Director, Partnership Engagement - Role Profile

Code 050
Title Director, Partnership Engagement
Last Revised On 2013-04-23

Purpose

Reporting to the Vice-President, Public, Government and Institute Affairs (PGIA), the Director Partnership Engagement provides proactive leadership and direction for the identification, development and management of effective and strategic partnerships and collaborative opportunities.  

The Director holds major accountability for the overall establishment, implementation and execution of CIHR’s relationship management strategy which includes partnership, stakeholder and citizen engagement strategies and approaches.   Relationships and strategic alliances with a wide range of stakeholders and partners will be developed and maintained (e.g. voluntary sector organizations, private sector partners, provincial, territorial and municipal governmental organizations, philanthropists) under the Director’s leadership. The Partnership Engagement Director engages strategically with the public and private sectors and secures traditional industry as well as non-industry based partnerships to improve the impact, integration and effectiveness of the CIHR’s contribution to health research investments.  He/she explores new opportunities to facilitate health research innovation and commercialization.   

The Director, Partnership Engagement plays a critical role as a trusted business partner to CIHR’s stakeholders to provide leadership, ensure ongoing satisfaction and gain deeper insight into ongoing or future project challenges and opportunities.

The Director is a key contributing member of the PGIA Management team and the Extended Executive Management Committee.

Challenges:

Research collaborations are key to the growth of CIHR.   This role is new for CIHR and is instrumental in achieving internal effectiveness and consensus and in fostering beneficial external partnerships and collaborations that will increase health research funding.

The work environment is fast-paced, and dynamic with high performance expectations.  Issues often emerge with limited time for review and consideration.  Partners may provide minimal information, lead-time and are often critical of government complex requirements, program delivery model/results or overall responsiveness. 

CIHR’s objectives, capabilities and resource availability may constrain the ability to seize opportunities.  The incumbent must understand internal and external requirements, must develop the ability to navigate and deliver within the government framework and resolve emerging issues at both practical and strategic levels.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

Provides leadership and direction to a team of direct reports in the formulation and implementation of a strategic and coordinated approach to CIHR’s collaborative efforts.

