Vice President, Strategy, Research

**About Travel Alberta**

Travel Alberta is the destination management organization of the Government of Alberta, responsible for driving the growth of the province's visitor economy, creating and promoting must-visit destinations throughout the province. Travel Alberta develops signature products, experiences, and destinations, attracting investment in the sector, and marketing those destinations to the world. In partnership with local communities, regional destination organizations, industry associations, and thousands of Alberta tourism businesses across the province, Travel Alberta is working to grow the value of Alberta's visitor economy to $25 billion in annual spending by 2035.

As Alberta’s top service export, tourism is an essential part of Alberta’s economic development agenda. It drives sustainable GDP growth, creates meaningful employment opportunities, and supports infrastructure and amenities that make Alberta a better place to live, work, and visit.

**The Opportunity**

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Vice President, Strategy, Research & Communications (SRC) will lead a team responsible for Travel Alberta’s corporate strategy, research and insights, and communications. The Vice President will support Travel Alberta’s transition to a destination management organization with a broader mandate that leads a coordinated government approach to responsible and sustainable tourism development and promotion.

This role will support the execution of a new 10-year tourism strategy, aligned with Travel Alberta's updated strategic priorities. The Vice President will collaborate and work closely with all business units, the Senior Leadership Team and Board of Directors, to set long-term goals, strategies, and plans for organizational growth. The Vice President will be accountable for managing all budgets related to tourism strategy, research, and communications.

**Responsible for leading three key areas,**the Vice President, Strategy, Research, and Communications will:

- ** Oversee the execution and performance measurement of Travel Alberta’s strategic initiatives**:

- Ensure strategy development and implementation reflects current and ongoing situational, industry, and government priorities.
- Monitor and report on corporate performance.
- ** Drive a research and insights-led approach to industry development and decision-making**:

- Lead an insights-driven industry by delivering the right research and data to make informed, effective, and intelligent business decisions.
- ** Strengthen stakeholder engagement and foster meaningful industry relationships**:

- Develop and maintain collaborative relationships.
- Oversee the development and implementation of communication strategies with key enterprise stakeholders (Board, Government of Alberta, industry partners, colleagues).

**Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities**

**Strategy**
- Drive the development of Travel Alberta’s strategies through the annual planning process, ensuring alignment with organizational goals. Facilitate ongoing reviews and updates while actively engaging the Senior Leadership team and board of directors.
- Provide regular strategy updates to the Senior Leadership team and CEO.
- Lead the planning, monitoring, and reporting of Travel Alberta’s corporate performance, including the management of the balanced scorecard.
- Ensure plans and programs are meeting objectives by monitoring performance against established standards and objectives.
- Oversee corporate reporting to the shareholder, including the development, review, approval, and execution of the organization’s strategic plan and annual report.

**Stakeholder Engagement and Communications**
- Build and maintain effective business relationships with internal and external stakeholders to further advance key initiatives.
- Cultivate and maintain relationships with key government officials, policymakers, and other stakeholders to foster open dialogue and alignment between Travel Alberta and its partners.
- Liaise with the Government of Alberta’s Finance Ministry, Alberta Treasury Board, Office of Auditor General and the Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Innovation, as well as other government stakeholders as required.
- Build relationships with other destination management organizations, industry partners, groups and associations.
- Obtain input from stakeholders to support the development of strategies that align programs and policies with Travel Alberta’s strategic objectives.
- Obtain input from stakeholders to support the development of strategies that align programs and policies with Travel Alberta’s strategic objectives.
- Represent Travel Alberta at meetings on issues of particular interest or necessity.

**Research and Insights**
- Drive Travel Alberta’s research and insights function to deliver timely, relevant strategic insights that empower the organization, government, and Alberta’s tourism industry to make informed decisions and optimize investments fo