Project Coordinator: Strategic Foresight Specialist (one-year contract)

A substantial shift in the Canadian labour market – including rising automation and digitization of jobs, increased exposure to precarious work, and growing employment in the gig and sharing economies – poses new challenges for young people seeking sustainable employment. These challenges are exacerbated among young people living with disabilities, who are persistently excluded from the labour market.

There is a critical need to ensure that young people with disabilities are able to meet the challenges of a changing labour market and take advantage of potential opportunities. With funding from the federal government, the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) is undertaking research that takes a transdisciplinary perspective towards addressing the future of work and examining how changes in work may positively and negatively affect young people with disabilities.

To that end, the Institute is seeking a qualified project coordinator who is a strategic foresight specialist. This person will work with the project's principal investigator and a multidisciplinary team of scientists, collaborators and knowledge transfer and exchange associates to support foresight and knowledge production activities.

Principle duties and responsibilities

As a member of the research team, the successful applicant will:

• support a program of research that examines the future of work as it relates to people with disabilities,
• apply strategic foresight methods and practices to research generation and to the development of innovative strategies and anticipatory solutions,
• participate in the development of a systematic environmental scan on the future of work, 
• coordinate and conduct interviews and focus groups with diverse key informants, including young people with disabilities, policy leaders, employers and health-care providers,
• coordinate a strategic foresight planning session,
• contribute to knowledge transfer and exchange outputs, including the development of future-focused recommendations for a range of knowledge users,
• manage day-to-day activities, including goal-setting, project timeline development and financial management,
• contact key informants and schedule interviews,
• coordinate communications with diverse researchers and team members, and
• prepare reports for funders required over the reporting cycle.

Education and experience

The successful applicant will have:

• a masters’ degree in strategic design (MDES), systems thinking, social policy or an equivalent,
• experience working within public policy or research environments where strategic foresight approaches are applied to develop innovative solutions to complex problems,
• knowledge of the intersection between public health, labour market policy and social innovation,
• qualitative research skills (and experience in use of NVivo software is preferred),
• experience conducting environmental scans,
• strong project management skills, as well as strong interpersonal and communications skills, 
• sound knowledge of, and experience with, the Microsoft Window’s environment, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel,
• excellent multi-tasking and time-management skills, with an ability to set priorities and meet deadlines,
• strong writing and editing skills, and
• a well-developed ability to work both in a team environment and independently.

Salary range

Salary will depend on the qualifications and education of the successful candidate, and will range from $68,000 to $72,000, with benefits. Suitability for the position will be assessed at three months. The position is offered as a one-year contract, with the opportunity for renewal. 

Application details

Applications will be accepted until Friday, May 24, 2019.  

If you are interested in this position, please submit your application by mail or email to:

M. Cicinelli
Director, Human Resources & Corporate Services
481 University Avenue, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario M5G 2E9
Email: mcicinelli@iwh.on.ca

The Institute is an equal-opportunity employer and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates. We thank all applicants, but only those considered for the position will be contacted. 

About the Institute

The Institute, guided by a Board of Directors and an international Scientific Advisory Committee, conducts research in two areas: the primary prevention of work-related injury and illness, and the prevention and management of work disability. The Institute has an active knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) program, which implements interactive strategies to transfer research findings to key decision-makers. The Institute is committed to excellent working conditions and a cooperative, team environment for its employees.The Institute for Work & Health operates with the support of the Government of Ontario. For more information about our organization, visit our website at: www.iwh.on.ca