recommendations
• Develop an approach to monitor and evaluate program and intervention outputs and outcomes across Public Health and Emergency Services

Oversee the planning and implementation of continuous quality improvement initiatives across Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services (20% of time)

• Embed quality improvement thinking and practices and build a continuous quality improvement culture by creating mediums to promote and showcase continuous quality improvement initiatives and facilitating quality improvement teams
• Support, educate and coach staff on quality management and improvement methodologies
• Collaborate with staff to implement and monitor continuous quality improvement projects to determine the root causes of performance shortfalls, including the development of process maps
• Collaborate with staff to seek ways to streamline processes and increase efficiency in programs and services
• Review and maintain continuous quality improvement tools and systems and ensures their accessibility across the department
• Provide decisions makers with summarized assessment results to support decision making related to quality improvement initiatives

Build strategic networks, alliances and partnerships across internal and external invested parties to ensure robust planning, evaluation and continuous quality improvement work (10% of time)

• Work closely with management and staff to monitor research and evaluation needs and requests
• Build capacity for performance measurement across Public Health and Emergency Services through knowledge exchange and the development and implementation of learning and development tools and tactics
• Pursue professional networks and self-development to enhance evaluation practice in Public Health
• Build partnerships across the corporation to promote consistency with planning and evaluation practices, where appropriate
• Build professional networks across other public health units and actively participate in the relevant provincial networks, including the Continuous Quality Improvement Community of Practice and the Ontario Public Health Evaluator’s Network (OPHEN)
• Remain well-informed of current issues and emerging methodologies in public health planning by reviewing research literature, maintaining a network of contacts and participating in professional development opportunities

Perform other related duties and responsibilities as assigned or required

Special Requirements

• Regional staff strive to enable the strategic priorities of council and the organization through the completion of their work. Staff carry out their work by demonstrating the corporate values.
• May be required to support emergency operations under the incident management structure at the direction of the Emergency Operations Centre Director

Closing Statement

Uncover the wonder of the Niagara Region and join a team dedicated to meeting tomorrow’s challenges TODAY!

Let us know why you would be an excellent team member by submitting your online application.

We thank all candidates for their interest however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

If you require an accommodation for the application process in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, the alternate formats for contacting us are as follows:

• Email: myhr@niagararegion.ca
• Phone: 905-980-6000 or 1-800-263-7215
• Bell Relay: 1-800-855-0511
• In-person: Sir Isaac Brock Way, Thorold, ON L2V 4T7 – Human Resources Department