Director, Parliamentary Internship Programme

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Posting Reason:

Replacement of a temporary position

Job Type:

Employee

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

24

Job Family:

Program Management

# of Open Positions:

1

Faculty/Service - Department:

School of Political Studies

Campus:

Main Campus

Union Affiliation:

N/A

Date Posted (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/04/30

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

2026/05/11

Hours per week:

35

Salary Grade:

Non-Union Grade NM1

Salary Range:

$104 880,00 - $131 101,00

About the Faculty of Social Sciences
The FSS comprises nine departments, schools and institutes, which offer undergraduate, masters and doctoral programs in both English and French. With its 10,000 students, 260 full-time professors, and wide array of programs and research centres, the Faculty of Social Sciences plays a key role at the heart of the University of Ottawa. Its graduate students are supervised by excellent researchers and undertake cutting-edge research in the Faculty's masters and Ph.D. programs. Along with its complement of about 100 administrative employees, the faculty is proud to provide a collaborative working environment that inspires new ideas, encourages creative ingenuity, and promotes excellence.

Position Purpose

The Director has the responsibility for the academic and administrative delivery of the Parliamentary Internship Programme (PIP) and for ensuring its financial viability. This includes developing and maintaining relationships with sponsors, the House of Commons, and alumni to ensure the long-term sustainability of the program.

In this role, your main responsibilities will include:

Management and Strategic Planning:

• Governance: Responsible for the overall governance and administration of the programme by working closely with various programme stakeholders. Under the oversight of the Director of the School of Political Studies and the Dean, this includes reporting to the House of Commons Liaison and the Speaker of the House; organizing and consulting with the PIP Advisory Committee; and consulting regularly with the Parliamentary Internship Alumni Association (PIAA) as an ex-officio member of its board.

• Management and Liaison: Responsible for the management and coordination of all programme activities through regular meetings and contact with members of the House of Commons administration; the various governing entities of the PIP; various faculty and staff within uOttawa; programme partners and sponsors; as well as the interns themselves. The Director addresses all student issues, including difficulties with their MP placements, interpersonal dynamics with other interns, and travel issues during the study tours, and is responsible for resolving these issues as they arise. A crucial part of the Director’s job is offering general support to current and past interns by writing reference letters upon request, sharing job opportunities, and acting as a mentor so as to maintain a strong and loyal alumni base. Consequently, some of the liaison-related responsibilities go well beyond the 10-month period of each internship and impact an ever-growing network of alumni.

• Financial Administration: Responsible for ensuring the sound financial management of the programme. To that end, the Director is responsible for fundraising for the programme’s annual budget in accordance with the programme’s existing funding structure and within the framework of the University’s fundraising policies and procedures. The incumbent will sign and manage contribution agreements, approve invoices and expense claims, and work with various departments within the faculty to coordinate all financial aspects of the programme.

Human Resources

• Intern Experience: Responsible for managing and scheduling all stages of the internship experience which includes the intake process and the preparation of the interns before the beginning of the programme. The Director will organize the PIP orientation, oversee the MP selection process and arrange the placement of interns in MP offices from all official parties in the House. Throughout the year, the incumbent will plan and implement weekly group meetings with the interns for academic learning, programme planning, professional development, and additional meetings as necessary to address issues or concerns, whether academic or personal. To that end, the Director ensure that the interns adhere to the student code of conduct and address any concerns of harassment or discrimination. Finally, the Director will conduct a year-end debrief with the interns.

• Intern Selection and Recruitment: Responsible for promoting the programme to potential applicants by contacting institutions, organizations, and universities, organizing information webinars, purchasing online advertising, and overseeing the creation of promotional materials. To that end, the incumbent will organize and chair the annual selection committee and will ensure the implementation of the PIP Inclusive Recruitment Initiative throughout the selection process in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code. The incumbent will also work with the Alumni Association to arrange support for potential applicants.

• Academics and Research: Under the oversight of the Director of the School of Political Studies and in accordance with the University’s academic regulations, responsible for ensuring the academic quality of the programme by leading the overall learning experience for interns, including: the preparation of seminars on Parliament and Canadian politics; the coordination of seminars with prominent Canadians; the organization and delivery of youth outreach activities and workshops; and the supervision of an original research project and academic paper by each intern. As part of the academic experience, the incumbent will also organize an annual symposium at Parliament for the Interns to present their research and will work with the Canadian Political Science Association and Federation of the Humanities and Social Sciences. The incumbent will also oversee a committee to select and the award a prize for the best intern in the previous cohort. Furthermore, the incumbent will assist the interns with the ethics approval process and with publishing their research in peer reviewed journals and/or in the Canadian Parliamentary Review.

• Study Tours: The incumbent will secure funding, plan and coordinate the organization of a series of outgoing Legislative Study Tours to other legislatures – typically in Toronto, Québec City, Iqaluit, Brussels, London and Washington – and accompany the interns on one or more of the international study tours. The incumbent will also coordinate a series of incoming Legislative Study Tours with the directors of the counterpart programs at provincial legislatures and the United States Congress.

Stakeholder Relations:

• Communications: As the principal representative and spokesperson for the programme, the incumbent is responsible for the development, maintenance, implementation and distribution of all the PIP communications and outreach activities. This includes responding to inquiries; directing and overseeing service providers and suppliers; updating the PIP website; and being responsible for the PIP e-newsletters, bulletins, invitations and other communications. The incumbent will also oversee the social media posts of the interns to ensure that postings are accurate and professional and enhance the reputational image of the PIP.

• Sponsor Relations and Activities: In collaboration with the Dean and the Director of the School of Political Studies, responsible for developing and maintaining positive relationships with sponsors and friends of the PIP that contribute to programme funding and enrich programme content. This includes proactively meeting and communicating with existing sponsors as well as pursuing potential new sponsors.

• Events Planning, Logistics, and Facilitation: Responsible for coordinating with the Speaker of the House of Commons to organize a series of key, high-profile events that include several recognition luncheons for host MPs and higher-value donors, receptions for all PIP stakeholders, and a signature research Symposium in order to promote the PIP and its aims. Responsible for ensuring that events are compliant with university policies on hospitality.

• Alumni Relations and Activities: Responsible for maintaining positive relationships with PIP alumni, primarily through the PIAA. To that end, applies the provisions of the Terms of Reference between PIP and PIAA; stays abreast of their members’ opinions and concerns as well as opportunities for engagement with the interns; and, as an ex-officio member of the PIAA board, organizes and promotes alumni events and programming as appropriate. Integrates the PIAA into the university’s alumni framework whenever possible.

What you will bring:

• PhD in Political Science or a related field

• At least 5 years of direct experience with parliamentary studies and organizational management

• Experience in stakeholder and relationship management and in networking

• Experience in fund raising

• Experience in course development and teaching

• Experience in research oversight and knowledge dissemination

• Student management: recruiting, orientation, oversight of academic operations

• Ability to relate to students, faculty and staff with diverse backgrounds, experiences and identities in ways that build trust and confidence

• Ability to respect diversity and use inclusive behaviour, responding with sensitivity and self-awareness to the unique needs of students, faculty and staff, including visible and non-visible dimensions of diversity.

• Experience in budgeting and financial management

• Experience in event and travel planning

• Experience in oversight of marketing and social media

• Excellent oral and written communication

• Bilingualism

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.