Director, Government Relations

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Mitacs is a national not-for-profit that helps industry and non-profit partners solve strategic challenges by leveraging Canada's world-class post-secondary talent and a global network of industry, academic, and government partnerships. Through these collaborations, Mitacs helps business and community partners succeed, improves students' on-the-job skills development, and strengthens Canada's world-class innovation ecosystem. At Mitacs, we strive to develop the next generation of innovators with vital research and business skills. In partnership with domestic and international companies, governments, and academia, we support a new economy using Canada's most valuable resource - its people.

To get a better understanding of Mitacs and read the complete job description, please visit our website: https://www.mitacs.ca/careers/

Director, Government Relations

Reporting to the Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Economic Impact (VP, SPEI), the Director, Government Relations will be the key lead for all government relations activities. The Director is responsible for developing and implementing an effective government relations strategy that identifies opportunities for Mitacs to partner with governments to positively drive impact across the Canadian innovation ecosystem. Articulate and collaborative, the Director will be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with relevant federal government officials, policymakers, and other key stakeholders. The Director will monitor and influence global, national, and provincial innovation policy priorities, sharing key insights internally and externally. Nurturing a small team, the Director will support a high-performance team, fostering a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion.

If the Director is bilingual and speaks French, they will take over the Quebec file as well, offering a seamless, culturally and linguistically aligned approach to government relations in that key region. This ability to manage federal and provincial communications across both English and French-speaking jurisdictions will enhance Mitacs' capacity to build stronger relationships and influence outcomes on a national scale, further reducing the need for external consultants in specialized areas. By consolidating these responsibilities internally, Mitacs can foster greater consistency in messaging, improve strategic impact, and achieve significant cost savings over time.

As the ideal candidate, you bring relevant undergraduate credentials (political science, public policy etc.), ideally at a postgraduate level. You have 10+ years' experience in a partnership, government relations, or public policy role, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role. You are experienced creating and implementing multi-jurisdictional strategies that align with innovation policies. As a trusted advisor, you have a well-established network at all levels of government, and you understand how to construct and negotiate complex contribution agreements that will serve the needs of the Canadian innovation ecosystem. Fluently bilingual in both official languages, you are a great people leader that sets clear, accountable goals with your team, fostering a culture equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization.

The Director, Government Relations plays a significant role in the continued success of Mitacs. The Director will formulate and drive the implementation of a robust government relations strategy, ensuring coordination, alignment, and collaboration across the organization. With the GR team, the SD will secure and manage complex, multi-million-dollar funding agreements with both federal and provincial governments.

Responsibilities

Overall Leadership

• Acts as an ambassador for Mitacs, embodying its Vision, Mission, Purpose, and Values
• Works with the VP, Strategic Partnerships and Economic Impact, CEO, executive leadership team, and senior management team to ensure that the government relations plan is aligned to the overall organizational strategy. This includes informing leadership of important market developments.
• Champions Mitacs strategy up, down, and across the organization building trust, alignment, and cohesion at all levels of the organization
• Develops strategies for addressing modifications to the policy framework, corporate mandate, and social obligations, all aimed at creating sustainable results and impact to Canadian innovation
• Proactively identifies differing political agendas, priorities, issues, emerging risks, industry trends, and current events that will influence the future strategic direction of Mitacs programming
• Presents observations, analysis, and recommendations to Mitacs leadership regarding the Canadian/global innovation ecosystem
• Coordinates government relations at both the Federal and Provincial levels to ensure Mitacs is delivering consistent messaging to government officials.

