Director, Strategic Partnerships

Position: Director, Strategic Partnerships

Location: London, Ontario

Position Type: Full-time, 3-year renewable contract.

Hiring Range: $91,182 - $121,576. 

Application Deadline: Sunday, June 15th at 11:59PM.

About Ivey Business School:

Ivey Business School acknowledges and respects the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lunaapéewak, and Attawandaron peoples, where Western University and Ivey Business School are located. This land continues to be home to diverse Indigenous peoples, whom we recognize as contemporary stewards of the land and vital contributors of the community.

Ivey Business School (www.ivey.ca) at Western University (www.uwo.ca) is Canada’s leading provider of real-world, case-based business education. Drawing on extensive research and business experience, Ivey’s faculty provides the best classroom experience, equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and capabilities they need to confidently take on today’s leadership challenges and opportunities through Case-Method Learning. Ivey offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as Executive Education at campuses in London, Toronto, and Hong Kong.

The Ivey Centre for Building Sustainable Value (BSV Centre) was one of the first sustainability centres in a business school globally, and is recognized for its excellence and 20-year track record in research and teaching. 

The BSV Centre has established a new ambitious strategy to “strengthen capacity within communities of change-makers to catalyze transition pathways toward a sustainable future”. This ambition – further enabled by Ivey’s capabilities for innovative research and policy influence through high-level institutional engagement – creates the opportunity for profound impact on current and future business practice, while also being a catalyst for the transformation towards a climate-smart, regenerative economy in Canada. 

Position Overview:

The Director, Strategic Partnerships plays a key leadership role in ensuring the BSV Centre achieves its new ambition and delivers exceptional value to its key stakeholders. The Director works in close collaboration with the Faculty Director to establish and maintain a comprehensive strategy and implementation plan that maintains Ivey’s leading position on sustainability in a rapidly evolving business context. The Director leads and coordinates the work of the BSV Centre’s professional staff team and maintains strong collaborative relationships across Ivey and Western. The role is responsible for the development and execution of new innovative and impactful programs (i.e., lighthouse projects), as well as building and maintaining a major portfolio of partnerships to drive engagement and impact in targeted sectors (i.e., Agri-Food and the broader bio-economy).

The Director collaborates on the mission and strategy of the Network for Business Sustainability (NBS) to ensure alignment with the Ivey Centre for Building Sustainable Value.

Responsibilities:

1. Initiatives & Partnerships

• Develop and execute new programs and initiatives as part of a compelling and theoretically informed portfolio of lighthouse projects that operationalize the Centre strategy toward positive societal outcomes. In the medium term, BSV is advancing three lighthouse projects (Collective Action program; The Regenerator; Agri-Food System Transformation), targeted dissemination effort (Agri-Food Leadership Series), and supporting several other projects in collaboration with diverse faculty members (e.g., 100% Great Lakes Fish; CSA Climate Smart-Circularity; Conservation Bonds; etc). The Director is expected to lead at least one lighthouse project while also actively supporting the execution and renewal of the full portfolio.
• Develop, implement and maintain a best practice partnerships strategy for the BSV Centre.
• Work closely with Ivey Faculty members who co-lead the Centre’s Innovative Research  Priority Areas (i.e., lighthouse projects and Labs) to advance their research, establish relationships with business and government, and obtain funding to support the implementation and impact of each priority area.
• Build strong collaborative relationships with other Ivey institutes and Centre’s, and sustainability expertise at Western University to support the implementation of the BSV Centre Strategy and its lighthouse projects.
• Build and maintain a portfolio of high-impact external partnerships with businesses that are open to sustainable change, supporting BSV Centre’s activities and maximize its influence on practice.
• Establish and grow relationships with policymakers and other key institutions that are leading key systems transformations towards sustainable development in Canada.

