Director, Prevention & Field Operations

National Research Council of Canada; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Robust pension plan

Comprehensive health and dental

Disability and life insurance

Office closure at end of December

Well-being and support programs

Job summary

National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is seeking a dynamic Director to lead the Prevention and Field Operations Directorate within the Health, Safety and Environment Branch. This role drives occupational safety and environmental stewardship aligned with NRC priorities, policies and legislative requirements.

The Director will oversee PFO Managers, shape risk management and compliance programs, and champion continuous improvements across our operations in Ottawa and beyond.

Qualifications

• University degree in engineering, business, science, industrial hygiene or related field.
• Experience leading and managing, and handling human and financial resources.
• Experience building collaborative relationships with internal or external partners and stakeholders.
• Experience providing strategic direction for health, safety and environmental programs.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership to Occupational Safety & Health and Environmental Stewardship activities.
• Oversee a group of PFO Managers across the Council from Ottawa homebase.
• Ensure compliance and report on health, safety and environmental programs.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Influence & communication

Change management

Policy development

People management

Education

University degree in engineering, business, science, industrial hygiene or related field

Job description

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Priority may be given to the following designated employment equity groups: women, Indigenous Peoples* (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), persons with disabilities and racialized persons*.

* The Employment Equity Act, which is under review, uses the terminology Aboriginal peoples and visible minorities.

Candidates are asked to self-declare when applying to this hiring process.

OrganizationalUnit:Health, Safety and Environment Branch

Classification:MGT-1

Tenure:Continuing

Work arrangements:

• Due to the nature of the work and operational requirements, this position will require full-time physical presence at the NRC work location identified. At the NRC, we recognize that Indigenous candidates may have important connections to their communities and you may be eligible for an exception to this work arrangement. Alternative work arrangements may also be considered to accommodate candidates as required. To learn more about these options, please contact the NRC Hiring team using the contact information below.

Discover the possible

The role

Help bring research to life and drive your career forward with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Canada's largest research and technology organization.

We are looking for a dynamic and collaborative Director to provide leadership to the Prevention and Field Operations Directorate of the Health, Safety and Environment Branch and to the leaders within the organization. The Director would be someone who shares our core values of Integrity, Excellence, Respect and Creativity.

The Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Branch develops and delivers initiatives for the purpose of strengthening occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmental management throughout NRC. HSE branch develops and implements policies for the purpose of protecting people and the environment from the risks associated with NRC’s operations and to accurately identify and reduce associated liability while providing NRC with OHS and environmental services that include guidance and support to our operations for the purpose of complying with applicable policies and legislative requirements.

The successful candidate provides strategic and operational leadership in the management of Occupational Safety & Health and Environmental Stewardship activities ensuring that these activities are aligned with NRC’s strategic goals and impacts. The individual oversees the delivery of high quality services through the implementation of policy instruments, and ensures that systems are in place to maintain compliance, as well as reports on these as required. In addition, they will oversee a group of PFO Managers across the Council from their homebase in Ottawa.

Screening criteria

Applicants must demonstrate within the content of their application that they meet the following screening criteria in order to be given further consideration as candidates:

Education

University degree in engineering, business, science, industrial hygiene or in a related field from a recognized university or an equivalent combination of education and recent practical experience in a similar environment may be considered.

• Recent and relevant experience in leading and managing, human and financial resources.
• Recent and relevant experience in establishing and maintaining strong collaborative working relationships with internal or external partners and stakeholders.
• Recent and relevant experience in providing direction and guidance on occupational health & safety and/or environmental stewardship within the public sectors including. Understanding private sector requirement (municipal, provincial) would be an asset.
• Recent and significant experience in providing strategic and operational direction to staff and in managing comprehensive health, safety and environmental programs, services and products.
• Experience developing and implementing policies, procedures and supporting systems for occupational health and safety as well as environmental management.
• Experience providing advice and briefings to executives, management boards and external stakeholders.

Assets

• Strong leadership skills in the management of people (managers) to align to vision and goals.

Condition of employment

A thorough security clearance process will be applied.

For a Secret Clearance, verification of background information over a period of 10 years is required. Individuals must have lived in Canada for a sufficient period of time to enable the security screening process.

Language requirements

Note: In the event that no qualified bilingual candidates are identified, NRC may consider unilingual candidates who will be required to commit to achieving these levels within two years.

Candidates will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

• Ability to develop strategies and options to mitigate risks related to health, safety and environment.
• Proven ability to influence others and get results.
• Ability to seek improvements, make changes and incorporate ideas into practical business applications.
• Recent and comprehensive knowledge of government policies, legislation and regulation, emerging trends and best practices in health, safety and environmental stewardship.
• Ability to lead, build and motivate individuals and teams to meet or exceed performance expectations, particularly through significant organizational change.
• Ability to build internal alliances with clients to understand and meet their needs and to set direction based on these needs.
• Ability to manage effectively in a complex and continuously changing business and technology environment.
• Inspirational Leadership (Level 3)
• Strategic Outlook and Alignment (Level 3)
• Drive for Results and Efficiency (Level 3)
• Leverage Collaborative Relationships (Level 3)
• Client Relationship Management (Level 3)

NRC employees enjoy a wide-range of competitive benefits including a robust pension plan, comprehensive health and dental coverage, disability and life insurance, office closure at the end of December, and additional supports to enhance your well-being throughout your career and beyond.

• a robust pension plan
• comprehensive health and dental coverage
• disability and life insurance
• office closure at the end of December
• additional supports to enhance your well-being throughout your career and beyond

Notes

• In 2026, the NRC was chosen as one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People, a National Capital Region Top Employer and Forbes Canada’s Best Employer.
• Relocation assistance will be determined in accordance with the NRC's directives.
• In order to ensure a prompt and efficient processing of applications, candidates are encouraged to provide, along with their résumé, a detailed covering letter explaining how they meet each of the requirements of this position (education, experience, language requirements) by providing concrete examples. In addition, the candidate is encouraged to describe in detail when, where and how he/she gained the experience.
• A pre-qualified list may be established for similar positions for a one-year period.
• Preference will be given to Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada. Please include citizenship information in your application.
• The incumbent must adhere to safe workplace practices at all times.
• We thank all those who apply, however only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Please direct your questions, with therequisition number (26126) to:

Closing Date: 17 November 2026 - 23:59 Eastern Time

*If you are currently a term or continuing employee at NRC, please apply through the SuccessFactors Careersmodule from your NRC computer.