Senior Manager, Policy and Advocacy (Remote)

Title:  Sr. Manager, Policy & Advocacy

Department:  Strategy, Policy & Research

Reporting to: Sr Director, Policy & Research

Location: Remote - Canada (Candidates based in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Nova Scotia or willing to relocate) 

Compensation: $82K - $104K CAD

Who We Are: 

World Education Services (WES) is a non-profit social enterprise that supports the educational, economic, and social inclusion of immigrants, refugees, and international students. For 50 years, WES has set the standard for international academic credential evaluation, supporting millions of people as they seek to achieve their academic and professional goals. Through decades of experience as a leader in global education, WES has developed a wide range of tools to pursue social impact at scale. From evaluating academic credentials to shaping policy, designing programs, and providing philanthropic funding, we partner with a diverse set of organizations, leaders, and networks to uplift individuals and drive systems change. Together with its partners, WES enables people to learn, work, and thrive in new places. For more information about WES, please visit our website at www.WES.org. 

About the Opportunity

This role supports the capacity of WES Canada to engage in policy advocacy to influence policy reforms and programmatic solutions that advance the mission of WES. The role supports policy initiatives related to credential recognition, healthcare, global mobility, workforce development and equitable labour market inclusion for skilled internationally educated professionals in various regulated occupations, including educated healthcare professionals.  

The Sr Mgr, Policy & Advocacy role is responsible for collaborating on policy analysis, developing policy advocacy positions and strategies; engaging stakeholders, including those directly impacted by the issues; and coordinating other policy activities (e.g., planning and evaluation). Each Policy & Advocacy manager holds both general and specific portfolios, which may include any of the following:  internationally educated health professionals or professionals in other regulated professionals.

What You’ll Do:

• Manage a number of collaborative Communities of Practice with up to 15-20 stakeholders advancing the ecosystem for internationally trained physicians, internationally educated nurses, and others.
• Organize and coordinate quarterly virtual gatherings with co-chairs of various communities of practice. This includes setting the agenda, priorities, topic areas, and follow-up.
• Conduct policy analysis related to licensure pathways, health workforce planning, labour market integration, direct care and the care economy, decent and good work practices.
• Monitor provincial and federal labour policies impacting immigrants in regulated professions, including healthcare professions.
• Collaborate with colleagues across WES Canada teams (program, policy, operations, corporate) to provide policy insight and to develop and write policy positions, recommendations, and advocacy strategies on key priorities. This includes developing theories of change/logic models to define goals, outcomes, impacts and progress metrics.
• Develop workplans and implement specific advocacy strategies.
• Participate in monitoring, evaluation and reporting on activities.
• Provide nuanced analysis, identify trends, developments, and opportunities, In licensing reform for regulated occupations.
• Organize webinars and workshops in partnership with key stakeholders, including regulatory and licensing bodies.
• Research, monitor and analyze information from a range of stakeholder perspectives; conduct environmental scans of research, news, policy and program developments, legislation etc.
• Develop policy insight by directly consulting relevant stakeholders to inform policy advocacy positions, with a focus on those directly impacted and proximate leaders.
• With the support of WES Communications teams, develop, write and disseminate policy-related materials reports, position papers, briefing notes, submissions, talking points, blogs for a range of audiences
• Develop materials and present in meetings, conferences, workshops, and other fora.
• Represent WES with external stakeholders
• Identify, build, and nurture relationships with a range of system stakeholders including those directly impacted, allies, partners, decision-makers and influencers in order to develop and implement WES’ policy agenda.
• Engage with those directly affected by issues, and proximate leaders, to ensure that WES positions are informed by and amplifying those voices.
• Lead, participate in and/or support stakeholder meetings including coordination, agenda-setting, planning, notetaking, and follow-up, including logging in Salesforce.
• Provide project management for policy and stakeholder initiatives through work-planning, managing critical paths, tracking, and reporting
• With Sr. Director, identify where contractor/consulting support is required on projects, develop scope of work, recruit and manage contractors/consultants.
• Support department and division level planning and evaluation activities including tracking, reporting, and reflection/learning
• Assist in the development and implementation of specials projects as assigned and perform other duties as and when required.

