Director, Government Affairs (Ontario)

THE COUNCIL OF CANADIAN INNOVATORS (CCI):

The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) is a national business association representing over 175 of Canada’s fastest-growing technology-intensive companies. Companies within CCI’s portfolio are market leaders in their verticals and commercialize their technologies in over 190 countries, generating between $10M - $1B in annual recurring revenue. CCI’s member companies are all headquartered in Canada and collectively employ over 52,000 Canadians from coast to coast.

CCI was created in 2015 by the leaders of Canada’s most innovative companies to reorient Canada’s economic strategies towards supporting domestic scale-up companies to aid in their pursuit of becoming engines of Canada’s future economic prosperity. CCI works closely with our members and leaders within federal and provincial governments to develop economic strategies that increase access to talent, capital, and customers for homegrown firms, all while updating Canada’s economic playbook for the 21st-century economy. Since 2015, CCI’s advocacy has led to the government improving the way businesses access international talent, patent their inventions, and navigate the global data-driven economy.

CCI is a peer network of Canadian business leaders and innovators who look to CCI’s leadership and membership for strategic advice and foresight, expert navigation of federal and provincial governments, and for connections to other innovators and institutions that can assist them in scaling their businesses worldwide.

Today, CCI is headquartered in Toronto and has staff located in Vancouver, Edmonton, Atlantic Canada, Ottawa and Montreal. CCI is established as a not-for-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors, with Jim Balsillie, retired chairman and co-CEO of BlackBerry, serving as Chair, and John Ruffolo, founder of OMERS Ventures and Managing Partner of Maverix Private Equity, serving as Vice-Chair. Both are also co-founders of CCI.
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RESPONSIBILITIES:

Reporting to the Vice President, Policy and Advocacy, CCI’s Ontario Director will work closely with parliamentarians and officials across the Ontario government and Broader Public Sector to advance CCI’s priorities, ensuring domestic innovators have a seat at key decision-making forums.

CCI’s Ontario Director will work on a wide range of public policy files and will be expected to immerse themselves in discussions taking place across the province, so they become a resource to CCI’s membership.

On any given day, CCI’s Ontario Director could be:

• Developing and maintaining relationships with parliamentarians and officials responsible for or who influence economic policy, finance, and innovation related files and issues to advocate on behalf of domestic innovators.
• Participating and advancing ideas in discussions on a variety of topics, including but not limited to procurement modernization, talent and skills development, data and privacy regulation, commercialization of research and development.
• Leading the management of appearances and submissions before relevant Ontario parliamentary committees.
• Connecting with members of different media outlets acting as an official CCI spokesperson or connecting in CCI leadership/ CCI members on certain topics.
• Developing membership recruitment strategies and ensuring CCI’s suite of member services are meeting the needs of current and prospect members.
• Other duties required with the direction of the Vice President, Policy and Advocacy.
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ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Design, coordinate and execute a Government of Ontario engagement strategy that supports member CEO advocacy;
• Abide by all provincial and federal lobbying rules and regulations;
• Organize discussions and forums between Ontario innovators and public-policy leaders related to the priorities of CCI and its membership;
• Assist in the education of CCI members regarding provincial and federal government business support programs;
• Develop a strong understanding of members' businesses, market landscapes and industry trends;
• Monitor current and upcoming provincial legislation and regulations that have an impact on Ontario’s innovation sector, and when necessary, coordinate industry responses to government measures and decisions;
• Contribute to the planning and execution of CCI’s national advocacy agenda, including large-scale advocacy events attended by senior government officials, policy makers and politicians;
• Support the Member Success, Programming and Partnerships teams with the planning and execution of CCI’s regional growth initiatives, strategic engagements, informing business development in Ontario as well as supporting the onboarding of new CCI members;
• Support CCI’s Communications team in the development of media products, including opinion pieces, newsletters, budget submissions, and reports.
• Grow and maintain relationships with members of the local media by developing and delivering strategic and effective media pitches that advance our advocacy efforts;
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DESIRED SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES:

• A deep understanding of the Government of Ontario and parliamentary processes will be essential to your success in this role;
• A strong understanding and passion for growing Canada’s innovation sector;
• The ability to work independently and telework collaboratively with a small team and thrive in a fast-paced environment;
• The ability to work at the pace of the private sector, responding to the needs of the innovation community and tech sector while meeting government deadlines;
• Consistently maintain a high level of professionalism with CCI membership, the Board of Directors, government officials and other key stakeholders;
• Attention to detail and with superior organizational skills;
• A self-starter with the ability to work independently with minimal oversight;
• The ability to think outside the box, be resourceful and solutions orientated;
• Be part of a highly driven, dynamic, inclusive team with energetic personalities.

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