Community Engagement Advisor – Ontario Line en Metrolinx

Metrolinx is connecting communities across the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Metrolinx operates GO Transit and UP Express, as well as the PRESTO fare payment system. We are also building new and improved rapid transit, including GO Expansion, Light Rail Transit routes, and major expansions to Toronto’s subway system, to get people where they need to go, better, faster and easier. Metrolinx is an agency of the Government of Ontario.

At Metrolinx, equity, diversity and inclusion are essential to living our values of serving with passion, thinking forward and playing as a team.

Metrolinx is looking for three (3) Advisors to serve as a liaison to the community supporting construction of the Ontario Line, who will help build positive relationships through open, clear and timely communications while striving to foster an informed understanding of construction for neighbours living in close proximity to project sites. You will contribute to the development and implementation of strategic community engagement plans, represent the interests of the community and stakeholders internally to Metrolinx project teams, and share externally the Metrolinx story of how we're transforming the Greater Golden Horseshoe and helping to connect communities. You will report to a Senior Manager, Community Engagement.
 

What will I be doing?

• Contribute to the development and implementation of community engagement strategies.
• Develop strong and effective relationships to liaise directly with residents/businesses close to construction sites by assisting them in navigating disruptive construction while working closely with construction teams to reduce construction and develop solutions to impacts. 
• Gather information through site visits, stakeholder meetings, interviews, surveys, and other channels to investigate and address public concerns and mitigate issues.
• Organize and chair stakeholder meetings such as Construction Liaison Committees, including developing presentation materials.
• As part of a cross-functional team, organize open houses, virtual open houses, and other large-scale events to share information about the project with nearby residents and businesses and to obtain feedback.
• Regularly canvass assigned construction areas to actively listen and survey nearby residents/businesses about their experience to relay data to construction teams. 
• Regularly conduct construction site visits to understand the stage and scale of work and to monitor for impacts on the surrounding neighbourhood.
• Deployed as a rapid response to construction sites, residences and local businesses when issues arise that require support for community members.
• Use an issues management lens to find solutions and mitigations to challenges that can arise with residents and businesses during construction.
• Serve as a public-facing representative of Metrolinx to exchange information, respond to phone and email inquiries and complaints, and execute communications strategies.
• Strong influencing/negotiating skills as well as political acumen capabilities to deal with a variety of stakeholders, vendors and staff to ensure successful outcomes and achieve goals.
• Contribute to inputting and monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) to adjust tactics. Develop briefing notes and event summaries and other materials to support decision-making.

What Skills and Qualifications Do I Need?

• Completion of a diploma in Communications, Media, Urban Planning, Transportation Planning, Public Administration or related field – or a combination of education, training and experience deemed equivalent. 
• Demonstrated progressive experience in communications, community engagement, public administration, issues management, or project management, with experience communicating complex information to the public about sensitive issues.
• Having a valid Ontario Class “G” driver’s license is an asset, though not required. 
• Complete proficiency in the English language is essential to facilitate high profile public communications.
• Ability to communicate in French or other language is an asset.
• Familiarity and experience working with the diverse communities that make up the region.
• Previous experience working on large infrastructure projects and facilitating public consultation or engagement processes.
• Knowledge of customer service, de-escalation techniques and tactics, and issues identification/management, including demonstrated ability in active listening
• Ability to learn and embrace a variety of project management, customer relationship management, and stakeholder management software applications, as well as use traditional applications (e.g. desktop publishing, word processing)
• Knowledge of or ability to learn multi-channel content creation, including web-authoring and social media.
• Experience leading projects to deliver high quality communications products within tight deadlines with many levels of approvals. 
• Organizational, research, planning, time management and project management skills. 
• Interpersonal, diplomacy, oral/written communication skills and political acuity.
• Flexible Hours – must be prepared to work outside of regular working hours (beyond 5pm during the work week and weekends as required) to facilitate and organize community and stakeholder meetings and events.

Don’t Meet Every Requirement? 

If you’re excited about working with Metrolinx but your past experience doesn’t quite align with every qualification of this posting, we encourage you to apply. You just might be the right candidate for this or other roles. We are always looking for great talent to join our team.

We invite all interested individuals to apply and encourage applications from members of equity-deserving communities, including those who identify as Indigenous, Black, racialized, women, people with disabilities, and people with diverse gender identities, expressions and sexual orientations.

Accommodation:

We value the unique skills and experiences each person brings to Metrolinx and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment. We are committed to the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act so if you require accommodation during the hiring process, please let our Recruitment team know by contacting us at: 416-202-5601 or email [email protected].

Application Process:

All applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada. Metrolinx will be using email to communicate with you for all job competitions. It is your responsibility to include an updated email address that is checked daily and accepts emails from unknown users. As we send time-sensitive correspondence, we recommend that you check your email regularly. If no response is received, we will assume you are no longer interested in pursuing the opportunity. Please be advised that a Criminal Record Check may be required of the successful candidate. 

For Internal applicants, with the recent implementation of the Internal Mobility Policy, the internal recruitment process has changed for non-union roles. Candidates must be in their current role for 12 months prior to applying for another role and each applicant must be in good standing (not participating in a Performance Improvement Plan). Please review all provisions of the policy before submitting your application.

Should it be determined that any background information provided is misleading, inaccurate or incorrect, Metrolinx reserves the right to discontinue with the consideration of your application.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

WE ARE AN EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE EMPLOYER.

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