Senior Policy Advisor

About Us

The Ontario Cannabis Store provides safe, responsible access to recreational cannabis for adults 19 and older. We operate the sole legal online store for recreational cannabis in Ontario and are the provincial wholesaler of cannabis for private retail stores.

Working at the OCS is a unique opportunity to be part of an agile start-up in a ground-breaking new industry.  We're a diverse team passionate about delivering a great customer experience, working together with mutual respect and building value out of our differences.  We're an inclusive organization that understands that delivering great results comes out of ensuring every voice is heard.  

About the Role

We're looking for a Senior Policy Advisor to join our Corporate Affairs & Policy team—someone who can lead complex policy research and analysis, manage our day‑to‑day relationships with public‑sector partners, and assess emerging issues to support evidence‑based policy advice for senior leadership, business units across the OCS, and the Government of Ontario. This role will collaborate across the organization to support our relationship with the Ontario Ministry of Finance, develop high‑quality materials for internal and external audiences aligned with corporate priorities, and help shape policies and programs that advance Ontario's cannabis legalization objectives. We're looking for someone who is detail‑oriented, organized, and comfortable managing multiple priorities at once, and who can build strong relationships across teams to effectively deliver on key initiatives.

About Your Day

• Provide policy development, market analysis, and strategic advice to the Ontario Government to inform decision‑making and recommend strategic, regulatory, and legislative actions that support a vibrant legal cannabis market, reduce illegal market activity, and enable economic growth
• Develop factual, data‑driven policy analysis—including reports, briefing materials, issue notes, presentations, and jurisdictional scans—to address emerging industry issues and support organizational and government decision‑making.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders to support the delivery of strategic projects and initiatives.
• Lead internal and external consultations in coordination with department leadership, senior management, and government partners.
• Guide other advisors and analysts in delivering high‑quality policy products and departmental outputs.
• Collaborate with the Manager, Policy to provide policy and strategic advice to operational teams and senior leadership, ensuring alignment with the OCS mandate, provincial priorities, and legislative requirements.
• Monitor the policy and regulatory environment to identify opportunities, evaluate risks, and assess impacts on OCS operations.
• Work with the Manager to coordinate business readiness for federal or provincial regulatory changes that affect OCS operations.
• Support day‑to‑day engagement with public‑sector partners, including the Ministry of Finance, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, and Health Canada.
• Partner with Corporate Affairs to respond to government information requests and ensure accurate, timely submissions.
• Support the Manager in maintaining and strengthening relationships with municipal, provincial, and federal government partners to advance organizational and provincial cannabis‑related priorities.
• Assist business units in engaging with external stakeholders to advance OCS initiatives, policies, and priorities aligned with the OCS mandate.
• Support department leadership in managing acute issues and stakeholder challenges, working closely with Communications & Stakeholder Engagement.

About You

• Completion of a post-secondary degree in public policy, public administration, business administration or a related field.
• A Master's degree or advanced degree in a similar field is preferred.
• 3-5 years+ experience in an area involving policy analysis and development, stakeholder relations, ideally within a public sector organization or within a regulated sector.
• Experience interfacing with senior management, with proven ability to develop and maintain strong professional relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Significant understanding of government processes, policy, and operations.
• Advanced knowledge of policy analysis and development techniques.
• Exceptional time management skills, highly organized and keen attention to detail, with proven track record of simultaneously managing several deliverables delivered on time.
• Strong political acuity, interpersonal, diplomatic and negotiating skills, and ability to exercise discretion and judgment.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal).
• Developed critical thinking, research, and analytical skills.
• Intermediate skill in Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Stakeholder consultation experience is preferred.
• Strong analytical and evaluative skills, with comfort navigating financial and business concepts is an asset.
• Project management skills to effectively lead complex initiatives is preferred .
• Working knowledge of cannabis industry and issues is preferred.
• Ability to provide guidance and technical leadership to other advisors/analysts is an asset.

About the Job

• Location: Toronto, ON near York Mills and Yonge Street
• Hours of Work: 36.25 a week
• Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent
• Required Travel: Rare, usually within the GTA

Compensation

The target hiring range for this position is $85,000-$95,000. This is a pay grade 7 role, with a salary range of $71, $107,379.81 . Placement in the salary range will be based on factors such as market conditions, internal equity, and candidate experience, skills, and qualifications relevant to the role.

We are committed to providing an accessible, equitable and inclusive candidate and employee experience. We provide reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process and in employment. If you require an accommodation please let us know, we will work with you to meet your needs.