IT Director

Automotive and Surface Transportation; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

National Research Council Canada seeks an IT Director to provide strategic, technical and people leadership across enterprise technology services in CIOB. You will guide multidisciplinary teams, set priorities with senior leaders, and drive transformation while maintaining service reliability and security.

The role requires strong capability in strategic planning, governance, and performance management, with experience guiding complex IT programs and ensuring compliance with digital standards

Qualifications

• Recent* and significant** experience managing enterprise-scale IT services, systems, platforms or digital technology initiatives.
• Recent* and significant** experience in managing multidisciplinary technical teams and advancing enterprise-wide initiatives.
• Recent* and significant** experience developing and implementing IT strategies, policies, and operational plans.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic, technical and people leadership across enterprise IT programs, services or initiatives.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams and manage resources, budgets and timelines.
• Ensure alignment with architecture, cybersecurity, accessibility, privacy and government digital standards.

Skills

Strategic Leadership

People Management

Technical Leadership

Change Management

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/IT or related

Advanced degree asset

Certifications ITIL, PMP, CISSP, AWS asset

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: Chief Information Officer Branch

Classification:CS-5

Tenure:Continuing

COLLECTIVE STAFFING: A pool of qualified candidates will be established for a one-year period and will be used to staff similar positions with varying tenures, language requirements, and security levels at the CS-4 and CS-5 levels within the NRC. Candidates who meet the essential qualifications may be considered for future opportunities in CIOB as they become available.

Within the application form, candidates must indicate which area(s) they wish to be considered for, as this poster will be used to establish a pool for various Data Innovation and Engineering and Digital Solution Development and Delivery positions.

Work arrangements: Due to the nature of the work and operational requirements, this position may be eligible for a limited hybrid work arrangement (combination of working onsite and telework).

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

We are looking for dynamic and versatile IT Directors to provide strategic, technical and people leadership across a range of enterprise technology functions to support our Chief Information Officer Branch (CIOB). The IT Director would be someone who shares our core values of Integrity, Excellence, Respect and Creativity. Successful candidates will provide enterprise leadership within CIOB and may be placed in roles that best align with their experience, technical background, leadership strengths and organizational needs.

As a Director, you will provide leadership to multidisciplinary teams, manage people and resources, support organizational transformation, and contribute to the delivery of modern, secure and client-focused IT services. You will work with senior leaders, business partners and technical experts to establish priorities, advance key initiatives, and ensure that technology services support NRC’s research, business and operational needs.

All Director-level opportunities will require candidates to demonstrate strong capabilities in the following areas:

Strategic Leadership:

• Provide strategic direction for enterprise IT programs, services or initiatives that support organizational priorities;
• Translate business needs, technology trends and government priorities into practical IT strategies, roadmaps and delivery plans;
• Contribute to branch planning, governance, investment decisions and service modernization;
• Lead change in a complex environment while balancing innovation, operational stability, security, risk and client service.

People Management and Talent Development:

• Lead, coach and support multidisciplinary teams, including managers, technical specialists, project teams and service delivery staff;
• Foster a respectful, inclusive and high-performing workplace;
• Set clear expectations, manage performance, support professional development and build team capacity;
• Promote collaboration across technical, business and corporate teams.

Leading Technical Teams and Enterprise-wide Initiatives:

• Oversee the delivery of complex IT services, programs or transformation initiatives;
• Provide direction to technical teams working across enterprise platforms, systems, data, applications, infrastructure or service operations;
• Ensure alignment with architecture, cybersecurity, accessibility, privacy, information management and Government of Canada digital standards.
• Manage priorities, risks, resources, budgets and stakeholder expectations across multiple initiatives.

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

A bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, or a related discipline and/or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

An advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) is considered an asset.

Relevant certifications like ITIL, PMP, CISSP, or AWS Certified Solutions Architect are considered assets .

• Recent* and significant** experience managing enterprise-scale IT services, systems, platforms or digital technology initiatives;
• Recent* and significant** experience in managing multidisciplinary technical teams and advancing enterprise-wide initiatives;
• Recent* and significant** experience developing and implementing IT strategies, policies, and operational plans;
• Experience leading service modernization, digital transformation, enterprise technology delivery or IT service management practices to improve service delivery, client experience and operational performance;
• Experience in the management of human and financial resources.

*Recent experience is defined as experience acquired within the last five years.

**Significant experience is defined as having the depth and breadth of the experience normally associated with having performed a broad range of various, complex related activities which would have been acquired over a period of five to ten years.

Depending on the position, candidates may be asked to demonstrate experience in one or more of the following areas:

Data Innovation and Engineering

• Experience leading enterprise data, analytics, AI enablement, data engineering or data platform initiatives;
• Experience supporting data governance, responsible AI readiness, analytics, reporting or evidence-based decision-making.

Digital Solution Development and Delivery

• Experience overseeing enterprise business applications, enterprise COTS platforms, SaaS solutions, application lifecycle management or enterprise application ecosystems;

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.

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

Applicable to All Candidates

• Advanced knowledge of enterprise IT management, digital service delivery and modern technology operations;
• Ability to develop and implement strategies that balance innovation, operational stability, service excellence, cybersecurity, risk management and client needs;
• Ability to lead enterprise-wide initiatives involving multiple stakeholders, complex technologies, competing priorities and organizational change;
• Knowledge of IT governance, enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, accessibility, privacy, information management and Government of Canada digital standards;
• Ability to manage technology services, programs or platforms through effective planning, prioritization, resource management, risk management and performance measurement.

Candidates may be assessed against one or more of the following areas to determine best role placement within the broader CIOB team.

Data Innovation and Engineering:

• Ability to lead the development and implementation of enterprise data, analytics and AI strategies, roadmaps, platforms or services that enable innovation, evidence-based decision-making, operational efficiency and responsible digital transformation;
• Advanced knowledge of modern data engineering practices, including data pipelines, integration, interoperability, metadata, data quality, cloud-native data platforms, reusable data products and scalable data service delivery;

Digital Solution Development and Delivery:

• Advanced knowledge of modern application design, development and delivery practices, including agile delivery, DevSecOps, product management, user-centred design, accessibility, testing, integration and continuous improvement;
• Ability to lead the planning, modernization, optimization and governance of enterprise applications, including custom applications, commercial off-the-shelf platforms, SaaS solutions, low-code/no-code platforms and digital service ecosystems;
• Ability to guide teams in delivering secure, reliable, accessible, maintainable and scalable digital solutions that respond to business needs and align with enterprise architecture, cybersecurity and Government of Canada digital standards.
• Management Competencies - Inspirational leadership (core competency) (Level 3)
• Management Competencies - Strategic outlook & alignment (core competency) (Level 3)
• Supervisor - Business understanding (Level 3)
• Supervisor - Results orientation (Level 3)

In addition, the incumbent who meets the language requirements will receive the Bilingualism Bonus of $800 per year.

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.

Notes

• In 2025, the NRC was chosen as one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People, a National Capital Region Top Employerand Forbes Canada’s Best Employer.
• Relocation assistance will be determined in accordance with the NRC's directives.
• 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.

Closing Date: 28 August 2026 - 23:59 Eastern Time