Your Experience:

The ideal candidate will have:

Required 

• Master’s degree in public policy, public health, workforce planning, labour studies, regulated occupations, economics, public administration, immigration studies, political science, knowledge management or other relevant social science field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Five years of relevant, hands-on policy and advocacy experience in immigrant workforce integration, labour market policy, regulated occupations, and/or healthcare workforce planning.
• Familiarity with policy reforms and programmatic initiatives which impact internationally educated healthcare professionals and/or familiarity with regulated occupation frameworks and licensing bodies.
• Strong facilitation skills to manage virtual communities of practice comprised of subject matter experts, civil society and non-profit organizations, academics, government members and those with lived experience working to address systemic barriers faced by internationally educated healthcare professionals.
• Strong understanding of decent work practices and job quality in regulated occupations.
• Strong project management experience, including managing complex, cross-sector initiatives.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, including a proven ability to create and deliver presentations to a range of audiences and to communicate and liaise with senior leaders and decision-makers.
• Work experience and/or subject matter expertise in immigration policy and economic inclusion of immigrants, with specialized knowledge in one or more of the following: occupational licensing, especially internationally educated health professionals; competency-based hiring and employer engagement; or other areas aligned with WES mission.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate the political landscape and the policy making processes of a range of stakeholders
• Demonstrated political acuity to navigate among groups with diverse or divergent interests
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to support and work collaboratively with other team members and partners to advance shared goals and projects.
• Strong research and analytical skills including demonstrated abilities to carry out basic quantitative research and data analysis.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks and projects at once.
• Proven ability to apply a complexity-lens and systems thinking approaches to complex problems and dynamic/emergent environments.
• Ability to navigate in evolving and changing situations to meet goals and objectives 
• High-level of computer proficiency, including MS Office suite (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint), cloud-based systems, Teams and other common digital work tools.
• Be excited about WES’ mission, and advancing equity, inclusion, and diversity.
• Be able to navigate in evolving and dynamic situations to meet goals and objectives. 
• Have a deep-rooted intellectual curiosity and an openness to diverse ideas and perspectives.
• Thrive an environment that values transparency, collaboration, and a learning orientation.
• Build informal working relationships, quickly establish credibility in new areas of work, and mobilize people at all levels towards collaborative goals.
• Strong alignment with WES mission and values and demonstrates a growth mindset 

Desired

• Travel Requirements: Minimal travel, expected 10%  
• We welcome applicants with lived experience navigating licensing processes in regulated occupations
• Bilingual (English and French) is an asset, but it is not required

Our Values: 

• Opportunity - We open doors so people can build better futures.
• Inclusion - We become stronger, more creative, and more resilient when we embrace diversity.
• Equity - We uphold fairness and justice in our work and actions.
• Enterprising - We are resourceful, inventive, and driven.

Inclusive Recruitment Process:

We welcome all applicants, irrespective of their experience perfectly fitting the job description, as we value diverse and innovative viewpoints. At our organization, individuals who thrive in a culture of continuous learning and inclusive teamwork excel. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported and welcome members of all backgrounds and perspectives to apply.

Our Commitment:

World Education Services is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that reflects the rich tapestry of our communities, both in the US and Canada. This commitment is underscored by our unwavering dedication to providing equal opportunities to all qualified individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or genetics. This commitment extends to every aspect of employment, from recruitment and hiring to promotions, training, and benefits. We comply with all applicable federal, state, and local anti-discrimination laws. For us, diversity goes beyond compliance – it's about embracing unique perspectives and cultivating an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential. 

If you require assistance and/or accommodation at any point during the recruitment process, please contact us at hiring@wes.org, we're here to support you. Our Talent Acquisition team is happy to work with you to find solutions that meet your needs.

For more information about WES, please visit our website at www.WES.org

This position is an existing vacancy and is currently open for hire.