National Partnerships Strategy & Planning

• Develops and executes Mitacs' government relations strategy to advocate for policies, funding, and programs that support the advancement of the Canadian innovation ecosystem
• Establishes short- and long-term national partnership plans and track towards mutually agreed upon objectives
• Leads annual planning activities for the national partnerships team, aligning the team around the national plan whilst understanding differing provincial priorities
• Leads / supports federal and provincial funding negotiations in collaboration with the Executive Leadership Team.
• Effectively linking federal and provincial economic priorities to the activities of Mitacs and ensuring this is reflected in engagements with external funders to succinctly articulate our value proposition.
• Supports the development and implementation of government-funded programs and projects, including the negotiation of funding agreements and the management of project reporting and compliance
• Works in collaboration with the business development team to inform government partners of industrial demands in innovation
• Works closely with the senior leadership team to demonstrate to funders how Mitacs can alleviate talent and knowledge shortages and support the delivery of specific provincial needs across Canada
• Works collaboratively with internal teams, including business development, international partnerships, finance, marketing and communications, programs and policy, and research to develop and deliver effective messages and materials to government stakeholders
• Monitors on issues relating to skills training, work-integrated learning, internships and industry-post secondary partnerships that may impact Mitacs' operations and keeps the CEO, executive leadership team, and senior management team informed of relevant developments
• Provides government intelligence and analysis to support annual and long-term forecasts, based on historical data, market trends, and other relevant political, economic, socio-cultural, and technological indicators
• Prepares briefing documents, memoranda, presentations, environmental scans, letters, proposals that support interactions with government and post-secondary stakeholders
• Supports the alignment of Mitacs to global innovation systems such as the UNDP sustainable development framework
• Maintains an up-to-date understanding of Mitacs' research programs and services, and use this knowledge to inform advocacy efforts
• Leads the development and adoption of internal systems that facilitate the delivery of NP team members - for example, the development & maintenance of provincial playbooks that guide stakeholder engagement.

External Relationship Management

• Acts as an external ambassador for Mitacs
• Builds and maintain relationships with federal and provincial policymakers, officials, and staff
• Represents Mitacs at relevant conferences, meetings, and events, and deliver presentations on Mitacs' impact and policy priorities
• Works closely with federal and provincial governments to ensure that programs are delivered on effectively and that relationships are maintained
• Influences a wide range of audiences and establish collaborative relationships within the organization or with relevant external organizations, including industry associations, universities, and research organizations
• Participates in lobbying government officeholders in a manner consistent with Mitacs values and relevant legislation
• Meets with relevant stakeholders, including Ministers, key bureaucrats, business & association leaders, post-secondary administrators and professors, and media connections
• Organizes relevant events, including delegation days, policy forums, panel discussions, roundtable meetings, receptions, etc. in relation to the government relations strategy

Staff Management

• Provides leadership, direction, and management of the team, establishing clear direction of responsibilities, objectives, goals, and measurement of performance
• Drives & builds operational excellence across the team, fostering a high-performance culture
• Establishes an impact-driven culture, understanding how to filter opportunities and leverage resources effectively
• Engages and motivates the team, communicating transparently, sharing key business updates, overall national partnerships performance, market intelligence, organizational changes etc.
• Partners with Human Resources on effective selection, appraisal, promotion, and retention strategies
• Strategically supports the team, helping refine strategies and solve complex issues
• Organizes national training, development, and collaboration initiatives for the National Partnerships team
• Engenders a psychologically safe, collaborative, and supportive work environment
• Champions equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization

Indicative Key Performance Indicators

• The extent to which fundraising targets (Provincial and federal) are met.
• The extent to which EMT is empowered to engage with stakeholders.
• The extent to which GR team members are empowered to deliver on their mandate
• Whether risks and opportunities for Mitacs funding and delivery are proactively identified.
• The diversification level of funding sources
• The speed and quality of operational document production

Location & Travel

• The opportunity is open to applicants that are resident in/ willing to relocate to Ottawa.
• Travel could be up to 50%, including national and international travel as required

Hiring Range: $115,920 - $137,655

Hiring and Salary Range Transparency

Typically, employees are hired, transferred, or promoted within the salary range, specifically between the minimum and midpoint in the hiring range.

The salary range refers to the range of base salaries for a given position, encompassing the minimum and maximum amounts. The midpoint of the range is positioned approximately halfway between the minimum and maximum, indicating a fully qualified employee with comprehensive job knowledge and experience for the role.

Only in rare and exceptional circumstances, where a candidate has the experience, skills, and expertise that far exceed those required for the position, would we consider paying above the hiring range for this role.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and decolonization are core values at Mitacs: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion - Mitacs. We believe a diverse workforce comprised of individuals with different ideas, strengths, interests, and backgrounds (e.g., gender identities and expressions, Indigeneity, race, abilities, sexual orientation, and other identities) are crucial to our success. We welcome everyone to apply and encourage you to connect with us if you require accommodations during the recruitment process.