Research Program Director

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.
• S