2. Strategy Development

• Collaborate with the Faculty Director to develop and refine the BSV Centre’s strategy focused on systems change visible to internal and external stakeholders with a national lens.
• Adapt and evaluate BSV strategies and processes to validate effectiveness.
• Manage a project budget of $900k for the BSV Centre. 
• Collaborate with Faculty Director to co-review current resources and identify new opportunities for investment.
• Oversee spending and monitor the ability to fulfill the Centre’s objectives within financial limits.
• Identify and establish new tactical and operational processes for the BSV Centre, establishing best practices in communications and ensuring all processes are adhered to.
• Support the functioning of the Ivey Sustainability Advisory Council to maximize the engagement of Council members with the BSV Centre’s activities.
• Monitor major developments in business sustainability to ensure the ongoing leadership, impact and relevance of Ivey sustainability programs.
• Develop and maintain work plans, budgets and supporting business processes to enable strategy implementation, working closely with key stakeholders.
• Develop (in collaboration with Ivey Advancement) a fundraising plan to mobilize the resources to support the implementation of the Centre’s Strategy.
• Seek, evaluate, and operationalize new external partnerships and opportunities that advance the strategy of the Centre.
• Help the Sustainability Area group to scope and determine sustainability programs at Ivey.
• Support the management and operation of the Network for Business Sustainability through the following accountabilities:
  1. Collaborate with the Faculty Director to define NBS’s mission and strategy, in line with and complementary to the BSV Mission Statement and develop metrics to quantify learnings and adapt and evaluate NBS strategies and processes to validate effectiveness.
  2. Oversee the NBS website and directory, acting as a broker across 190 research centres around the world to leverage and collaborate resources, eliminating duplication of efforts and inefficiencies (sharing papers, podcasts, teaching materials).
  3. Develop and revise impact metrics as the projects deliver and determine how to gain visibility and presence with the program initiatives. 

3. Centre Management

• Recruit, develop, manage and retain BSV Centre staff.
• Define clear performance goals and objectives for the Centre team and support effective delivery and collaboration between team members.
• Oversee the internal operations of the Centre including finances, administration, resource management and reporting.
• Manage the implementation of the BSV Centre Communications Strategy to grow the Centre’s network and influence and to position Ivey as a thought leader in sustainable business.
• Identify internal research capability deficiencies/skills inventory within team and create professional development plans in partnership with Ivey Faculty.

Qualifications: 

Education and Experience: 

• Postgraduate degree in business, management, economics, or policy, ideally with a specialization in sustainability.
• Detailed knowledge of corporate sustainability frameworks, tools and practices.
• A minimum of 10 years’ experience in a similar role, ideally involving the design and delivery of complex, multi-stakeholder programs and initiatives in sustainability.

Skills and Abilities: 

• Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to inspire confidence and trust in business leaders, government officials, faculty and internal stakeholders.
• Extensive experience initiating, developing and growing major partnerships and collaborations with senior business leaders, governments and other stakeholders, preferably within academic institutions.
• Strong record of business development and account management.
• Superior listening skills and the ability to interpret the concerns and interests of potential stakeholders and translate them into attractive opportunities for investment in the Centre.
• Ability to organize and manage a diverse range of assignments and projects with high efficiency in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent leadership and team management skills.
• Strong communication skills, both oral and written.
• Resourceful and independent, but comfortable working within the framework of an integrated development program and team-oriented environment.
• Basic familiarity and appreciation of the mission, purpose and values of a comprehensive university and, more particularly, a teaching business school and its responsiveness to the educational and research requirements of a sophisticated international business community.
• Ability to self-organize and prioritize amongst complex and competing objectives.
• Proven presentation skills and track record of presenting to senior leaders.
• Ability to travel.

What We Offer:

• Flexible or hybrid work plans for many roles
• A collaborative and engaging work culture
• Opportunity to join a community of people-focused professionals
• Market competitive compensation with annual increases available 
• Generous benefits package with employer-paid premiums, including a comprehensive Health and Dental Plan, Health Care Spending Account, short- and long-term disability programs, no waiting period required.
• Enhanced mental health benefits coverage and resources.
• Life and AD&D insurance for you and your family.
• Out-of-country travel insurance.
• Employee and Family Assistance Program.
• Pregnancy and Parental top-up leave program.
• A generous group retirement savings plan with 7.5% employer contributions. 
• Vacation starting at 15 days per year plus 2 paid Ivey Personal Days.
• Paid time off during the School’s December holiday closure.
• Numerous campus-wide arts, culture, and sport events.
• Supports for professional development and career progression opportunities.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Ivey

Ivey Business School is committed to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Please explore Ivey’s EDI homepage for more information on Ivey's commitment to EDI, to read about Ivey’s progress in the EDI Update, and to meet Ivey’s EDI Advisory Council members.

Ivey Business School invites applications from all qualified individuals. Ivey is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace, and welcomes applications from women, members of racialized groups/visible minorities, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation, and persons of any gender identity or gender expression.

Accommodation
Prior to the next step in the recruiting process, we welcome you to inform us confidentially if you may require any accommodations in order to participate fully in our recruitment experience. Please contact us at careers@ivey.ca to notify us of any needs related to completing the job application, and/or throughout the recruitment process.

Application:

If you're excited about joining Canada's leading business school and meet the qualifications, please submit your resume and cover letter via the Ivey Careers page by the application deadline.

*Please note only selected candidates will be contacted.