Executive Director, Environmental Innovation

at  Alberta Innovates

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION

Alberta Innovates (AI) is seeking an Executive Director, Environmental Innovation that is responsible for the development and execution of Environmental Innovation programs, projects and operations to support the realization of the broader sector and organizational strategic priorities, identifying and driving innovative opportunities, and building and leveraging strong stakeholder relations to enable the achievement of desired outcomes.

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENT:

• Master’s degree or above in Environmental Science, Biology, or related field.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

• Minimum 15 years broad based technical, operations and business management experience.
• 5 to 10 years progressive management experience at a senior leadership level.
• Experience working within an innovation environment that requires balancing scientific, technical, marketing, and business development components is an asset.
• Experience leading and directing large, complex, and multi-year initiatives with multiple stakeholders preferred.

SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Extensive water, land, biodiversity, and climate change related knowledge.
• Familiar with Alberta’s social, economic, environmental and technological needs and priorities.
• Extensive network across industry, government, and post-secondary institutes.
• Experience in working in/with government and industry in land, biodiversity, water and climate change themes including leading research programs and participating in joint industry projects.
• Experience working with senior and executive-level government, university and private-sector representatives.
• Proven track record and possess strategic vision in working across sectors in environmental management.
• Experience in leading and directing large, complex and multi-year initiatives with multiple stakeholders and translating goals of the organization into tangible measures and targets.
• Ability to manage key or strategic stakeholder relationships and generate respect and trust from a diverse group of external and internal stakeholders.
• Proven ability to articulate complex environmental management applications in simple terms and in a business context.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, leadership, and facilitation skills.
• Business management oversight and acumen and business case development skills.
• People management, coaching, and career development skills.
• Self-motivated and results orientated with high attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and complex environment.
• Ability to multi-task, set priorities, and work under pressure to meet multiple deadlines.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office.

• Oversees the development and implementation of Environmental Innovation short and long term plans and strategies, developing goals, performance measures, and implementation tactics, monitoring performance against targets, evaluating emerging issues and potential impacts to target achievement and adjusting strategies to ensure outcome achievement.
• Provides advocacy support and expert advice to ensure water and land protection and quality management interests are effectively represented and managed, identifying industry/government agency priorities, developing incentive strategies, and influencing government policy development and implementation tactics.
• Develops opportunities to drive/enhance innovation, best practices, and new technologies, identifying gaps and necessary investment resources, engaging business partners, securing funding and commitments, ensuring supporting research and analyses are conducted, preparing business cases, initiating projects and initiatives and influencing outcomes.
• Provides leadership in the management of sub-sector projects, programs and initiatives, ensuring project deliverables, resources and timelines are established, participants and stakeholders are engaged, programs are validated/tested, economic/technological impacts are measured and evaluated, and deliverables are achieved.
• Manages operational, capital and staff budgets and reporting activities for the department, identifying budget requirements, preparing forecasts, explaining variances, authorizing expenditures within budget and approved limits, and ensuring the timely submission of required internal and external reports and financial documents.
• Ensures management and administrative processes, standards and protocols are established to support Environmental Innovation project/program development and implementation, monitoring adherence and effectiveness of practices and procedures, identifying issues and determining opportunities for improving processes, refreshing standards, and modifying policies and procedures.
• Develops relationships with internal stakeholders, peers and colleagues to collaborate on innovation development initiatives and identify opportunities to leverage resources, remove roadblocks and influence outcomes.
• Develops and maintains relationships with external stakeholders, industry colleagues, government /institution representatives and business partners, identifying opportunities for engagement, participating in conferences, seminars and working groups and promoting Alberta Innovates/Environmental Innovation mandates and technologies.
• Oversees the management of staff activities, ensuring team and individual goals and objectives are established, monitoring productivity, work quality, deliverability of results and adherence to policies and standards, determining organizational structure/skill requirements, and managing recruitment, performance career/ skill development, training and succession planning activities