Senior Engagement & Partnership Officer, TERM, 18 months

University of Toronto; Toronto; On-site; CAD 97,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Toronto seeks a Senior Engagement & Partnership Officer for an 18-month term. You will lead communication initiatives and partner relations to enhance barrier-free workplaces, particularly for youth with disabilities. The ideal candidate has a Master's degree, minimum five years of engagement experience, and strong qualifications in communication and collaboration. This position promotes diversity and inclusion within the workplace.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years of related experience in partnership development and stakeholder engagement.
• Proven experience in community outreach and intersectoral collaboration.
• Experience in designing and implementing outreach strategies.

Responsibilities

• Identifying strategies for research and development collaborations.
• Developing plans to support research areas relevant to partnership needs.
• Building and strengthening relationships with stakeholders.

Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Excellent organizational skills

Excellent interpersonal skills

Excellent problem-solving skills

Excellent collaborative skills

Education

Master's Degree in related fields

Tools

Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Job description

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Senior Engagement & Partnership Officer, TERM, 18 months

Date Posted: 08/14/2025
Req ID: 44831
Faculty/Division: Faculty of Arts & Science
Department: Ctr for Industrial Relations
Campus:St. George (Downtown Toronto)
Position Number: 00058310

Description:

About us:

The Faculty of Arts & Science is the heart of Canada’s leading university and one of the most comprehensive and diverse academic divisions in the world. The strength of Arts & Science derives from our combined teaching and research excellence in the humanities, sciences and social sciences across 29 departments, seven colleges and 46 interdisciplinary centres, institutes and programs.

We can only realize our mission with the dedication and excellence of engaged staff and faculty. The diversity of opportunities and perspectives within the Faculty reflect the local and global landscape and the need for curiosity, innovative thinking and collaboration. At Arts & Science, we take pride in our legacy of innovation and discovery that has changed the way we think about the world.

Since 1965, the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources has brought together professors from many different disciplines and departments at the University of Toronto to teach and conduct research on all aspects of the workplace and employment relationships. The CIRHR faculty reflect the depth, breadth, and diversity of our university. The CIRHR is located in a historic home with administrative and faculty offices, an on-site Library, student computer facilities, study space and a classroom.


Your opportunity:

This project is a multi-year initiative titled “Transforming Workplace Systems to Build Sustainable Capacity for Inclusion of Diverse Youth,” funded by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) under the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS). Administered through the University of Toronto’s Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources (CIRHR), this project aims to build employer capacity for barrier-free, disability-inclusive workplaces, particularly in the construction and manufacturing sectors. It prioritizes support for youth with disabilities (specifically those with neurodivergence, intellectual disabilities, or mental health challenges) through systems-level innovations, cross-sector collaboration, and the development of scalable tools, platforms, and frameworks.

Reporting directly to the Principal Investigators, the Senior Partnership & Engagement Officer will play a key engagement and partnership role in designing and leading communication initiatives, knowledge mobilization and industrial partner relations to ensure uptake and scaling of knowledge in the field for this dynamic, multi-stakeholder initiative.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Identifying, developing and executing strategies for research and development collaborations
• Developing and implementing plans to support areas of research relevant to partnership needs that are consistent with the University’s academic mission
• Building and strengthening relationships with stakeholders and partners of strategic importance
• Researching and recommending new opportunities for external collaborations and partnerships
• Delivering presentations to promote programs, opportunities and/or initiatives
• Developing and implementing strategies to maximize the economic and social impact of research partnerships
• Fostering and maintaining networks to build capacity and collaboration
• Promoting research initiatives at events and conferences

Essential Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in related fields such as communications, public policy and social sciences, or acceptable combination of equivalent experience.
• Completion of formal training or certification in stakeholder or partner relations (e.g., public engagement, community development, or IAP2 training) is strongly preferred.
• Minimum five years of related experience in partnership development and stakeholder engagement at the executive (i.e., senior leadership) level in academic, public or/and non-profit setting
• Proven experience in community outreach, industrial partners engagement and intersectoral collaboration
• Experience in designing and implementing outreach strategies for engagement at the executive and senior leadership level.
• Experience in working in the not-for-profit, academic, public policy, or employment-related sectors at a senior level.
• Work experience in knowledge translation or applied research dissemination
• Experience developing communications (e.g., briefing notes) for senior leadership in the not-for-profit, academic, public policy, or employment-related sectors
• Experience with media relations
• Experience organizing and facilitating workshops and training sessions
• Supporting knowledge dissemination, communications, and/or research activities
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent interpersonal, negotiating, and marketing skills
• Excellent collaborative skills, with demonstrated ability to establish positive working relationships at all levels
• Strong computer skills in Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and prepare remediate digital documents to ensure full compliance with accessibility standards such as AODA or WCAG
• Willingness to travel to partner organizations within Ontario and/ or Canada on occasion

Assets (Nonessential):

• Experience in supporting projects/initiatives with a focus on accessibility, equity, and youth employment systems is strongly preferred
• Experience in multi-channel communications and marketing is preferred

To be successful in this role you will be:

• Adaptable
• Cooperative
• Diplomatic
• Multi-tasker
• Resilient
• Resourceful
• Responsible
• Team player

NOTE: This position is a term position for 18 months, with a posibility of renewal

Closing Date: 08/25/2025, 11:59PM ET
Employee Group: USW
Appointment Type: Grant - Term
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone:
USW Pay Band 15 -- $97,348. with an annual step progression to a maximum of $124,491. Pay scale and job class assignment is subject to determination pursuant to the Job Evaluation/Pay Equity Maintenance Protocol.
Job Category: Research Administration & Teaching

Lived Experience Statement
Candidates who are members of Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, and other equity deserving groups are encouraged to apply, and their lived experience shall be taken into consideration as applicable to the posted position.

Diversity Statement

The University of Toronto embraces Diversity and is building aculture of belonging that increases our capacity to effectivelyaddress and serve the interests of our global community. Westrongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples,Black and racialized persons, women, persons withdisabilities, and people of diverse sexual and gender identities.We value applicants who have demonstrated a commitment toequity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that diverseperspectives, experiences, and expertise are essential tostrengthening our academic mission.

As part of your application, you will be asked to complete a brief Diversity Survey. This survey is voluntary. Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff. Results will be aggregated for institutional planning purposes. For more information, please seehttp://uoft.me/UP .

Accessibility Statement

The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission.

The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities.

If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please [e-mail] .