Director, Program Development & Impact

Do you want to be part of a mission driven organization shaping Canadas innovation futureDo you thrive in collaborative environments where creativity continuous improvement and strategic thinking are valuedAre you motivated by work that strengthens Canadas competitiveness and delivers meaningful impact for communities and businesses

At Mitacs we take a talent first approach to building Canadas innovation capacity. We connect researchers with organizations across every region of the country to help solve pressing challenges and accelerate economic growth. By enabling business academic collaboration and supporting the development of highly skilled talent we contribute to a resilient future ready Canadian economy.

Guided by our values Impact Integrity Collaboration Excellence and Talent we work with partners nationwide to advance research commercialization and innovation.

At Mitacs you become part of a team committed to empowering Canadian talent fostering meaningful partnerships and driving innovation that supports Canadas long-term competitiveness. If youre inspired by big ideas and passionate about creating national impact we encourage you to apply.

Mitacs is seeking a Director Program Development & Impact to lead program development strategy performance measurement evaluation and economic impact. Reporting to the Vice President Policy Program Development and Government Relations the Director will ensure Mitacs programs are strategically aligned evidence-based high-performing and positioned to deliver measurable impact for Canadas research innovation and talent ecosystem.

Position Summary

The Director will lead program design and continuous improvement oversee evaluation and impact measurement provide insights to inform strategic and investment decisions and manage the overall program portfolio. The role will also provide strategic leadership to teams and foster cross-functional collaboration to maximize program effectiveness and organizational impact.

Key Responsibilities:

Program Development & Strategy

• Lead the development and design of programs aligned with organizational strategy and stakeholder priorities.
• Translate strategic objectives government priorities and ecosystem needs into effective program models.
• Lead the identification of emerging opportunities for new programs partnerships and funding models.
• Ensure programs are designed with clear objectives and measurable outcomes.
• Establish program development standards processes and governance frameworks across the organization.
• Translate evaluation findings into actionable recommendations for program design and strategic decisions.

Evaluation Performance Measurement & Economic Impact

• Provide strategic leadership for the organizations evaluation function ensuring rigorous assessment of program effectiveness outcomes and impact.

• Develop and oversee evaluation frameworks that measure program performance outcomes and return on investment.
• Develop program frameworks theories of change logic models implementation plans and performance expectations.

• Lead economic impact assessments including analysis of economic growth productivity commercialization talent outcomes and ecosystem benefits.
• Ensure evaluation methodologies are credible evidence-based and aligned with best practices.
• Oversee the development of impact reports performance dashboards and evidence-based narratives for executives Board members government partners and stakeholders.
• Build organizational capacity to use data and evidence to drive continuous improvement.

Systems leadership monitoring and assessment

• Ability to see and manage the full lifecycle from strategic need and policy challenge through program design implementation outcomes evaluation and continuous improvement.
• Monitor the performance and strategic alignment of the organizations program portfolio by assessing program effectiveness relevance and value creation.

• Ability to translate evidence stakeholder insights economic and policy priorities and evaluation findings into effective program models and interventions.
• Ability to clearly define the problem Mitacs is trying to solve and determine whether a new program is required an existing program should be adapted or improvements to delivery would be more effective.
• Ability to identify emerging opportunities assess where Mitacs can uniquely add value and shape a program portfolio that responds to evolving economic innovation talent and policy priorities.

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team responsible for program development evaluation and economic impact analysis.
• Establish priorities operating plans and performance objectives for the function.
• Foster collaboration between program evaluation policy and operational teams.
• Build a culture of evidence-based decision-making innovation and continuous improvement.
• Leadership experience managing high-performing teams and fostering collaboration across departments.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Degree in Economics Business Public Policy Statistics Evaluation or a related field; a graduate degree or equivalent experience is an asset.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in program development strategy evaluation performance measurement economic impact preferably within research innovation or economic development.
• Proven experience designing developing and improving programs and translating evidence data and analysis into strategic recommendations and decisions.
• Strong understanding of program evaluation performance measurement economic impact assessment and the Canadian research and innovation ecosystem.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex program portfolios and balancing strategic priorities resources performance and impact.
• Strong analytical strategic thinking problem-solving and project management skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to translate complex analysis into clear actionable insights for senior leaders and stakeholders.
• Bilingualism (English/French) is an asset. Knowledge of written and spoken English is required in this role as you will interact with colleagues clients and stakeholders located across Canada.
• Mitacs is committed to reconciliation with Indigenous communities across Canada. Lived experience or perspectives connected to Indigenous worldviews are considered strong assets.

Equity diversity and inclusion and reconciliation are strong commitments at Mitacs:Equity Diversity and Inclusion - Mitacs. We believe a diverse workforcecomprisedof individuals with different lived experiences ideas strengths 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 yourequireaccommodations during the recruitment process.

Hiring Range: $126675 - $160455

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 andmaximumamounts. The midpoint of the range is positionedapproximately halfwaybetween the minimum and maximumindicatinga 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 andexpertisethat far exceed thoserequired for the position would we consider paying above the hiring range for this role.

Our recruitment process may use artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tools to support activities. Any use of AI is subject to human review and all hiring decisions are made by a human member of our hiring team.

Required Experience:

Director