Director, Program Development & Impact

Mitacs; Toronto; On-site; CAD 127,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Mitacs is seeking a Director to lead program development and continuous improvement, oversee evaluation and impact measurement, and manage the portfolio of programs that shape Canada’s innovation future.

The role requires strategic leadership, data-driven decision making, and the ability to collaborate across government partners and industry stakeholders to maximize program outcomes.

Qualifications

• Experience designing and improving programs and translating evidence into strategic recommendations.
• Strong knowledge of program evaluation, performance measurement, and economic impact assessment.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage complex program portfolios.
• Excellent written and oral communication for senior leaders and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead program development and strategy aligned with organizational priorities.
• Translate objectives into effective program models and governance frameworks.
• Develop evaluation frameworks and impact reports for executives and partners.
• Oversee economic impact assessments and performance dashboards.
• Build organizational capacity to use data for continuous improvement.
• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team across program development, evaluation, and analysis.

Skills

Program development

Strategy execution

Evaluation & metrics

Economic impact analysis

Leadership & team management

Communication skills

Bilingual English/French

Education

Bachelor's or higher in Economics / Business / Public Policy

Job description

Do you want to be part of a mission driven organization shaping Canada’s innovation future?Do you thrive in collaborative environments where creativity, continuous improvement, and strategic thinking are valued?Are you motivated by work that strengthens Canada’s competitiveness and delivers meaningful impact for communities and businesses?

At Mitacs, we take a talent first approach to building Canada’s 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 Canada’s long-term competitiveness. If you’re inspired by big ideas and passionate about creating national impact, we encourage you to apply.

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 organization’s 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 organization’s 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: $126,675 - $160,455

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 maximum,indicatinga 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.