Position Title: Manager, Strategic Initiatives and Program Delivery
Position Type: Fixed Term
Contract Duration: Twelve (12) to Eighteen (18) months
Location: Mississauga, ON
Job Grade: 7
Hiring Range: $105,677.00 to $147,964.00/year
Hours of work: 36.25 hours/week
Reporting to: Director, Strategic Relations and Public Affairs
This posting is applicable to: Internal/External Applicants
Skilled Trades Ontario (STO) is a Crown agency responsible for skilled trades certification in Ontario, which includes:
- Establishing apprenticeship programs, including training standards, curriculum standards and certification exams.
- Administering apprenticeship programs, including approving apprentices and sponsors, registering training agreements and assessing applications for apprenticeship program completion.
- Issuing certificates of apprenticeship to completed Ontario apprentices.
- Assessing experience and qualifications of individuals who have not completed an apprenticeship program in Ontario.
- Administering exams, including certifying exams, in all trades subject to certifying exams.
- Issuing Certificates of Qualification in all trades with certifying exams.
- Renewing Certificates of Qualification in compulsory trades.
- Maintaining a Public Register of people authorized to work in compulsory trades.
- Researching apprenticeships and the trades.
Skilled Trades Ontario (STO) is seeking a Manager, Strategic Initiatives and Program Delivery to lead the planning, implementation, and delivery of strategic programs and initiatives that support the organization's mandate and corporate priorities.
Reporting to the Director, Public Affairs and Strategic Relations, the position is responsible for leading complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives, managing external partnerships, overseeing project and program resources, and translating strategic objectives into actionable plans and measurable outcomes.
The Manager serves as the organizational lead for assigned strategic initiatives, including the Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP), ensuring effective governance, stakeholder engagement, program delivery, communications, implementation, and performance reporting. For UTIP, the Manager leads program planning, coordination, resource development, financial monitoring, and funding accountability activities that support apprenticeship modernization, apprentice progression, and completion. The role also coordinates contributions across departments, including standards and curriculum modernization initiatives, to ensure program objectives are achieved and strategic outcomes are realized. The incumbent works across departmental boundaries to coordinate resources, guide decision-making, and ensure successful delivery of initiatives that advance Skilled Trades Ontario's strategic objectives.
The position is also responsible for identifying and supporting emerging organizational priorities and providing strategic capacity for special projects, consultations, stakeholder initiatives, and cross-functional work streams as required.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Program Leadership
- Lead the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of strategic initiatives and special projects.
- Serve as the program lead for assigned portfolios, including UTIP.
- Develop and implement workplans, project schedules, governance structures, performance measures, and reporting frameworks, including translating approved funding commitments into integrated workplans that identify deliverables, accountable leads, milestones, resource requirements, and dependencies across participating departments.
- Identify risks, issues, dependencies, opportunities, delivery gaps, resource constraints, and proposed changes to program scope, timelines, or budgets, and develop mitigation strategies and recommendations for appropriate approval.
- Provide strategic advice and recommendations to senior leadership.
- Monitor program outcomes and ensure deliverables are completed on time, within scope, and aligned with organizational objectives.
- Support funding accountability, reporting requirements, and program evaluation activities.
Stakeholder and Partnership Management
- Build and maintain strong relationships with unions, employers, industry associations, government partners, training providers, contractors, subject matter experts, and community organizations.
- Lead stakeholder consultations, focus groups, surveys, advisory committees, and working groups to identify apprentice, sponsor, employer, and training provider needs and inform program and resource development.
- Represent STO in meetings, consultations, conferences, and partnership discussions.
- Gather intelligence and stakeholder feedback to support decision-making and continuous improvement.
- Support the development and implementation of stakeholder engagement strategies and partnership initiatives.
Program Communications and Implementation
- Lead program implementation and stakeholder information activities, ensuring external materials receive appropriate review and align with organizational messaging and brand standards.
- Translate technical, policy, and program information into clear, accessible, user-focused resources and communications products.
- Develop implementation, rollout, and adoption strategies for new programs, tools, resources, and initiatives.
- Coordinate with Communications and Marketing resources to support awareness campaigns, stakeholder outreach, and promotional activities.
- Prepare presentations, reports, briefing materials, executive summaries, web content, and stakeholder resources.
