Research Program Director

CIFAR; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 117,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive wellness and benefits

Learning and growth opportunities

Inclusive, collaborative culture

Hybrid working model with in-office 3+

Maternity and parental leave top-ups

Job summary

CIFAR, based in Toronto, is seeking a Research Program Director to oversee 4–5 interdisciplinary research programs, ensuring strategic and operational success. The role interfaces with world-class researchers and CIFAR departments to enable collaboration and impact.

The position requires a Ph.D. with 3–5 years post-Ph.D. experience in research administration or policy, strong leadership, and ability to drive partnerships while managing budgets and reporting. Travel 8 times yearly is expected.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in natural or physical sciences, social sciences, or humanities.
• 3–5 years of work experience post Ph.D. in a research administration or research policy setting.
• Experience leading collaboration through meetings and projects.
• Ability to build trust with researchers across cultures.
• Strong skills in guiding external partners toward organizational goals.

Responsibilities

• Advance the program’s intellectual goals with program leadership.
• Build relationships with Co-Directors, Advisory Committee, Program Members.
• Support program impact agendas and public engagement initiatives.
• Oversee delivery of 4–5 research programs and track progress toward goals.
• Administer collaborative funding allocations and budgets with Finance.
• Support program reviews, assessments, and reporting including EDI metrics.
• Collaborate to identify opportunities for synergy across CIFAR programs.
• Serve as operational liaison between Research Programs and CIFAR departments.
• Travel for program meetings approximately 8 times a year.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Meetings facilitation

Strategic partnerships

Project management

Education

PhD in natural or physical sciences, social sciences, or humanities

Job description

This is a hybrid position based out of the CIFAR office located in the MaRs Discovery building. Staff are required to be in the office three days a week, ensuring a balance of in-person collaboration and flexibility. Travel for research program meetings required (approximately 15-20%).

This posting is for a newly created position.

About CIFAR:

The Next Leap Starts Here. At CIFAR, we don’t just solve complex challenges; we imagine new possibilities for humanity. We are a global catalyst for breakthroughs, mobilizing the world’s most brilliant minds to tackle the questions that define our future. Founded in Canada and connected to the world, CIFAR is a not-for-profit research organization that provides the platform for high-risk, high-reward research. When you join CIFAR, you aren’t just taking a job: you are joining a community dedicated to the long-term benefit of people and the planet.

For more information, please visit our website.

The Opportunity

As a key interface between CIFAR and our research community, the Research Program Director partners with world-class researchers to deliver on our aspiration of advancing transformative knowledge. Reporting to the Head, Fundamental Research, the Research Program Director is responsible for the operational management and strategic stewardship of 4-5 existing interdisciplinary research programs, ensuring they have the conditions and support needed to achieve their research and impact ambitions.

Working closely with the research program leadership, the Research Program Director helps refine program strategies, facilitate key decisions, and enable effective collaboration among leading researchers. The role acts as the primary interface between research programs and CIFAR’s internal teams, ensuring programs receive the operational, administrative, and strategic support required to thrive.

The Research Program Director also contributes to the development of CIFAR’s broader research portfolio strategy by collaborating with other program leaders and identifying opportunities for synergy, innovation, and impact across programs.

Key Responsibilities & Impact:

• Partner with research program leadership to advance the program’s intellectual goals and guide key decisions.
• Build strong relationships with Program Co-Directors, Advisory Committee members, and Program Members.
• Co-develop and support the implementation of program impact agendas and public engagement initiatives.
• Oversee the operational delivery of a portfolio of 4-5 research programs, ensuring progress toward research and impact goals.
• Administer collaborative funding allocations in accordance with program guidelines.
• Support program reviews and assessments.
• Manage program budgets in collaboration with Finance and Research Strategy & Operations.
• Ensure timely reporting and tracking of program activities, including equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) metrics.
• Collaborate with other Research Program Directors to identify synergies across programs and support CIFAR’s research portfolio strategy.
• Collaborate with teams focused on strategic foresight, early career researchers, and global partnerships.
• Serve as the primary operational liaison between Research Programs and CIFAR departments, including Communications, Advancement, and Government Relations.
• Participate in the Program Leadership Group within the Research Department.
• This role requires travel for program meetings and other engagements approximately 8 times a year. These trips typically last 2-3 days and may include weekends or holidays.

