Policy Advisor, Grain Farmers of Ontario

Grain Farmers of Ontario is looking for a highly motivated team player for our new Policy Advisor role. The ideal candidate enjoys evaluating and interpreting policy, has strong project management skills and is experienced at writing policy briefs. It doesn’t hurt if they have experience working in a political office either! If this describes you, we invite you to apply for Grain Farmers of Ontario’s Policy Advisor position.

What we offer

Grain Farmers of Ontario offers competitive salary, full benefits, and a group retirement program with employer contributions. We also offer a collaborative, team environment with the opportunity for learning and development as well as an active social committee planning fun and interesting social events. Due to COVID-19 we are currently working remotely with access to our office as needed. Planning for the future of our workplace is underway but has not yet been finalized.

The Role

The Policy Advisor will provide timely analysis of provincial and federal government policy, regulations and public affairs trends that will affect grains and oilseed farmers in Ontario. The analysis will be used to present recommendations to the organization which will be used in the development and implementation of GFO policies, government relations activities, business development and public affairs decisions. The Policy Advisor will work on complex tasks requiring analytical thinking and will have a high level of independence while also contributing to working groups and cross functional project teams. This position will report to the Manager, Government Relations.

Your day-to-day

• Conducts a broad range of policy analysis and development projects related to Agriculture, sustainability and consistent with the organization’s strategic direction

• Provide analysis and recommendations to the Manager, Government Relations on policy or regulations proposed by the provincial and federal governments
• Analyze the impact of government programs on Ontario farms and GFO policies
• Assist in the development and implementation of legislative and parliamentary strategies
• Conducts research on assigned issues to propose policy recommendations, preparation of position papers and recommendations on GFO actions
• Assist in the maintenance of the government relations website
• Plan and execute key annual government relation events including:
  • Queens Park political reception
  • Federal political reception
  • International Plowing Match political lunch
  • Delegate Policy Day
• Maintain a current understand of public policy trends and public movements and opinions through a variety of channels.

What you will bring

• Three (3) to five (5) years’ experiences in a policy analyst role

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, political science, sustainability or related field

• Ability to evaluate and interpret policy options to assess the impact of cost and benefit to the organization

• Proven project management skills to plan, establish priorities, anticipate issues and implement recommendations across functional teams and working groups
• Knowledge of Ontario and federal political policy trends, agriculture, climate change, and environmental policy

• Demonstrated experience writing policy briefs

• Familiarity with, and working knowledge of related provincial and federal government ministries, agencies and committees – Agriculture, Trade, Environment 

• Ability to work effectively with detailed concepts and numbers, while maintaining broad prospective on policy issues and implications

• Experience and skill in presenting analytical results and recommendations in a variety of formats and the ability to tailor presentations to different stakeholder groups as needed.

• Demonstrated understanding of policy decision-making processes

• Knowledge of the Canadian grain industry (corn, wheat, soy, oats and barely) is an asset

• Sound judgment, integrity in all actions, critical thinking skills

• Willingness to work extended hours and evening as required

• Valid driver’s license

About Grain Farmers of Ontario

Grain Farmers of Ontario is the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers. The crops they grow cover 6 million acres of farm land across the province, generate over $4.1 billion in farm gate receipts, result in over $18 billion in economic output and are responsible for over 75,000 jobs in the province.

Learn more about us at www.gfo.ca

To apply for this role visit the Grain Farmers of Ontario Career Center

Submissions must be in the form of a resume with an accompanying cover letter detailing your experience and qualifications relative to the position. Applications without a cover will be deemed incomplete and will not be considered.

Location: Guelph, ON

Hours of work: Full Time (Monday-Friday, 35 hours/week)

Application Deadline: Sunday August 29th, 2021 @ 11:59pm

Grain Farmers of Ontario is committed to a fair and inclusive work environment. We will endeavor to accommodate the needs of qualified applicants in all parts of the hiring process.

All resume information is received in confidence.

While we appreciate and thank all applicants, we will only directly contact those candidates selected for an interview