Product and Resource Development
- Lead the development of program resources, toolkits, guides, learning materials, digital products, and support tools.
- Collaborate with subject matter experts, vendors, and internal stakeholders to establish requirements and validate content.
- Ensure resources incorporate accessibility, plain language, inclusive design, and Universal Design for Learning principles and address barriers related to language, geography, and access to technology.
- Lead business requirements development and coordinate the evaluation and implementation of digital learning and support tools, in collaboration with IT, subject matter experts, and external providers.
- Oversee quality assurance, user testing, and stakeholder validation processes as required.
- Coordinate technical content validation and required approvals with the responsible departments and subject matter experts before resources are released.
Leadership and Team Management
- Provide leadership, coaching, and performance management for assigned staff and project resources.
- Establish priorities and allocate resources to support program and organizational objectives.
- Foster collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
- Support employee development and engagement.
- Promote a high-performing, client-focused team environment.
- Identify staffing and skill requirements, contribute to recruitment and onboarding, and assign work based on approved program priorities and available funding.
- Coordinate the contributions of staff from other departments through agreed workplans and escalation processes, distinguishing project responsibilities from direct supervisory authority.
Governance, Reporting and Operations
- Coordinate governance committees, advisory bodies, and steering committees.
- Prepare reports, dashboards, briefing notes, and updates for senior leadership.
- Monitor budgets, contracts, procurement activities, and vendor performance.
- Ensure appropriate documentation, records management, and information governance practices are maintained.
- Support audit, compliance, evaluation, and funding reporting requirements.
Qualifications
- Degree in Communications, Public Relations, Business Administration, Public Administration, Education, Project Management, Political Science, or a related discipline.
- Combination of education, training, and experience may be considered.
- Project Management Professional (PMP), Change Management, Facilitation, or related certification is considered an asset.
- Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible experience leading complex initiatives, programs, projects, or stakeholder portfolios.
- Experience managing multi-stakeholder initiatives involving competing priorities and multiple partners.
- Experience leading staff and project teams.
- Experience developing strategic recommendations, briefing materials, and executive-level reports.
- Experience managing external vendors, consultants, and service providers.
- Experience working in government, regulatory, education, training, workforce development, public sector, Crown agency, or association environments is considered an asset.
- Experience administering externally funded programs, including work planning, budget monitoring, contribution agreement reporting, and coordination of deliverables across multiple teams.
- Experience leading the development of educational, apprenticeship, workforce development, or public-facing program resources.
Knowledge
- Program and project management principles and practices.
- Stakeholder engagement and consultation methodologies.
- Governance and accountability frameworks.
- Strategic planning and performance measurement.
- Communications and implementation planning.
- Accessibility, inclusion, and user-centered service design principles.
- Financial and contract management practices.
- Information management and records management requirements.
- Microsoft 365 applications, SharePoint, project management platforms, and reporting tools.
- Apprenticeship systems, the roles of apprentices, sponsors and training providers, and barriers affecting access, progression, and completion.
- Transfer payment or contribution agreement administration, funding accountability, and supporting documentation requirements.
Skills and Abilities
- Exceptional relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
- Strong leadership and people management abilities.
- Excellent strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to influence and work effectively across organizational boundaries.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to translate complex information into practical and accessible solutions.
- Strong facilitation and consultation skills.
- Excellent organizational and project leadership skills.
- Ability to balance strategic priorities with operational execution.
- Ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong judgment, discretion, and political acuity.
Our Recruitment Process Includes:
- Step 1: Resume Screening
- Step 2: Phone Screening
- Step 3: Panel Interview(s)/Assignment
- Step 4: Selection
- Step 5: Offer of Employment
Please submit your application by October 7, 2026.
We thank all applicants for their interest and will only contact those whose skills, knowledge, and experience most closely match the requirements of the position.
Skilled Trades Ontario embraces diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive workplace. Our goal is to attract, develop and retain highly talented employees from diverse backgrounds, allowing us to benefit from a wide variety of experiences and perspectives. In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, and Skilled Trades Ontario’s Accommodation Policy, accommodation will be provided at any point throughout the hiring process, provided the candidate makes their accommodation needs known to Skilled Trades Ontario. We welcome applications from all qualified persons.
Skilled Trades Ontario is an equal opportunity employer.
