As an
ODSP Manager, you will play a pivotal leadership role in delivering essential income and employment support services to adults with disabilities across the community. This position offers the opportunity to shape and oversee local service delivery strategies that align with provincial priorities, legislative requirements, and evolving client needs. You will lead a dedicated team in a complex, fast paced environment, ensuring program integrity, high quality client service, and continuous improvement. Working closely with community partners, municipalities, and other government stakeholders, you will build strong relationships that enhance service outcomes and strengthen ODSP's presence and impact in the Cambridge region.
This role is ideal for a values driven, people-centred leader who thrives in managing change, supporting staff, and navigating sensitive and high profile issues with sound judgment and political acuity. As an ODSP Manager, you will foster an inclusive, respectful, and engaged workplace while contributing to operational planning, financial management, and performance measurement. You will have the opportunity to make meaningful decisions that directly impact clients, staff, and the broader community—while working within the
Social Assistance Service Delivery Branch, an organization committed to compassion, collaboration, and service excellence. If you are motivated by purposeful leadership and want to make a tangible difference in people's lives, this is a rewarding opportunity to grow your career in Cambridge.
Leadership That Makes a Difference
At its core, leadership in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) is about creating positive change for people and communities across Ontario. We're looking for leaders who are authentic, accountable, and courageous. People who bring others together, ask bold questions, and lead with purpose.
We believe great leadership starts with high standards and strong support. In the OPS, that means showing up with authenticity, acting with integrity, and having the courage to do what's right, even when it's hard.
As a leader, you'll shape a team culture that sparks innovation, supports collaboration, and champions inclusion. You'll help build a workplace that is diverse, anti-racist, and accessible, where everyone feels safe, respected, and able to thrive.
You won't be doing it alone. We invest in our leaders through mentorship, learning opportunities, and cross-ministry networks that help you grow your impact and connect with peers across the organization.
Leadership is about impact, and in this role, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful one. You will:
- Lead ODSP service delivery and program integrity by overseeing the planning, implementation, and continuous improvement of income and employment support services, ensuring compliance with legislation, policies, and provincial priorities.
- Provide strong, inclusive people leadership by building an engaged, high performing team through effective performance management, coaching, talent development, and proactive labour and employee relations management.
- Drive operational and strategic planning by setting local business priorities, managing resources and budgets, and contributing to short and long term planning to achieve service standards and performance outcomes.
- Manage change, risk, and complex issues by leading service delivery improvements, responding to emerging trends, addressing contentious client matters, and exercising sound judgment in politically sensitive or high profile situations.
- Strengthen community and stakeholder partnerships by collaborating with municipal partners, community agencies, service providers, and internal ministry partners to identify gaps, enhance service coordination, and promote ODSP programs.
- Monitor performance and ensure accountability by analyzing service data, overseeing compliance and quality assurance activities, identifying service gaps, and implementing corrective actions to support effective, client centred outcomes.
Your ability to align your team's efforts with broader organizational goals will be key to your success, and to the success of the people we serve.
Meet Your New Team
The
Social Assistance Service Delivery Branch within the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services plays a vital role in supporting individuals and families across Ontario by delivering responsive, person-centred social assistance programs, including the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). The branch is grounded in a caring and compassionate approach, bringing together policy and service delivery expertise to improve client outcomes, service quality, and long term sustainability. Working in close partnership with communities, municipalities, and other government partners, the branch fosters innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement—creating an inclusive, engaging environment where leaders and teams are empowered to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the people they serve.
- Leads, motivates, and supports multidisciplinary teams in a unionized environment to achieve service delivery goals.
- Builds an inclusive, respectful, and values based workplace that promotes employee engagement, well being, and performance.
- Provides coaching, performance management, succession planning, and talent development.
- Addresses employee and labour relations matters proactively, fairly, and in alignment with OPS policies.
- Oversees the planning, implementation, and delivery of ODSP services while ensuring program integrity and quality.
- Interprets and applies legislation, regulations, policies, and standards to complex service delivery environments.
- Monitors service levels, compliance, and performance measures to ensure operational objectives are met.
- Identifies service gaps, emerging trends, and risks, and implements corrective actions to improve outcomes.
- Leads and supports teams through organizational, policy, and service delivery changes.
- Exercises sound judgment and political acuity when managing sensitive, contentious, or high profile issues.
- Assesses risks and service impacts, develops mitigation strategies, and escalates critical issues as required.
- Prepares briefings and provides clear, evidence based advice and recommendations to senior leadership.
- Develops and maintains strong relationships with community agencies, municipalities, service providers, and internal partners.
- Communicates effectively with diverse stakeholders, including clients with complex needs.
- Negotiates, collaborates, and influences to advance shared priorities and improve service coordination.
- Represents the program with credibility and professionalism in meetings, committees, and community forums.
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!
Think this role could be right for you?
We're here to support you every step of the way. These short videos can help you feel confident and prepared:
• Navigating Our Hiring Process (2 min) – Get a clear overview of each stage in our structured hiring process so you know what to expect and how to prepare.
• Application Preparation Tips (4 min) – Learn how to showcase your leadership experience in ways that align with how we evaluate applications during the screening stage.
Take a few minutes to explore these resources. They're designed to set you up for success.
We 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