About You

• Ph.D. in natural or physical sciences, social sciences, or humanities. A background in the natural or physical sciences is strongly preferred.
• 3-5 years of work experience post Ph.D. in a research administration or research policy setting.
• Experience leading collaboration through designing and facilitating meetings and projects
• Ability to build trust and navigate complex relationships with world-class researchers across diverse cultures
• Proven skill in guiding high-profile external partners toward organizational goals through persuasion, credibility, and relationship-building
• Capacity to pivot quickly between diverse scientific or scholarly disciplines to identify synergies and strategic opportunities
• Strong project management, planning and execution skills.
• Thorough knowledge of research principles, best practices and strategies.
• Understanding of CIFAR’s role, mandate and activities in order to manage the research portfolio and provide input into corporate strategies.
• Current knowledge of the research landscape and key players, institutions etc. in various research fields.
• Strong knowledge of financial, human resources and administrative methodologies to recommend organizational standards, monitor budgets and build capacity.

Hiring Salary Range

The salary for this position ranges from $99,860- $117,420. To ensure fair and equitable pay at CIFAR, placement on the salary range will be based on your years of experience, skills, and qualifications relevant to the role.

What We Offer

Just as we champion the world's best researchers, we champion our people. We offer a culture of collaboration, courage, clarity and curiosity. Our benefits prioritize your well-being, growth and inclusion so you can do your best work in a community of extraordinary thinkers.

Our team members benefit from

• Comprehensive wellness and benefits - extended health coverage, mental health supports, a defined benefit pension, 4 weeks' vacation, and "CIFAR Days" (days off with pay) throughout the year.
• Opportunities for learning and growth - supported by professional development resources.
• An inclusive, collaborative culture - grounded in our values the "4Cs" (Collaboration, Curiosity, Courage and Clarity), where diverse perspectives are valued and ideas are encouraged.
• Work Flexibility - We encourage a hybrid working model that includes work-from-home arrangements with a minimum of 3 days in the office and Focus Fridays (meeting-free Fridays every week).
• Employee Focused - We offer generous maternity and parental leave top-ups and a flexible work environment, including CIFAR Days (designated days off in addition to vacation allotments).

Our Commitment to Inclusion

CIFAR is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. We recognize that bringing together individuals from multiple backgrounds, perspectives and experiences is integral to advancing excellence and increasing the impact of our organization. Our leadership, staff and volunteers strive to create an equitable, diverse and inclusive workplace and, in turn, an environment that will give our diverse global community of researchers the support to successfully address the most important questions facing science and humanity. Ensuring that every person feels valued and welcome, regardless of age, education, sexual orientation, gender expression and identity, parental status/responsibility, immigration status, Indigenous status, religion, disability, language, race, place of origin, ethnicity, culture, socio-economic status, and other attributes is vital to achieving our mission. We strongly encourage applications from members of our society who face systemic barriers and biases, including, but not limited to, women, Indigenous persons, members of visible minority/racialized communities, 2SLGBTQ+ persons, members of marginalized gender identity communities, and persons with disabilities. Applicants may confidentially self-identify at the time of application.

ACCESSIBILITY FOR APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES

CIFAR is committed to providing accommodations throughout the recruitment and selection process to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, and the Ontario Human Rights Code. To request a reasonable accommodation, please email [e-mail] and include the term 'Accessibility' in the Subject Line, or call 416-971-4251. Please provide your name, preferred contact method, and a detailed description of the nature of any accommodation that you may require. Please include any materials or processes that may be used to ensure your equal participation.

CIFAR frequently communicates in both official languages and our preference is to hire employees who are fluent in both English and French where possible. Other languages are also considered an asset. For a French version of the job posting, please visit www.cifar.ca.

CIFAR is supported by the governments of Canada, Alberta, and Quebec, as well as international partner organizations, individuals, foundations, and corporations.