  1. Business Development Planning
    • Develops and implements a business plan that identifies opportunities and challenges to grow CIHR’s external partnerships and contributes to maintain Canada’s health research competitive edge both within and beyond the traditional industry-based landscape in which CIHR is already active. 
    • Supports Institutes in identifying and securing funding partners for strategic initiatives, including Signature Initiatives.
    • Maintains awareness of CIHR’s strategic programming and liaises with RKT to ensure that strategic funding opportunities take full advantage of new and emerging industry priorities, developments and standards and potential opportunities for collaborations and partnerships.
    • Develops deep relationships with partners at both senior management and operational levels to determine and enable long-term opportunities and goals for CIHR.
  2. Strategies Development and Implementation
    • In collaboration with CIHR’s Ethics, Legal and Administrative services, contributes to the establishment, implementation and execution of CIHR’s relationships strategies and processes including policies, guidelines and standards and approaches. 
    • Collaborates with the Institutes and other branches and portfolios to incorporate a commercialization perspective in CIHR strategic initiatives where appropriate, enhances linkages and encourages innovation.
    • Leads the development, implementation and renewal of business development strategies such as the Citizen Engagement Strategy and the Stakeholder Relations Management Strategy and provides plans, systematic processes and approaches to maximize the impact of CIHR’s external relations on health research and the health care system.
  3. Funding Collaborations Development
    • In collaboration with Institutes and CIHR’s RKT Portfolio, develops new and diverse health research funding sources by brokering emerging, non-traditional relationships and connecting companies and scientists with complementary research interests.
    • Leverages private sector partner base to address Signature Initiatives research priorities, grows health research and knowledge translation activities and increases investment funding.
    • Leverages CIHR’s suite of Programs and Initiatives in alignment with stakeholder’s opportunities and direction to ensure funding opportunities meet identified requirements.
    • Assesses potential partnerships to ensure CIHR pursues opportunities which will yield the most impact, are consistent with our ethics and values, and make the most sense including on-going re-examination of existing partnerships in order to assess our mutual path forward.
  4. Partnerships Negotiation and Management
    • Develops and implements corporate frameworks, policies, guidelines and standards to support partnerships negotiations and effective relationships with CIHR stakeholders including traditional, philanthropic and non-traditional private sector partners.
    • Is accountable for overseeing negotiations with key partners and to ensure that a common framework is used for the negotiation process.
    • Is accountable for ensuring the development and negotiation of partnerships and collaborative agreements, partnership management and for monitoring, resolving and-or escalating issues as required.
    • Develops sectorial intelligence and analysis such as stakeholder organizational environments, motivations, interests, requirements, responsibilities and operational cycles to help advance and negotiate health research partnerships and collaborations.
    • Identifies, understands and leverages CIHR’s core capabilities and advantages as well as seeks to overcome weaknesses to facilitate the negotiation of partnerships and collaborations agreements.
  5. Relationship Management
    • Represents CIHR on a number of external committees and fora to share CIHR’s value offer, insight and best practices, gather intelligence and ultimately increase the visibility, reach and impact of CIHR’s stakeholders, partnerships and citizen engagement strategies and activities.
    • Provides direction, guidance, advice, and support to all Portfolios and Institutes in their partnership activities, and in developing strategies and plans for domestic collaborations to ensure a cohesive organizational strategy and approach.
    • Provides hands-on management, training and mentoring contributing to the development of CIHR’s overall competence in relationship management.
    • Streamlines CIHR’s stakeholder communication interface by leading the development and implementation of stakeholder relations policies, procedures and tools to address inefficiencies and provide a common and efficient approach, facilitates doing business with CIHR by consolidating and coordinating CIHR’s externally-facing points of contact, and by overseeing consistency of external messaging.
    • Promotes, fosters, nurtures and maintains successful relationships with pan-Canadian groups across the health research landscape.
  6. Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation
    • In collaboration with CIHR’s Evaluation Branch, identifies appropriate performance indicators to monitor, evaluate and report against strategies and plans.
    • Is accountable for ensuring data collection on partnerships and collaborations in order to track and monitor related activities in a consistent and continuous manner.
    • Is responsible for the establishment of regular business development, partnerships and collaborations reports, using common reporting framework and contributing to partnerships and collaborations evaluations.
    • Ensures that successes and lessons learned are shared across CIHR and with key stakeholders with the aid of a continuous improvement process.
  7. Branch Management
    • Acquires and manages the material, financial and human resources required to accomplish the Branch mandate objectives within the area of responsibilities, in accordance with CIHR policies and guidelines.
    • Creates a healthy and stimulating work environment; promoting synergies and a collaborative culture across the Branch, the Portfolio, the whole of CIHR and with external stakeholders.

Special Conditions

Travel

Security Clearance Requirements

Secret

Knowledge and Certification Requirements

  • A minimum of five years of related experience in two or more of the following areas:  private sector, technology innovation sector, government, voluntary sector, health care sector and health research;
  • A minimum of five years of management experience;
  • Deep understanding of business development and partnering processes and mechanisms;
  • Deep and broad knowledge of the Canadian health research landscape;
  • Knowledge of relevant stakeholders in Canada;
  • Knowledge of the organization and funding of Canada’s health care system;
  • Knowledge of current practices, concepts and applications of citizen engagement activities;
  • Knowledge of health and related research activities within the federal and provincial governments and industry.

Skill Requirements

  • Demonstrated ability to develop innovative business strategies.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead and develop strategic and operational plans, programs,   and projects and apply evaluation framework. 
  • Ability to develop and maintain business relationships.
  • Strong communication, interpersonal, written and presentation skills.
  • Strong negotiating skills, able to understand different perspectives and seek mutually beneficial solutions.
  • Strong critical appraisal and analytic skills.
  • Ability to effectively manage multiple and often competing priorities. 
  • Strong problem solving and decision making skills.

Competencies

  1. Communicating
  2. Building Partnerships
  3. Demonstrating Flexibility
  4. Being Proactive
  5. Being a Team Player
  6. Committing to Excellence
  7. Organizing Resources
  8. Developing Others