Assistant Director, Strategic Communications (1)

← Back to search results Apply By: Thursday, July 23, 2026 11:59 pm EDT Assistant Director, Strategic Communications Job ID: 246879 Posting status: Open Organization: Not Applicable Division: Communications – Strategic Initiative External Relations City: Toronto Position(s) language: English Job term: 1 Permanent Job code: Not Available - Not Available Salary: Not available $108,203 to $152,511
Are you an experienced communications leader who thrives in fast-paced and dynamic environments? Are you looking for your next leadership opportunity? If so, please consider applying for this role with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.
The Communications Department within the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario is seeking an experienced leader to join their team as the Assistant Director, Strategic Communications.
The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario is an administrative tribunal responsible for the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and Part X of the Child, Youth and Family Services Act (CYFSA).
The Communications team:
• works with the Commissioner, Assistant Commissioners, and divisions to identify communications needs and opportunities;
• researches, develops, and implements strategic communications plans;
• prepares news releases, communications and marketing materials, speeches, and presentations;
• develops and implements corporate communications strategies
• develops and implements strategic, creative marketing campaigns to support the IPC's multi-year strategic plan;
• manages the IPC's website and digital communications initiatives
• responds to inquiries from members of the public and institutions we oversee through its public contacts unit
• coordinates and executes IPC events and coordinates IPC presence at external stakeholder events and conferences About the jobAbout the Role
The Assistant Director, Strategic Communications leads the IPC's strategic and corporate communications function. This role provides expert advice to senior leadership and oversees a team responsible for issues management, media relations, digital and social media, public education, and marketing. The position plays a key role in advancing IPC priorities through proactive, integrated, and research driven communications strategies
What can I expect to do in this role?
Reporting to the Director of Communications, you will:
• Manage a full range of communications functions, including strategic communications, issues management and media relations, internal/corporate communications, public contacts, and translation services
• Lead a team of communications professionals to provide communications expertise and advice and to develop, implement, evaluate, and support strategic communications planning for the IPC and contribute to business, operational, and financial planning
• Provide strategic communications expertise and advice to senior executives, including the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, senior management, and staff on communications strategies, options, products, recommendations, risks, and issues management
• Manage the development of proactive and innovative integrated communications plans and products that support the IPC's multi-year strategic plan
• Provide quality assurance, including editing and proofreading, for a broad range of communications products to ensure they are clear, accurate, consistent, and aligned with IPC positioning, messaging, and organizational standards;
• Work across department units and foster and maintain critical linkages and partnerships with IPC divisions. What you bring to the team
How do I qualify?You will qualify for this position by demonstrating:
Education and Experience:
• 10+ years of relevant experience senior level experience in strategic communications, media relations, issues management, or public sector communications.
• 3+ years managing or supervising a team, managing budgets, and delivering complex, multi year initiatives.
• Bachelor's degree with a Communications or related major.
Knowledge Requirements:
• Strategic communications planning, digital and social media, marketing, and public engagement.
• Issues management, stakeholder relations, and research based communications practices.
• Canadian Press editorial standards, plain language and accessibility principles, Public sector governance, legislative environments, and accountability frameworks.
Skills and Abilities:
• Strong leadership, judgment, and decision making skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, including briefing senior executives.
• Proven ability to build partnerships, influence decision makers, and manage competing priorities.
Asset Qualifications
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing in French.
• Masters in communications or related major.
What's in it for you?• A modern organization with a flexible hybrid work model (minimum in office attendance: six to eight days per month).
• Commitment to continuous learning and professional development.
• Opportunity to work in a high performing organization dedicated to protecting the access and privacy rights of Ontarians.
• Comprehensive health, life, and disability benefits.
• Pension plan (permanent positions).
• Maternity and parental leave top up (permanent positions). Don't meet every qualification?If you are excited about this position and meet most, but not all, of the listed qualifications, please still consider applying. We recognize that no one person might have every qualification in this job ad, and you just might be the right candidate! How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibilityWe are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.
Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please contact us.
Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace:

• diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
• accessibility
• Anti-Racism Policy

