Classification & Regular Hours

Hours per Week: 35

Salary Grade: 17

The base salary will be $100,000 - $130,000 per annum. Starting salary will be aligned with the successful candidate's experience, skills, and demonstrated qualifications.

Please note, this position will be located at Western University's new downtown Toronto location at 130 King Street West, Toronto, on the 34th floor of the Exchange Tower.

Responsibilities

The Director, Toronto Western Programs & Partnerships will lead the activation, growth, and strategic development of Western University's downtown Toronto presence as a dynamic institutional platform for convening, engagement, thought leadership, and partnership. Based in Toronto, the Director will transform Western's Toronto space into a vibrant and visible extension of the University-bringing together faculty, research centres, academic units, alumni, industry leaders, policymakers, and community partners to address issues shaping Canada's future. Acting as both a strategic architect and institutional connector, the Director will establish and execute a comprehensive activation strategy, cultivate high-impact internal and external partnerships, and position Western as a prominent convenor within Toronto's academic, civic, and corporate landscape.

The Director will be accountable for developing a strong, sustainable pipeline of programming, partnerships, and engagement opportunities that advance Western's priorities and maximize visibility, engagement, and strategic use of the Toronto platform. The role will provide leadership and oversight for Toronto-based operations, ensuring seamless program delivery and an exceptional guest experience through supervision of the Guest Experience Manager and alignment with Campus Events and other university service units. The Director will bring strategic creativity, exceptional relationship-building capabilities, and strong executional discipline to create momentum quickly while shaping the long-term evolution and success of Western's Toronto presence as a high-impact institutional platform.

Qualifications

Education:

• Undergraduate degree in business, public administration, communications, or related field
• Graduate degree in business, public policy, higher education, or related discipline would be an asset

Experience:

• 8 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in strategic engagement, partnerships, institutional advancement, public affairs, executive education, or related fields
• Demonstrated experience building, launching, or scaling complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives, platforms, or programs
• Experience working in complex, matrixed environments with the ability to influence across distributed stakeholders
• Preferred:
  • Experience in post-secondary education or a similarly complex public or quasi-public sector environment
  • Experience working in or engaging with Toronto's corporate, civic, academic, or innovation ecosystem
  • Demonstrated experience developing and managing high-value external partnerships, sponsorships, or collaborations
  • Experience in externally facing roles requiring engagement with senior leaders, executives, policymakers, or industry stakeholders

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Knowledge of, and connections within, Toronto's corporate, civic, academic, or innovation ecosystem
• Entrepreneurial mindset with experience building or advancing new initiatives in evolving environments
• Strong strategic thinking and execution capability, with the ability to translate ideas into actionable plans
• Exceptional relationship-building and stakeholder management skills, with credibility engaging senior internal and external audiences
• Strong communication, facilitation and convening skills with the ability to converse with, write reports for, and deliver presentations to all levels of the organization
• Financial and operational acumen
• Ability to demonstrate sound judgement and decision-making
• High level of professionalism, diplomacy, and political acuity
• Knowledge of best practices in building a strong collaborative team and leading people and of performance development methods
• Ability to deal confidentially with information that has financial, political, regulatory and reputational implications
• Ability to handle details with a high degree of accuracy and to organize and prioritize a high volume of work to meet deadlines
• Ambitious with the ability to identify opportunities, develop action plans and set challenging goals in order to achieve desired outcomes
• Ability to quickly re-allocate resources and adjust priorities in response to unexpected events or changing circumstances
• Advanced computer skills in Microsoft Office Suite
• Proven ability to lead through influence in a complex, matrixed organization
• Ability to recommend controls to manage operational and legal risks
• Project management skills to align projects with strategic goals and operational objectives
• Familiarity with University policies and procedures preferred

Background Checks

Please note, successful applicants will be required to complete a credit check satisfactory to the employer.

Please Note:

This position is an existing vacancy. This position is fully in-person, on-site. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those chosen for an interview will be contacted.