Manager, Innovation Talent Pathways

Employment Status: Full-time - Permanent

Location: Edmonton or Calgary

Work Model: Hybrid

About The Opportunity
The Manager, Innovation Talent Pathways is an opportunity to be part of a professional, purpose-driven team that values collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement. Most importantly, your work will contribute to meaningful outcomes that make a difference for Albertans and help shape the future of our province.

Key responsibilities in the role of Manager, Innovation Talent Pathways include:

Talent Framework Leadership

Lead the implementation, evolution, and continuous improvement of Alberta Innovates' Commercialization Talent Framework, ensuring alignment with corporate priorities and innovation outcomes.

Lead the implementation and ongoing enhancement of talent pathways and programs spanning student engagement, graduate training, work-integrated learning, entrepreneurial development, commercialization skills development, and industry talent attraction and retention.

Develop and recommend investment priorities, funding models, and performance measures that support commercialization and innovation ecosystem objectives.

Manage portfolio planning activities and develop investment and resource allocation recommendations.

Develop evidence-based recommendations for leadership regarding new programming, policy development, program redesign, and investment opportunities.

Use market intelligence, labour market trends, ecosystem data, and stakeholder insights to identify emerging talent gaps and opportunities.

Support the development of business cases, strategic plans, briefing materials, and recommendations for leadership and government stakeholders.

Implements performance measurement processes and monitors portfolio outcomes.

Ecosystem & System Leadership

Coordinate and facilitate engagement across Alberta's innovation ecosystem to identify talent challenges, opportunities, and system-level solutions.

Convene and facilitate collaborations among post-secondary institutions, industry partners, government agencies, funders, investors, and ecosystem organisations.

Contribute subject matter expertise to provincial talent strategies and related planning activities.

Support ecosystem alignment and collaboration around talent development, workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, research commercialization, and innovation capacity building.

Represent Alberta Innovates on provincial, national, and sector-specific committees, advisory groups, and working groups.

Monitor and assess emerging trends related to innovation talent, workforce development, commercialization, and research translation.

Client and Stakeholder Management

Build and sustain relationships with leaders and key decision-makers across government, academia, industry, investment organisations, Indigenous communities, and ecosystem partners.

Lead consultations and co-development processes to ensure programming reflects stakeholder needs and market realities.

Influence decision-makers and partners to achieve alignment around talent investment priorities, commercialization objectives, and ecosystem development initiatives.

Facilitate collaboration across Alberta Innovates portfolios to support integrated client pathways and coordinated ecosystem investments.

Partnership and Growth

Identify, develop, and negotiate partnerships that enhance talent development outcomes and expand Alberta's commercialization capacity.

Support partnership development with post-secondary institutions, federal funding agencies, industry associations, innovation organisations, foundations, and private-sector partners.

Support the development of partnership and investment approaches that leverage external funding and resources.

Evaluate opportunities for program expansion, new funding mechanisms, and collaborative initiatives that strengthen provincial talent pathways.

Assess partnership opportunities and provide recommendations to executive leadership regarding priorities and investments.

Leadership

Provide leadership, set clear goals, monitor performance, and drive professional development.

Offer ongoing feedback, mentorship, and training to build team capability and high performance.

Define project scopes, objectives, and successful criteria for programs and initiatives.

Create and deliver project plans, status reports, and presentations to stakeholders and senior leadership within the organization.

Ensure adherence to organisational policies, practice standards, and change management processes.

Provide leadership, direction, and mentorship to programme managers and project teams.

Establish performance measures, goals, objectives and priorities in collaboration with Executive Director.

Assign and review work comp