Knowledge Exchange Specialist
Public Health Ontario
JR100837
Full-time, contract (until Aug 2024)
Posting Date: June 6, 2023
Closing Date: June 20, 2023 at 11:59pm
Position Summary:
The Knowledge Exchange Specialist will build and strengthen organizational capacity for knowledge exchange within PHO, acting as an expert resource to program areas and leading key initiatives as directed by supervisor. The role will ensure that PHO products and services are designed to meet the needs and priorities of our clients and enable policy, program and practice action.
Key Responsibilities-
- Works with interdisciplinary scientific programs and corporate services to identify knowledge exchange gaps and opportunities and to assist subject matter experts across PHO to incorporate/apply a knowledge exchange approach/framework to their work.
- Conducts environmental scans and needs assessments and assists with research and evaluation to inform program development; to promote the development of sound methodology and innovative knowledge exchange practice.
- Develops and promotes a PHO knowledge exchange framework; provides education on how to implement all aspects of the framework and incorporate knowledge exchange in all activities.
- Facilitates discussions to support the development of service models within departments (where appropriate) that align with the practice of knowledge exchange.
- Establishes approaches to measure uptake and utilization of knowledge products/services that draw on existing approaches, best practices and integrate with other evaluative efforts underway.
- Conducts evaluation to assess the impact of knowledge exchange activities.
- Identifies and creates supportive tools, processes and approaches to guide internal and external stakeholders in designing knowledge products, carrying out their respective knowledge exchange roles and promoting the use of appropriate dissemination channels for knowledge exchange.
- Provides expertise and advice to internal and external stakeholders about knowledge exchange practices, contributing to product development, dissemination and associated knowledge exchange and communications efforts.
- Works across the organization to plan and develop KE plans, including logic models and stakeholder engagement/consultation strategies, for new program and product development and supports their implementation.
- Builds organizational capacity for knowledge exchange, including establishing and leading a PHO knowledge exchange community of practice.
- Provides a knowledge exchange perspective on all policies and procedures related to PHO products and services.
- Maintains strong links to the knowledge exchange/translation and implementation science community and identifies opportunities for PHO alignment and collaboration on knowledge exchange that would strengthen the collective role of public health knowledge exchange practice (e.g. National Collaborating Centres, PHAC, universities involved in KE/KT/IS work).
- Facilitates the development of partnerships with external organizations to develop a collaborative approach to respond to gaps in public health practice and to lead teams and working groups to apply knowledge exchange approaches to address these gaps.
- Performs other related duties as assigned.
Knowledge and Skills-
- Knowledge of knowledge exchange methods and best practices to provide knowledge exchange expertise, advice and support to build PHO’s knowledge exchange capacity.
- Knowledge of key roles and stakeholders in knowledge exchange to develop collaborative efforts and to keep abreast of development in the field.
- Knowledge of evaluation and research methodologies to conduct research and data collection as part of the development and evaluation of knowledge exchange approaches and projects.
- Project management skills to lead a variety of knowledge exchange projects and teams within PHO.
Education and Experience-
- Masters’ degree in Public Health, Community Health, Education or related discipline.
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience in knowledge exchange/knowledge translation/implementation science role in a research, health or public health organization.
Attributes and Competencies-
- Oral communication, listening skills, advisory and interpersonal skills to develop relationships with individuals and teams in order to understand the work/goals, identify gaps, respond to their needs and help build and promote knowledge exchange capacity across PHO.
- Oral and written communication, training and presentation skills to develop and present presentations and training sessions to promote knowledge exchange and share related best practices and tools.
- Facilitation skills to plan and deliver stakeholder engagement and consultation sessions.
- Written communications skills to develop reports, background papers, research findings, grants submissions and presentations.
- Responsive to individual and team needs and projects, proactively working to integrate KE strategies at all steps of product/service development.
- Evaluates and enhances internal skills and needs to continuously build the organization’s knowledge exchange capacity.
- Fosters and builds ongoing relationships with internal and external clients to promote opportunities for knowledge exchange, define their specific needs and assist in incorporating knowledge exchange into program related products, policies, and processes.
- Works within the parameters of organizational guidelines and standards for knowledge exchange and product development.
- Proactively identifies issues and opportunities impacting successful building of the organization’s capacity in knowledge exchange.
- Applies knowledge exchange best practice to knowledge products, policies and processes to determine and advise on optimal methods for knowledge product development.
- Provides recommendations that may at times modify the way a product, policy or process is being developed.
- Provides knowledge exchange services across the PHO, acting as an expert resource to program areas and leading key initiatives as directed by supervisor.
- Develops tools, processes and best practices to benefit internal and external stakeholders in their respective knowledge exchange roles; recommendations impact the quality of products and processes distributed across PHO.
- Identifies opportunities for PHO alignment and collaboration to further strengthen the collective efforts across public health knowledge exchange practice.
- Measures uptake and utilization of PHO knowledge products and conducts evaluation to assess the impact of the knowledge exchange service across the PHO and provides recommendations to stakeholders.
- Works with interdisciplinary teams, including specialists, scientists and researchers to provide knowledge exchange expertise, advice and support as a member of various committees and project teams.
- Provides guidance and advice to staff and teams across the PHO on methods to incorporate a knowledge exchange approach/framework to their work.
*Please apply directly on PHO’s website at https://publichealthontario.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/PHOCareerSite/details/Knowledge-Exchange-Specialist_JR100837