Vice-President, Policy

Candidate ProfileThe Public Policy Forum is seeking a broad-minded, intellectually ambitious and entrepreneurial leader with a passion for public policy and a track record in one or more of government, academia, think tanks or related organizations. We are looking for a doer and thinker, someone enthusiastic about engaging with our many partners and ready to lead a team of Policy Leads and Associates and part-time Fellows in designing processes to tackle policy challenges. This is a critical role in our organization, one that faces inward and outward.PPF prides itself on being the think tank about tomorrow, an applied policy shop working with a cross-section of stakeholders to put forward fresh policy approaches on emerging issues. Our research is generally accompanied by convening interested parties coming from differing perspectives. The Vice-President of Policy is a key member of the leadership team and is responsible for planning and overseeing our policy agenda and research activities, as well as ensuring their impact and excellence.The position reports to the President & CEO and will work closely with members of the PPF team in delivering on the organization’s strategic and operational mandates. We operate off of four delivery platforms for our content: publications, convenings, PPF Media and our learning arm, PPF Academy.The Vice-President will represent PPF in policy discussions at conferences and in the media and will sometimes hold the pen on PPF reports or other vehicles that communicate our content. We are looking for someone with recognized public policy expertise who will seek to amplify that recognition on the PPF platform.The OrganizationThe Public Policy Forum is a 37-year-old non-profit organization and charity that works with all orders of government, generally through the public service, as well as with the private sector, trade unions, post-secondary institutions, foundations, NGOs and Indigenous groups to improve policy outcomes for Canadians. As a non-partisan, member-based organization, we work from “inclusion to conclusion," by convening discussions of emerging and established thinkers, doers and deciders on fundamental policy issues (inclusion) and by identifying applied policy options (conclusion). The Public Policy Forum views itself as “the think tank about tomorrow.” We therefore focus our research researches and convenes around difficult public policy challenges as well as celebrating great contributions to policy and public service at our testimonial dinners. We believe policy choices and execution directly impact the quality of life of Canadians. Our motto is Good Policy, Better Canada. Scope & Objectives PPF conducts research and engagement activities within a portfolio of public policy issues of relevance to Canada and its people with an eye to being “the think tank about tomorrow.” Although this portfolio will evolve over time, our focus on a handful of primary areas of inquiry allows us to build knowledge, relationships and reputation. Some areas will be more active than others at a given time. Our portfolio of activities currently consists of: Economic Growth, Competitiveness and Living Standards Climate Change & Energy Transition Technological and Social Progress Canada Amidst Geopolitical Change Democratic Trust & Good Governance A primary task of the Vice-President of Policy is to identify where PPF can be of assistance to policy-making in the face of changing circumstances and to design relevant research initiatives and event programming in support of a publicly interested agenda. All PPF initiatives draw on partnerships for intellectual and financial capital. Working closely with the partnership team, the Vice-President of Policy and the policy team interact with PPF’s diverse group of 200+ members, who reside on the frontiers of policymaking and policy impacts. The VP Policy also interacts regularly with PPF Media and PPF Academy.The major activities of the Vice-President of Policy and Programming are:Research and Policy Analysis In conjunction with the CEO, plan and execute PPF’s research and engagement activities, ensuring they are forward-looking, excellent and dynamicProvide oversight and guidance to the policy team members working on reports and programs and ensuring they are consistently of high relevance and qualityManage roster of PPF Fellows in organizing their contributions to PPF priorities, and lead the recruitment of future PPF FellowsThrough readings and ongoing conversations with contacts in government and elsewhere, ensure the ongoing monitoring of policy trends in PPF’s priority areas of concentration, and bring to the attention of the PPF team any emerging issuesWork closely with the PPF Academy to design curriculum opportunities flowing from the policy team’s research agenda and build economies of scale by leveraging resources and shared agendasCollaborate with PPF Media and other PPF departments to heighten the impact of PPF's policy workWork with other members of the management team in securing research partnerships of various typesWork closely with the Vice-President Corporate & CFO and the Director of Operations and Planning on project budgets and project managementOutreach and Project DevelopmentCollaborate with external partners to develop PPF’s projects and initiativesBuild broad networks reaching into the various communities with a public policy interestWork with other members of the PPF team in liaising with foundations, private and public sector organizations, and other external partners in attracting funding for PPF initiativesServe as a public face of PPF in the media, external events, and within the policy communityPrepare and deliver presentations and briefings to policy conferences, membership meetings, and external partiesManagement and Team Building Assign project work to policy team members, ensuring the team’s workload is managed effectively, that assignments are carried out, and that outputs are of consistently high qualityMentor and develop the policy team to ensure both the quality of PPF’s work and the professional advancement of team membersBe a great colleague with a long-term stake in building a better organization and a happy, inclusive workplaceSkills & EducationA graduate degree or higher and a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in a research or policy environmentExceptional interpersonal skills and ability to work in a dynamic and inclusive team environmentEntrepreneurial, take initiative, willingness to do hands-on workAbility to help support the conception, development and implementation of multi-stakeholder, non-partisan policy dialogue and research projectsDemonstrated experience in project management and overcoming obstacles to deliver complex projects on time and budgetAbility to communicate with people at all levels on complex matters and to bring competing points of view to consensusAbility to quickly develop a working knowledge of new subject matterStrong knowledge of topical public policy issues and the public policy process in CanadaExcellent writing, editing and oral communications skillsAbility to speak and write fluently in both official languages is preferredDIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSIONIn our early years, inclusion entailed gathering government, business, labour and civil society in the same room. Today, the proposition is far more ambitious. As much as possible, we aim to incorporate a broader cross-section of participants and contributors – reflecting factors such as identity and geography – in our research, convening and learning processes.PPF recognizes the existence of systemic racism in Canada. We are firmly committed to Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and social justice for all communities. We subscribe to the 50-30 Challenge and seek to live our core belief that good policy makes for a better Canada.We recognize there is more progress to be made and that good policy outcomes for everyone mark the ultimate measure of a successful society. As Canada’s think tank about tomorrow, we take our responsibility seriously to use our work to illuminate inclusive and diverse policy pathways.We thank all applicants for their interest in this opportunity. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.Accommodations will be provided at all stages of the hiring process. We ask applicants to make their needs known in advance.