Service System and Performance Management Advisor

Salary Pending Review

Reporting to the Manager of Community Strategy and Partnerships, the Service System and Performance Management Advisor is responsible for engaging with Niagara Region’s Children’s Services System. Using knowledge of children’s services best/promising practices, the position will lead system improvements and capacity building initiatives designed to advance system goals in programs areas such as EarlyON Family and Child Centres, Special Needs Resourcing, Specialized Funding, Quality Child Care Niagara, and Workforce Initiatives. This role supports community partners by implementing system change work, establishing, monitoring and interpreting system performance to ensure the effectiveness and integrity of program delivery for Children’s Services system. Performs analysis and monitoring activities for contracted service providers to measure performance and compliance.

• Post-secondary degree in Social Science, Business, or a related field

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience working within the social services and/or Children’s Services system

• Strong knowledge of best practices as it relates to the administration of programs and services for children and families age 0-6, community services delivery systems and social policy issues for families and children

• Strong knowledge of community programs and familiarity of local area an asset

• Strong knowledge and experience in creating performance measurement frameworks (e.g. KPIs) to continuously improve the service and experience for families and children in Niagara

• Ability to collect, interpret, and analyze data, and ability to use the information to identify trends and provide recommendations

• Possess strong written and oral communication skills combined with highly developed analytical, conceptual, technical, and interpersonal skills, personal integrity and professional commitment

• Experience in methodologies such as change management and process improvement

• Experience in knowledge translation techniques (i.e. knowledge exchange, learning and information sharing tools), capacity-building efforts, and keeping abreast of best practices

• Proven experience working in project teams and able to liaison with community agencies, staff, senior leadership, divisions, departments and the public

• Exceptional time management and project management skills

• Advanced proficiency in all Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, 365)

• Proficiency in Provincial data bases such as OCMS/OMS an asset

Responsibilities

Build system capacity within Niagara’s Children’s Services system through initiatives designed to support system goals, including community engagement, system transformation, capacity enhancement, and service standards and best practice integration. (35% of time)

• Leads and facilitates system transformation initiatives including supporting partnership expansion, system integration and continuous improvement opportunities, training, that support the achievement of service system transformation goals.

• Provide ongoing support to facilitate the programs funded through the Niagara Region Children’s Services as a Consolidated Municipal Service Manager

• Lead the development and implementation of learning development tools to service delivery agencies regarding reporting, policy and procedure, best practice and service system expectations in accordance with the principles and requirements of the Federal, Provincial and Regional government.

• Works closely with team members and community partners to identify systemic barriers for families and children living in Niagara

• Develops, maintains and supports professional relationships with community stakeholders. This may include working with agencies to coordinate and lead meetings, engage with sharing information, ideas and other communications across service agencies for consistent messaging and training

• Working with interdepartmental staff

• As appropriate, participate in Children’s Services working groups

Establishes and implements performance, service standards and benchmarks for reviewing the effectiveness and integrity of program delivery. (35% of time)

• Enhances data and performance culture across the Children’s Services division and service system through capacity-building efforts with the intention of collaboratively identifying KPI’s and methods to measure operations effectively; utilize information to inform decision-making and communicate performance and system data in an accessible format.

• Develops and implements performance measurement practices/ frameworks, policies, dashboards, tools that are effective in monitoring and reporting on service system objectives and outcomes to Federal, Provincial, Regional and other stakeholders.

• Support the monitoring and interpretation/feedback of system data and support the data analysis for the purpose of reporting and tracking performance, contract compliance and auditing

• Ensures best practice, performance-based, client-centered service delivery models are designed and implemented to enhance and improve services on a continuous basis, applying organizational/business process improvement methodologies

• Monitoring of KPI compliance and support agencies address concerns/ audit findings.

Through a quality improvement approach, ensure that Niagara Region Children’s Services funded contracts are monitored to ensure alignment with best practice and adhere to conditions of the award. Identifies and addresses program/system gaps and needs, and works to align system goals, opportunities, and resources, addressing barriers to program and systems-level success. (30% of time)

• Enhance service performance management and reporting systems and tools, which effectively improve Niagara Regions contract system oversight.

• Work with interdepartmental staff to participate in aspects of funding and contracting processes; support procurement activities as needed.

• Work in collaboration with partners agencies and programs, to ensure accurate and effective monitoring of programs, data collection, contracts implementation, and outcomes; create, review and track performance improvement plans.

• Collaborate with program leadership to develop audit response and corrective action plans; conducts service system delivery audits to assess progress made towards best practices, achievement of contractual compliance and Provincial/Federal standards compliance goals and objectives.

• Compiling audit findings and communicating results and recommendations for improvements; assist in the identification of any contractual risks and work to mitigate liability.

• Review, analyze, and keep updated on emerging best practices and legislative changes and their impact on the funded agencies.