Career story: senior policy advisor for the Ontario Digital Service

What does a day in your shoes feel like? And what are the key skills that can make or break a career in your field?

We’ve asked a diverse group of Apolitical members to share their career story with us and the tips they have for junior public servants. In this article, Rebecka Sheffield explains why it’s important to seek out the people you need in their role as a senior policy advisor for the Ontario Digital Service.

What is your current role and how do you spend your time on a standard day?

I am a senior policy advisor for the Ontario Digital Service. This involves research and analysis on topics relevant to digital government, including digital service standards and data technologies. Based on my findings, I provide advice to government on how to build better digital and data products, services, and programs.

What did you do before taking up this role?

I worked with the Archives of Ontario as a policy advisor. Before this, I was an assistant professor in the School of Library and Information Science at Simmons University.

In your opinion, what are the most important skills someone needs to excel in your field?

Policy work involves the critical analysis of a range of information products and clear, concise writing. You need to feel comfortable presenting findings and recommending options to a variety of stakeholder groups. Everything is teamwork in policy and having experience building consensus and leading from the middle is also an asset. And of course, the most important skill in policy is to know when you have done your best work and it is time to move on to the next project.

What is your favourite part of your job?

I love seeing a policy project come to fruition. A lot of work in policy goes unseen or ends up summarized in a short slide deck or business case. But knowing that you had a small part in making something happen is quite rewarding. And it helps if you have amazing colleagues who can share in that moment.

What advice would you give to new public servants who are interested in a career in your field?

There are two types of policy people, generalists and subject matter experts. Generalists are able to 'do' policy in almost any setting because they understand how to policy gets made and can lead others through this process. Subject matter experts will spend years in a specialization and can provide deep knowledge about a particular field or area of interest. Good policy needs both of these types of people. Consider how you want to proceed and seek out people in those jobs already. Set up informational interviews or job shadowing days to learn more about what they do and how they do it. This is also a great way to get to know your future colleagues!

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