executive director, research and partnerships

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, RESEARCH AND PARTNERSHIPS

La version française suit.

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.

About CIFAR:

The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) is a globally influential research organization proudly based in Canada. We mobilize the world's most brilliant people across disciplines and at all career stages to advance transformative knowledge and solve humanity's biggest problems, together.

For more information please visit our website.

Purpose of the Position:

The Executive Director (ED), Research and Partnerships is a vital member of the executive team, reporting directly to the President & CEO. In this strategic role, there is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of research and partnerships on a global scale, contributing to CIFAR's mission of advancing research excellence and societal impact. Working collaboratively with the President & CEO, the ED leads and delivers on CIFAR's research portfolio, identifying new research endeavours, and expanding CIFAR's global presence through strategic international partnerships. They will provide leadership across the full lifecycle of CIFAR's research programs – from foresight and discovery panels to global calls, through to supporting and evaluating programs. Fostering a culture of cohesion and collaboration, the ED champions a talented and motivated team of research directors and support staff to successfully deliver on research programs. As a coach and mentor, the ED builds effective tools that enable the team to better implement, monitor, evaluate and report on research and international collaboration activities. 

The ideal candidate is an exceptional people leader, with a PhD background, and significant leadership credibility in research administration. Passionate about CIFAR's mission, the ideal candidate is collaborative, organized, and strategic. They understand how to lead effective research programs, integrating diverse research topics into a cohesive research agenda that tackles existing and emerging issues. They are familiar with building research evaluation and impact frameworks and can successfully translate complex research into valuable insights for diverse partner groups. The ideal candidate champions a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion and has a proven track record of spearheading high-performing research teams across diverse disciplines.

Apply:

To fill this position, CIFAR has partnered with leadership advisory firm Odgers, and the search is being led by Joanne McMullin. Applications are encouraged immediately and should be submitted online at For more information, please contact Sarah Shaikh of Odgers at We thank all those who express an interest, however only those chosen for further development will be contacted.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

CIFAR is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with the Accessible Canada Act, 2019 and all applicable provincial accessibility standards, upon request, accommodation will be provided by both Odgers and CIFAR  throughout the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process to applicants with disabilities.

Odgers is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all the work that they do. As part of our efforts to better understand our ability to reach as broad a pool of candidates as possible for our searches, their DEI team would like to encourage you to take a moment and access their Self-Declaration Form.