Additional information: Apply by: Thursday, July 23, 2026 11:59 pm EDT Position details:

• 1 English Permanent, 2 Bloor St E, Toronto, Toronto Region

Compensation group: Excluded Work hours: Schedule N/A Category: Communications; Marketing and Creative Services Posted on: Thursday, July 2, 2026

Note:

• This posting is for an organization that is not a part of the Ontario Public Service. The information and tips on the Ontario Public Service Careers website may not apply to this posting. Please use the contact information below to contact the organization directly if you have questions.
• The information that you provide for the purpose of this competition and the results from this competition may be used to fill other positions. These positions may be of various tenures including short-term assignments. Your information and the results from this competition will be retained for the purpose of filling vacancies in accordance with the applicable collective agreement or policy provisions.
• Notes:
  • OPS & IPC Reciprocal Staffing Agreement:
  o The IPC has a Reciprocal Staffing Agreement with the Ontario Public Service (OPS) that enables employees to accept positions in either organization while retaining their access to benefits, pension contributions, and years of service.
  • Qualified List Information:
  o A list of qualified candidates will be established for the Assistant Director / Manager, Strategic Communications in the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) and will be in effect for twelve (12) months from the date the list is created. Qualified candidates on the list may be considered when filling future permanent and/or temporary vacancies in this position.
  • This posting is for an organization that is separate from the Ontario Public Service. The information and tips on the Ontario Public Service Careers website may not apply to this posting. Please use the contact information below to contact the IPC directly if you have any questions about this position.
  If you are interested, please apply through our career website: https://ipcontario.startdate.ca/#/
  Please submit both a cover letter and resume.
  The deadline to apply is July 23, 2026, at 11:59 pm EST.
  For more information about the IPC, please visit our website .

How to apply:

1. You must submit your application using only one of the methods identified below.
2. Your cover letter and resume combined should not exceed five (5) pages. For tips and tools on how to write a concise cover letter and resume, review the Writing a Cover Letter and Resume: Tips, Tools and Resources.
3. Customize your cover letter and resume to the qualifications listed on the job ad. Using concrete examples, you must show how you demonstrated the requirements for this job. We rely on the information you provide to us.
4. Be sure to quote the Job ID number for this position.
5. OPS employees are required to quote their WIN EMPLOYEE ID number when applying.

Send application to:

Language requirements and assessment:
All external Ontario Public Service (OPS) job ads are posted in English and French. Check the "position(s) language" section at the top of each job ad for the language requirements. For all roles, candidates are assessed in English, the business language of the OPS. If the position is bilingual (English/French), you'll also need to pass a French-language proficiency test.

Exigences en matière de langue et évaluation:
Toutes les offres d'emploi externes de la fonction publique de l'Ontario (FPO) sont affichées en français et en anglais. Consultez la section « Langue du ou des postes » en haut de chaque offre d'emploi pour connaître les exigences linguistiques. Pour tous les postes, les candidats sont évalués en anglais, la langue d'affaires de la FPO. Si le poste est bilingue (anglais/français), vous devrez également passer un test de compétences linguistiques en français.

All external applicants (including former employees of the Ontario Public Service) applying to a competition in a ministry or Commission public body must disclose (either in the cover letter or resume) previous employment with the Ontario Public Service. Disclosure must include positions held, dates of employment and any active restrictions as applicable from being rehired by the Ontario Public Service. Active restrictions can include time and/or ministry-specific restrictions currently in force, and may preclude a former employee from being offered a position with the Ontario Public Service for a specific time period (e.g. one year), or from being offered a position with a specific ministry (either for a pre-determined time period or indefinitely). The circumstances around an employee's exit will be considered prior to an offer of employment.

Information collection notice

We are collecting your personal information to assess how well you meet the qualifications for employment with the Ontario Public Service, and for related recruitment purposes. The collection of personal information is necessary to the proper administration of OPS Careers, which is an authorized common service in accordance with s. 6 of the Ministry of Government Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.25.

Please do not include any more personal information than is needed for your application (for example, do not include your photograph or social insurance number).

If you have any questions about how your information is collected, used, shared or saved, please contact us.

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