Policy Advisor (Data Analyst) - 18 month contract

Policy Advisor (Data Analyst)

Primary Job Category

Policy Development

Related Job Categories

Government Relations, Research, Data Analysis

Position Type

Full Time, 18-month Contract

Region

ON - Metro Toronto Area

Work Environment

Hybrid

Salary

$90,664 to $110,202+ Benefits

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Municipal Finance Officers’ Association (MFOA) is a non-profit, member-based association providing policy and training services to municipal finance officers across Ontario. Reporting to the Manager of Policy, the Policy Advisor (Data Analyst) is responsible for supporting policy research and development projects with quantitative research design and analysis, as well as engaging external stakeholders on policy issues relevant to the Association. The Policy Advisor also represents and advances Association members’ perspectives with the provincial government. This is a full-time position.

MFOA is seeking an enthusiastic self-starter for the role of Policy Advisor (Data Analyst). You are passionate about learning and can pick up the core principles of a new topic you are unfamiliar with quickly. You are expert at conducting efficient and effective research, being resourceful in finding information, organizing and analyzing large amounts of intelligence in a methodical and explainable fashion, and being able to distill meaningful and credible next steps and insights from your research. You have an exceptional ability to and are driven by successfully communicating complex ideas in written, presentation, and verbal formats.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Data & Analytics

• Lead the collection, cleaning, integration, and management of municipal finance datasets from multiple sources (e.g., Financial Information Returns (FIR), Statistics Canada).
• Design and maintain reproducible data workflows to support research projects.
• Conduct quantitative and statistical analyses to support evidence-based policy development and advocacy.
• Develop dashboards, tables, and visualizations to communicate complex financial and policy information to technical and non-technical audiences.

Policy Research

• Conduct background research, internal and external briefing notes, position statements, and formal submissions as required.
• Provide expertise in research design and methodology.
• Provide expertise in data analysis and statistical methods.

Intergovernmental relations/outreach

• Represent MFOA and provide advice and a municipal perspective on policy consultation meetings on a variety of municipal finance issues with multiple stakeholders.

Administration

• Participate in regular internal meetings.
• Create content on municipal finance issues for monthly e-newsletters.
• Schedule meetings with internal and external stakeholders.
• Attend meetings to capture and record key discussions and action items in a clear format.
• Distribute minutes to relevant stakeholders for follow-up.
• Other duties, as assigned.

The qualified candidate will have:

• A minimum of an undergraduate degree in public administration, business administration, political science, economics, or related disciplines or comparable education and experience.
• 3 years of experience in quantitative analysis and data manipulation.
• A strong knowledge and understanding of using relational databases, including data manipulation.
• Strong quantitative research skills.
• Intermediate experience with data science tools (e.g. R programming language, Python, SQL, Power BI, Tableau, etc.).
• Superior listening, organization, follow up, editing, and analytical skills.
• A high aptitude with technology.
• The ability to work independently and build effective working relationships.
• Solid administration and coordination experience.
• A deadline-oriented self-starting personality, strong attention to detail, ability to think creatively, juggle multiple projects and shine in a rapidly changing environment.
• Demonstrated oral and written communication skills to respond to issues, provide recommendations, and prepare reports.
• Demonstrated partnership building and relationship management skills to establish stakeholder linkages and work cooperatively on projects.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise discretion and judgment when handling confidential and politically sensitive information.
• An understanding of data governance and data strategy development.

The Ideal Policy Advisor (Data Analyst) will also have:

• 3 years of experience in policy development.
• A passion for municipal governance and/or finance and promoting innovative research and best practices in the sector.
• Project management training, an asset.
• Demonstrated knowledge of policy development and advocacy.
• Knowledge in program / policy development principles and techniques and government legislative and decision-making processes.

To apply, email Colin Macdonald, Manager of Policy, at colin@mfoa.on.ca using the subject line: ‘2026 Policy Advisor - Last Name, First Name’.

Deadline: March 1, 2026.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.