Senior Specialist, Symptom Management Cancer Programs

At Ontario Health, we are committed to developing a strong organizational culture that connects and inspires all team members across the province. Our vision is that together, we will be a leader in health and wellness for all. Our missionis to connect the health system to drive improved and equitable health outcomes, experiences and value. How we work together is reflected through our five values: integrity, inspiration, tenacity, humility and care.

What Ontario Health offers:

Achieving your career goals is a priority to us. Benefits of working at Ontario Health may include the following based on employment type:

·Fully paid medical, dental and vision coverage from your first day

·Health care spending account

·Premium defined benefit pension plan

·3 personal days and 2 float days annually

·Individual contributors start at 3 weeks’ vacation with 4 weeks at 2 yrs.

·Career development opportunities

·A collaborative values-based team culture

·Wellness programs

·A hybrid working model

·Participation in 

Want to make a difference in your career? Consider this opportunity.  

The Symptom Management Program is situated within the Cancer Clinical Programs Portfolio and is closely aligned with the Oncology Nursing and Experience & Engagement Programs. The Symptom Management Program aims to improve the quality of life for patients with cancer and their families by integrating a person-centered patient-reported outcome measurement (PROM) system into cancer care. This enables patients to report symptoms in real-time, helps improve clinical response and engages patients in self-care. The Symptom Management Program works with regional partners in the cancer system to implement patient-reported measurement tools, produce clinician products to guide appropriate response to/management of patient symptoms and drive evidence-informed quality improvement initiatives.

Reporting to the Manager, Symptom Management, the Senior Specialist will be an enthusiastic self-starter who will thrive in a challenging, multi-dimensional work environment. They will support the Manager and team in delivering on Symptom Management Program priorities and operational mandates by executing key activities and developing required deliverables, processes and tools. The Senior Specialist will be responsible for the planning and execution of medium to large-scale projects/quality initiatives. They will be a content expert on cancer PROMs, understanding how PROMs are collected and responded to at the hospital level, and leading the reporting and performance management at Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario). 

This is an exciting opportunity to apply your health systems knowledge and strong communication, measurement and project management skills to improve cancer care. 

Here is what you will be doing:  

Lead cancer patient reported outcome measure (PROM) (Your Symptoms Matter) operations, including supporting Regional Cancer Programs on PROM implementation, data collection and PROMs response

Understand, interpret, and clearly communicate performance metrics, data analyses and results related to symptom management to stakeholders and use data to identify priorities for performance improvement in the cancer system regarding symptom screening and response

Act as a primary liaison and source of information on cancer PROMs and symptom management to internal and external stakeholders

Support programs’ provincial committees, advisory councils, communities of practice, and working groups

In collaboration with clinical experts, conducting literature reviews, surveys, and environmental scans; developing frameworks; and actively participating in the development of recommendation reports

Develop content expertise in the technology, data, business intelligence and analytics that supports the Symptom Management Program; specifically the Interactive Symptom Assessment and Collection (ISAAC) Tool

Develop various products including but not limited to briefing notes, analytical reports, executive summaries, status updates and presentations to support internal and external communication, business reporting and decision-making

Partner with the Manager and other team members in the development and maintenance of work plans to ensure completion of deliverables on-time

Actively manage projects/initiatives, including identifying and effectively communicating with relevant stakeholders, managing project documentation, driving agendas, leading meetings and providing input in a collaborative setting

Work in a self-directed manner and proactively identify and escalate risks as appropriate

Support colleagues and perform cross-functional tasks and/or other duties within Cancer Clinical Programs, as required

Here is what you will need to be successful:  

Education and Experience

Master´s degree (preferred) or undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., epidemiology, health services research, public health, health sciences, health administration) or equivalent combination of education and experience

Minimum three to five years of related experience, preferably in a healthcare environment working with clinical experts and health care administrators

Demonstrated success leading/supporting large-scale projects, including planning, implementation and evaluation, preferably in a health care environment

Experience with project management and measurement related to quality improvement and evaluation

Experience with patient reported measurement is considered an asset

Knowledge and Skills

A strong understanding of the Ontario health care landscape

Proven ability to establish positive working relationships; must be team-oriented, possess a positive attitude, and work well with a broad network of teams, individuals, and stakeholders

Proven ability to think critically, problem-solve and provide thorough and practical solutions to problems and approach challenges proactively

Demonstrated initiative and independence to take appropriate action and anticipate organizational needs

Strong attention to detail to ensure accuracy and consistency

Commitment to advancing health equity

Excellent organization and time management skills with an ability and prioritize assignments to meet timelines and manage competing priorities

Knowledge of performance measurement, metric development, and reporting best-practices

Knowledge of research methods and program evaluation

Excellent writing skills including the ability to prepare briefing notes, presentations, reports, standard operating procedures, etc.

Excellent oral communication skills including the ability to deliver effective presentations, facilitate discussion and answer questions

Strong relationship building skills, with demonstrated experience engaging and building relationships and consensus amongst diverse stakeholders, including clinicians and/or patient and family advisors

Ability to work well under pressure and use good judgment in assessing difficult situations

Comfortable working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment with a degree of uncertainty or ambiguity

Employment Type:  Permanent Full Time

Salary Band:  5

Location: Ontario (currently hybrid; subject to change)

All applicants must be a resident of Ontario to be considered for roles at Ontario Health.

Internal Application Deadline Date:  April 15, 2024

Ontario Health encourages applications from candidates who are First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and urban Indigenous; Francophone; Black and racialized; members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities; trans and nonbinary; and disabled.  

We encourage applicants with accessibility needs to notify us if they have any accommodation needs in the application and/or interview process.  

Note: As part of the initial recruitment screening process, applicants must confirm that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If applicants are not fully vaccinated, they will be required to identify any accommodation needs pursuant to a protected ground under the Code. Applicants who identify an accommodation need will be required to provide supporting documentation with respect to their need for accommodation when requested by Ontario Health. If no such accommodation is identified, the applicant will not be eligible to proceed through the recruitment process.