Community Services Specialist

**Division**:

- Homelessness Services and Community Engagement

**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.**

**Important Notices & Amendments**:

- Are you passionate about making a tangible difference in your community? We’re seeking a dedicated Community Services Specialist to join our team and support the development and implementation of impactful policies and programs for the Homelessness Services division. In this dynamic role, you will contribute to research, policy development, financial analysis, and special projects, all while helping to shape critical services for those experiencing homelessness. Reporting to the Director, you’ll play an essential role in managing and optimizing projects that have a lasting positive impact. If you’re a proactive, solution-driven professional with a passion for social change, we’d love to hear from you._

**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.

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

**Don’t have every qualification?**

**Job Summary**:
Salary Pending Review

Reporting to the Director, the Specialist is responsible for a range of research, policy, special projects, financial and analytical activities to support the development, implementation and management of policies, programs and projects for the Homelessness Services division.

**Education**:

- Post-secondary degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Social Sciences or equivalent
- Certificate or education courses in continuous quality improvement, community development, strategic planning, financial analysis, project management and program evaluation preferred.

**Knowledge**:

- Minimum five years’ experience in continuous quality improvement, strategic planning, program evaluation, and measurement preferable in government environment
- At least 3 years’ experience in conducting primary and secondary research including evaluation
- At least 3 years’ experience in strategic planning and program evaluation.
- Experience with policy or program-based initiatives that involve diverse internal and external stakeholders
- Experience working collaboratively with multiple community partners and ability to build and manage community and stakeholder relationships, including accountability oversight
- Experience preparing research proposals, reports, and other knowledge translation methods is preferred
- Knowledge of project management techniques/software, facilitation tools, and stakeholder engagement and consultation principles and techniques
- Ability to review, understand, analyze and synthesis financial information and data
- Advanced knowledge of office productivity software with experience using Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Outlook
- Progressive experience within a Human Services environment with experience in policy, program planning and evaluation.
- Ability to lead and develop projects, manage multiple projects concurrently, determine objectives and program goals, and risk mitigation strategies.
- Strong report writing, research, risk analysis, analytical and project management skills to meet program objectives and work to tight deadlines.
- Highly developed analytical and business planning skills with a proven track record for long-term visioning.
- Experience with GIS Mapping and PowerBI or other data visualization tools is an asset
- Experience developing responses to funding proposals.

***:
**Responsibilities**:
**Designs and conducts research and evaluat