uOttawa

Associate Director, Partnerships, Development and Innovation

Ottawa, ON Full time

Follow us on LinkedIn

Posting Reason:

Replacement of a regular position

Job Type:

Employee

Anticipated Duration in Months (for contracts and temporary assignments):

N/A

Job Family:

Business Development

# of Open Positions:

1

Faculty/Service - Department:

Professional Development Institute

Campus:

Main Campus

Union Affiliation:

N/A

Date Posted (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/03/09

Applications must be received BEFORE (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/03/30

Hours per week:

35

Salary Grade:

Non-Union Grade NM2

Salary Range:

$115,781.00 - $144,726.00

About the Professional Development Institute:
The Professional Development Institute (PDI) of the University of Ottawa has been in the business of providing recognized career learning for over 40 years. Tens of thousands of decision makers and professionals at all levels in the public service and the private sector benefit from courses, programs and events to advance their knowledge and expertise. PDI’s experienced instructors are content and industry experts in their field and are trained to meet the specific needs of adult learners.

Position Purpose

Reporting to the Executive Director of the Professional Development Institute, the incumbent will develop and implement innovative strategic alliances and growth opportunities, across Canada and globally, to help fulfill the expanded mandate entrusted to the Professional Development Institute by the University of Ottawa.

Augment uOttawa-PDI’s global and national stature, by forging entrepreneurial alliances with select organizations in both private and public sectors.

Anticipate trends and spearhead the development of bold and unique solutions to emerging needs expressed by organizations and governments leading to competitive advantages in the rapidly growing professional development sector while maximizing revenue-generating initiatives and opportunities.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

  • Develop short, medium and long-term innovation goals for revenue growth by conducting forecast analyses and landscape analyses to identify revenue-generating partnership opportunities across Canada and internationally.
  • Develop and maintain a broad network of contacts within uOttawa, with other universities, and with relevant government and industry sectors, while balancing stakeholder interests, to secure innovative partnership opportunities that align with the mission and vision of PDI and the University of Ottawa.
  • Lead innovation action teams with a shared goal for creativity, adaptability, resilience, and tolerance to risk adversity, to put forward initiatives that will lead to business growth and creatively meet client needs.
  • Prototype new approaches, including thorough risk-mitigation assessments, of new products and partnerships, and measure key performance indicators, adjusting as necessary.
  • In close collaboration with the University’s External Relations Office and with the Alumni Relations Office, identify and spearhead sponsorship and fundraising opportunities in support of uOttawa-PDI’s growth and sustainability.
  • Oversee the PDI’s internal marketing and communications team and set clear key performance indicators for the team’s strategic goals while ensuring that the team has the appropriate human and financial resources to perform efficiently.

What you will bring

  • Masters in Business Administration, Public Administration, Strategic Marketing, Public Relations, and related fields, and/or, equivalent minimum of 10 years of management and leadership experience in human resources, business processes planning, operations management, team management and strategic planning.

  • Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in maintaining multiple stakeholder relationships.

  • In-depth knowledge of a university setting and university management practices: structure, HR and procurement practices, decision-making, budgeting, legal frameworks

  • Strong leadership and managerial skills, in a fast-paced, rigorous, and entrepreneurial work environment

  • Ability to synthesize, analyze and maintain an overview of the multiple activities in a complex and rapidly changing environment

  • Demonstrated ability for negotiation in complex situations

  • Knowledge of educational concepts and learning environments

  • Excellent communication skills, oral and written, in both official languages

#LI-GC1 #LI-HYBRID

Key Competencies at uOttawa:
Here are the required competencies for all or our employees at uOttawa: 

Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.
Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.
Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.
Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact hrtalentmanagement@uottawa.ca to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Note: if this is a union position: The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.

If this is a front-line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.