Program Director, Neuroscience

**Location**:
22 St. Clair Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario, M4T 2S7

**About Us**

Wittington Investments, Limited, a private Canadian company, is the holding company of the Weston group of companies, which includes George Weston Limited, Loblaw Companies Limited and Choice Properties REIT.

George Weston Limited is a Canadian public company, founded in 1882. George Weston has two operating segments: Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada’s largest food and drug retailer and a provider of financial services, and Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust, Canada’s largest and preeminent diversified REIT. With over 200,000 employees working at George Weston and its operating segments, the group of companies represent one of Canada’s largest private sector employers.

**Program Director, **Neuroscience**

**Job Description**:
**About the **Foundations**

The individual who fills this role will serve two foundations - the UK-based Galen and Hilary Weston Foundation and the Toronto-based Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation - and will have a collegial relationship with the Weston Family Foundation neuroscience team.

**The Galen and Hilary Weston Foundation** (formerly The Selfridges Group Foundation) funds research and support that will transform the landscape of treatment and care for those affected by neurodegenerative diseases of aging. It pursues this vision by investing in pioneering projects that deliver life-changing outcomes for people living with these diseases and their carers. In their work, the Foundation’s trustees and staff uphold the values of impact, innovation, rigour, and collaboration. Since its founding eight years ago, the Foundation has been an instrumental supporter of research, with a particular focus on novel biomarkers, and it is currently developing a funding for support program.

**The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation**’s goal is to contribute to charities whose bold ideas shape a better future of everyone. In pursuing this goal, the Foundation supports organizations working in the fields of women’s empowerment, the arts, environment, education, and health. A significant portion of the Foundation’s overall budget is devoted to neuroscience research and to support programs.

**The Role**

The Program Director, Neuroscience is responsible for helping to develop and execute the two Foundations’ neuroscience and dementia care program strategies. The Galen and Hilary Weston Foundation focuses on novel biomarkers that are intended to improve the diagnosis of, and accelerate the development of new therapeutics for, neurodegenerative diseases of aging (i.e., dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and ALS). It recently launched a new funding program - Characterisation of Novel Biomarkers for Neurodegenerative Diseases of Ageing - which will have a funding call every two years for projects of up to three years in duration. The Program Director will also help to develop and execute The Galen and Hilary Weston Foundation’s dementia care program. The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation focuses on lifestyle approaches to brain health as well as on the development of tools to treat and better understand neurodegenerative diseases of aging. It also funds programs that support people living with dementia and their caregivers.

Salary range: $110,000 - $155,000 per year, plus 15% STIP

**Key Responsibilities**

**The Role**

**Program** **Design and Strategic Development**
- Support development of any new philanthropic strategies and funding programs.
- Develop, maintain, codify and communicate understanding and knowledge of the Foundations’ neuroscience research and support funding.
- Champion the creation of appropriate monitoring and evaluative metrics and approaches for programs/projects/activities
- Support the Executive Director in ongoing Foundation-wide strategic framework

**Grants **Management**
- Manage portfolios of grants, including: monitoring and measuring impact, analyzing reports to ensure appropriate financial management and deliverables, and reviewing grant payments.
- Support formal calls for proposals relating to neuroscience and care programs, ensuring that timelines and guidelines are appropriately set and adhered to, including the support of appropriate collaterals such as advertisements and web pages.
- Coordinate and support the assessment of proposals to the Foundations, analyzing the quality, potential impact, program alignment and organizational viability; obtaining appropriate expert advice and references; helping to reach a funding judgement through development and implementation of expert reviews; and handling relationships throughout the process.
- Serve on grantee steering committees and advisory groups and assist grantees with the development of research and innovation strategies.
- Ensure the operational effectiveness and efficiency of granting processes, including identifying and implementing process improvements.

**Relationship** **Management**
- Manage