Director, Program Development – Impact

• Lead program development, design, strategy, and continuous improvement aligned with organizational strategy and stakeholder priorities
• Translate strategic objectives, government priorities, and ecosystem needs into effective program models
• Identify emerging opportunities for new programs, partnerships, and funding modelss
• Establish program development standards, processes, and governance frameworks
• Lead the organization's evaluation function and oversee evaluation frameworks measuring program performance, outcomes, effectiveness, and return on investment
• Develop program frameworks, theories of change, logic models, implementation plans, and performance expectations
• Lead economic impact assessments covering economic growth, productivity, commercialization, talent outcomes, and ecosystem benefits
• Oversee impact reports, performance dashboards, and evidence-based narratives for executives, Board members, government partners, and stakeholders
• Build organizational capacity to use data and evidence for continuous improvement
• Manage the full lifecycle from strategic need and policy challenge through program design, implementation, outcomes, evaluation, and improvement
• Monitor the performance, strategic alignment, effectiveness, relevance, and value creation of the program portfolio
• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team responsible for program development, evaluation, and economic impact analysis
• Establish priorities, operating plans, and performance objectives
• Foster collaboration across program, evaluation, policy, and operational teams
• Report to the Vice President, Policy, Program Development and Government Relations

Requirements

• Degree in Economics, Business, Public Policy, Statistics, Evaluation, or a related field
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Knowledge of written and spoken English is required
• Bilingualism (English/French) is an asset
• Lived experience or perspectives connected to Indigenous worldviews are strong assets

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in program development, evaluation, and economic impact assessment, with a strong ability to translate strategic objectives into actionable program models. Proven track record in managing complex program portfolios and fostering collaboration across multidisciplinary teams.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Program Development
• Economic Impact Assessment
• Program Evaluation
• Strategic Thinking
• Project Management

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Program Design
• Performance Measurement
• Data Analysis
• Logic Models
• Implementation Plans
• Theories of Change
• Governance Frameworks
• Impact Reporting
• Evidence-Based Narratives
• Continuous Improvement

Soft Skills

• Analytical Skills
• Problem-Solving
• Communication Skills
• Collaboration
• Presentation Skills

Industry Keywords

• Canadian Research Ecosystem
• Innovation
• Economic Development
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Multidisciplinary Team Leadership
• Strategic Alignment
• Organizational Capacity Building
• Performance Dashboards
• Indigenous Worldviews
• Bilingualism