Policy Director (Transportation / Urban Solutions) – Pembina Institute – Toronto

Position Overview

Are you passionate about solving climate change? Do you see changing government policy as a key driver to this end? Do you understand the scale of the challenge in meeting Ontario’s climate targets? If so, then this position may be for you.

The Pembina Institute is seeking a policy director to join our Ontario team and lead our work on transportation and urban solutions. We are seeking someone who has strong relationships within the City of Toronto and Queen’s Park and a record of working toward policy change at the provincial level. The successful candidate will be responsible for co-creating the strategic direction of our transportation and urban solutions work in collaboration with the Ontario team.

We are looking for a strategic thinker who will bring fresh ideas about how to create change in a policy area that has suffered from inertia for too long. We are looking for a relationship builder who is equally comfortable talking with a minister at Queen’s Park, an executive on Bay Street, a community group concerned about density or speaking to a room of 100 people.

If this sounds like your kind of challenge, then please read on.

Why the Pembina Institute?

The Pembina Institute is an organization unlike any other working to protect Canada’s environment today. We combine the research and technical capacity of a think tank with the values and advocacy of an environmental non-governmental organization (NGO) and the entrepreneurial and business sense of a for-profit consulting firm.

Our people are passionate about sustainability and dedicated to enabling positive social change. Our organizational culture encourages creativity and collaboration, and we offer a flexible work environment that rewards honest character, personal initiative and innovation. The successful candidate will join our dynamic team of nationally recognized professionals working on delivering clean energy solutions into the hands of Canada’s decision makers and key influencers.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary rate is competitive for a policy director in the non-profit sector and will be based on the skills, experience and qualifications of the successful candidate.

Benefits include:

extended health and dental coverage
four weeks of holidays per year
RRSP plan
training and professional development opportunities

Further terms of employment will be discussed with candidates during the interview process.

Roles and Responsibilities

Strategic Planning and Implementation

Lead development and refinement of the strategic objectives for the program, working with the Ontario director, senior advisor, and communications lead.
Responsible for developing program-level strategic plans and overseeing the execution of work designed to achieve specific goals, including the development of government relations and other tactics.
In conjunction with the Ontario communications lead, responsible for designing a communications strategy to support the strategic objectives for the program
Collaborating with other staff to ensure coordination across the organization when necessary

Team Coordination

Assemble and coordinate teams to execute strategic plans and projects
Support and provide mentorship and guidance to one or more staff members

Budget Management and Fundraising

Responsible for managing the budget for the transportation and urban solutions program, and ensuring projects and initiatives are completed within budget
In conjunction with the Ontario director and the director of strategic partnerships, responsible for meeting the program’s fundraising target, including but not limited to: completing grant applications, securing sponsorships and developing fee-for-service contracts

External Spokesperson and Relationship Building

Be the lead spokesperson for media related to the program area with support from team members as necessary
Lead government relations for priority area, with support from team members
Be lead relationship builder/holder with external influencers for the program area, and delegate as necessary to team members

Skills and Qualifications

Candidates must reflect the following skills and experience in their application:

Leadership

At least two years experience in a leadership position and demonstrated success in building teams
Ability to develop a vision and strategic goals in a collective setting and develop plans and projects to meet these goals
Demonstrated mentorship and supervisory skills

Policy development

At least three years experience developing relationships within the provincial government
A clear understanding of policy development processes
Knowledge and understanding of current transportation and urban planning policy space in Ontario and beyond

Knowledge of transportation and urban planning

Knowledge of some aspects of the field of transportation – could include transit, freight and goods movement, electric vehicles and electrification of transportation, and transit oriented development
Knowledge of and relationships with key players (other ENGOs, vehicle manufacturers, utilities, infrastructure planners, city planners etc.) in the field

Interpersonal skills

Strong interpersonal skills, conflict resolution skills and the ability to work collectively with a team
Demonstrated ability to build relationships with individuals with a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives
Ability to demonstrate a high degree of diplomacy and tact
Self-motivated and results-oriented

Administration and project management

Strong project management skills, with a demonstrated ability to manage concurrent projects while meeting deadlines
Strong planning and organization skills with exceptional attention to detail
Experience developing, monitoring and managing budgets
Proven ability to secure significant grants and contracts ($100K or more)
High level of proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Knowledge of SalesForce or similar CRM systems an asset

This position is located in our Toronto office and reports to the Ontario director. It is full-time and may require some travel and occasional work on weekends and evenings

To Apply

Email your cover letter and resume to:
careers@pembina.org . Please ensure the following:

Subject line includes Policy Director ON and your last name
Cover letter (one-page only) explains why you are interested in working with the Pembina Institute and how your skills and qualifications meet the criteria outlined for this position
Resume outlines your relevant skills, education and experience
Cover letter and resume are saved as one PDF document using the naming convention lastnamefirstletter-application-position-year.pdf
example: smithm-application-Policy-Director-ON-2015.pdf

Application deadline: Midnight (Eastern Time), Monday, November 2, 2015.

The Pembina Institute is an equal opportunity employer.

We thank all applicants for their interest but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

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