Senior Specialist, Advocacy

Job Title: Senior Specialist, Advocacy

Vacant Positions: This posting concerns (1) vacant position

Work Location:

Vancouver, BC | Ottawa, ON | Calgary, AB | Halifax, NS | St John's, NL | Kelowna, BC| Prince George, BC | Montreal, QC | Quebec (detailed information about the location of the offices can be found on this page: https://cancer.ca/en/contact-us).

Work Mode: Hybrid

Salary Scale: 5 (56 000 $ - 64 000 $ CAD) (This is a full-time contract that ends in February 2028) HELP US SHAPE THE FUTURE OF CANCER CARE IN CANADA

The Canadian Cancer Society works tirelessly to save lives, improve quality of life, and lead the fight against cancer. With the support of people affected, volunteers, donors, and communities across the country, we raise funds to invest in transformative cancer research, offer a compassionate network of support to people affected by cancer, and advocate with governments to create a healthier future for all. It takes a society to fight cancer, and the Canadian Cancer Society leads the way.

JOIN AN EXCEPTIONAL TEAM OF ADVOCACY PROFESSIONALS who are dedicated to transforming the future of cancer, the leading cause of death in Canada. As one of the country's leading health advocacy organizations, the Canadian Cancer Society has been shaping cancer-related policy for decades. The SCC has been at the forefront of historic victories such as the ban on smoking indoors and exposure to asbestos, restrictions on tobacco advertising, and the extension of employment insurance sickness benefits in Canada. We have successfully implemented more recent changes, such as improving access to mammograms, expanding access to job-protected sick leave, and raising awareness of the significant costs that people affected by cancer and their caregivers must pay. In this role, you will help the SCC continue to advocate for advancements to save lives and improve the health of all people in the country.

MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE

Reporting to the Director, Advocacy (Public Engagement), this position will contribute to the public engagement activities within the SCC's advocacy efforts. The primary responsibility of this position will be to lead the SCC's activities in the context of drug market authorization requests in Canada. This will involve regular collaboration with external stakeholders, including the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH), the National Institute of Excellence in Health and Social Services (NIEHS), the Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (CPA), government agencies, cancer-focused charities, patient associations, clinicians, and people affected by cancer.

Additionally, the Senior Specialist, Advocacy, will provide support for the involvement of patients and clinicians in the context of advocacy priorities. This includes ensuring that the perspectives of people affected by cancer, caregivers, and clinicians are meaningfully incorporated into advocacy actions. The selected individual will contribute to the development and implementation of engagement strategies, support the execution of engagement activities, and identify opportunities to enhance public and stakeholder participation. Through this work, the selected individual will contribute to maintaining the SCC's ability to conduct high-quality engagement activities.

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Related Tasks

• Lead the implementation of the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) program, including coordinating and developing patient contributions to pan-Canadian bodies, under the direction of the Director, Advocacy. This includes contributing to the definition and implementation of advocacy priorities aimed at improving access to cancer medications and diagnostic tools, through system-level engagement with non-elected stakeholders (e.g., CADTH, NIEHS, CPA, CEPMB, etc.).
• Monitor all CADTH/NIEHS calls for evidence to collect feedback from people affected by cancer on relevant drug evaluations.
• Conduct research and liaison with internal mission teams and external stakeholders to gain a solid understanding of the drug under evaluation and its clinical context.
• Develop surveys for people affected by cancer and cancer-specific, indication, and drug-specific interview questionnaires; collaborate with the strategic initiatives team to refine these tools and promote the corresponding calls to action.
• Analyze qualitative and quantitative data from surveys and interviews, then synthesize the results into patient submissions for review and approval.
• Establish and maintain relationships with leaders of patient associations and health-focused charities to foster collaboration and resource sharing.
• Build and develop relationships with patient engagement leaders within pharmaceutical companies to generate contacts for clinical trial participants, as well as to gain a good understanding of similar drugs available on the market and their funding situation.
• Inform external partners about the SCC's work in the field of Health Technology Assessment.
• Liaise with CADTH/NIEHS staff regarding HTA requests led by the SCC or in collaboration with partners. Track the progress of requests.
• Evaluate the success of each submission and the total number of patients who participated to contribute to advocacy key performance indicators. Manage the program data and existing tracking tools related to this program to measure the results of advocacy actions.
• Develop and submit all patient submissions within strict and well-defined deadlines to ensure that CADTH and NIEHS have the necessary information to formulate recommendations in oncology.

Advocacy Related Tasks

• Collaborate at all levels of the organization to support the definition of advocacy priorities for pan-Canadian non-elected bodies responsible for the evaluation, authorization, and negotiation of prices for new medications and health technologies for the benefit of people affected by cancer.
• Support the development and implementation of advocacy and public engagement plans to realize these advocacy priorities.
• Actively seek ways to improve patient participation in authorization processes.
• Establish and maintain relationships with target stakeholders in the public and private sectors.
• Coordinate and facilitate a network of practice exchange within patient associations to share information on upcoming submissions, promote training and best practices, and strengthen capabilities in the field of Health Technology Assessment (HTA).
• Evaluate progress against priority axes and key performance indicators defined in organizational strategic plans and the SCC's Mission/Advocacy.
• Collaborate with the advocacy content team on commonly identified priorities.
• Patient and Clinician Engagement in Advocacy