Vice President, Government Relations

Canadian CHAMBER of COMMERCE; Ottawa; Hybrid; CAD 155,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading Canadian business association is seeking a Vice President of Government Relations in Ottawa. This pivotal role requires a leader with extensive government relations experience, overseeing advocacy efforts and building networks with political stakeholders. The VP will ensure cohesive collaboration within the Policy & Government Relations team while ensuring compliance with lobbying regulations. The role offers a competitive salary and a hybrid work environment, reflecting the importance of strategic influence in public policy and business success.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefit package

Defined pension plan

Compressed work week during summer

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in government or policy development.
• Advanced understanding of government decision-making processes.
• Ability to work independently and represent the organization effectively.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day work of the Policy & Government Relations team.
• Build relationships with key political staff and civil servants.
• Ensure compliance with lobbying rules and regulations.

Skills

Government relations experience

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Analytical thinking

Education

University degree in relevant field

Job description

Vice President, Government Relations Canadian Chamber of Commerce Ottawa, ON, United States

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is Canada's largest and most activated business network – representing over 400 chambers of commerce and boards of trade and more than 200,000 businesses of all sizes, from all sectors of the economy and from every part of the country – to create the conditions for our collective success. Our vision is to build a Canada of thriving business opportunity, a strong economy and a better life for all. Our mission is to drive change, partner broadly and be the undisputed champion and catalyst for the future of business success. We do this through policy and advocacy, our Canadian Chamber Network and our suite of essential business services. From working with government on economy‑friendly policy to providing services that inform commerce and enable trade, we give each of our members more of what they need to succeed: insight into markets, competitors and trends, influence over the decisions and policies that drive business success and impact on business and economic performance. Through our Chamber 2025 Strategic Plan, we give each of our members more of what they need to succeed: insight into markets, competitors and trends, influence over the decisions and policies that drive business success and impact on business and economic performance. The Canadian Chamber recruits top talent who understand today’s business realities and have an entrepreneurial mindset that can support our business‑building goals as well as emerging business needs and opportunities.

What We Offer

• Advancement opportunities
• Annual salary range: $155,000 - $175,000, commensurate with experience
• Comprehensive benefit package covered by the Canadian Chamber at no cost to employees
• Competitive vacation
• A defined pension plan starting after one (1) year of service
• Compressed‑work week during the summer
• Hybrid work environment

Term and Location

This role is a full‑time permanent position, based in Ottawa. The Chamber offers hybrid work arrangements in our main office, with a requirement of 3 days in‑office presence per week, with up to 2 days per week performed remotely.

Summary of the Role and Opportunity

Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Policy & Government Relations, this is a key leadership position within a dynamic team, with the responsibility to oversee and coordinate the day‑to‑day government relations activities across the Policy & Government Relations team. The VP will serve as the official designee when required for the SVP, Policy & Government Relations. We require an individual with deep experience within government and in the service of business members, able to navigate both the political environment and the methods and mechanics of the public service.

The successful candidate will work to maintain common standards and consistent outputs from our Policy & Government Relations team across all of their advocacy work. The incumbent will ensure our team of subject matter experts is working collaboratively and strategically: able to motivate teams while making them accountable, able to identify the higher‑order issue that can be threaded across multiple unrelated files for optimal impact. The VP, GR is also responsible to ensure all lobbying activities are monitored and reported in accordance with all regulations, across the entire Canadian Chamber.

The role will provide day‑to‑day oversight of individual and collective performance and output of the Policy & Government Relations team. The VP will maintain a deep network across government and parties to reach and influence government audiences; therefore, they cannot have any restrictions on lobbying at the federal level.

As a multi‑sector business association, the role will involve the broad Chamber Network in our advocacy agenda, serve our corporate members, reflect their positions through careful messaging campaigns and media responses, and build consensus across our association members on matters of strategic policy.

Superb writing and communication skills are vital for this position. The successful candidate must be adaptable to changing circumstances and be willing to undertake the full spectrum of activities including strategy design, execution, policy development and backend support functions.

Core Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee the day‑to‑day work of the Policy & Government Relations team, including:
  • Council and Committee terms of reference, workplans, and staff resourcing
  • Cross‑team government relations activities, ensuring coherence and coordination between member groups, team members, and external audiences
  • Internal protocols and team deliverables
  • Compliance with lobbying rules
• Work alongside the VP, Strategic Policy & Global Partnerships, identify opportunities to leverage our GR activities, research, position papers, personnel, and events to reach government and policymaker audiences, as well as the broader business community on issues which relate to international affairs, trade, supply chain and corridor issues, or geopolitical situations.
• Work closely with the rest of the Policy & Government Relations team to ensure the Canadian Chamber maintains an active and leading voice on “the future of business success” through robust lobbying, sophisticated messaging, and precise targeting.
• Build relationships with key political staff and civil servants to advance the Canadian Chamber’s advocacy objectives and gain insights on policy, legislative and regulatory developments.
• Build relationships and networks within various communities with a public policy interest, including researchers, members of the media, and other influencers.
• Support the executive leadership of the Canadian Chamber by providing insight, advice, and briefings in the pursuit of our advocacy.
• Provide guidance to the Communications team on key messages and be one of the Canadian Chamber’s diverse group of media spokespeople.
• Collaborate with the Business Data Lab team to ensure we lead with data‑driven advocacy, making the Canadian Chamber a must‑have partner for policymakers.
• Provide content and policy support to the Member Relations and Events teams for membership growth and retention, the development of quality member programming, or other activities as required.
• Provide necessary support for meetings with government officials or other events, such as speeches, briefing notes, etc.
• Some overnight travel may be required for this position.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• University degree in public administration, economics, political science, or a related discipline. Advanced degree is an asset.
• 10+ years’ experience working in government, as well as policy development and/or government relations for a membership association or the private sector.
• Experience in roles of progressive leadership responsibility, with a working knowledge including advocacy campaigns, the mechanics of government, member communications.
• Years of experience managing multiple direct reports, bringing highly developed skills in organizational efficiency and project leadership, including working with cross‑functional teams.
• Advanced understanding of government decision‑making and legislative processes, ideally at, but not limited to, the federal level.
• Familiarity with important issues facing the Canadian business community from a public policy perspective as it relates to a wide range of sectors and subjects.
• A demonstrable personal commitment to following and participating in current affairs via networking and events, traditional news media, and social and digital platforms to stay abreast of dynamic issues and emerging narratives.
• A strong understanding of what it means to build and drive member value, with the proven ability to develop innovative and responsive campaigns and messaging in a highly compressed timeframe, in response to unanticipated or uncontrollable circumstances.
• Ability to operate independently in representing the Canadian Chamber and its members to government officials, partners and a range of external stakeholders.
• Familiarity in engaging with members or clients to understand their concerns on policy issues.
• Accustomed to leading in a technical environment with a highly skilled and educated workforce.
• Strong analytical thinking with the ability to identify issues and recommend alternative courses of action.
• Caring, highly effective people leadership skills with demonstrated experience in team leadership and employee development, actively leveraging teammate strengths.
• No lobbying limitations at the federal level.
• Experience working with the media as a sought‑out subject matter expert, and with an ability to act as a spokesperson on issues.
• Ability to work in both official languages is strongly preferred.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is committed to providing a barrier‑free work environment in concert with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code. As such, we will make accommodations available to applicants with disabilities upon request during the recruitment process.

Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of all segments of society. We are dedicated to encouraging a supportive and inclusive culture amongst the whole workforce and we are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills, where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. All aspects of employment including the decision to hire will be