Program Director, Construction Sector Digitalization & Productivity

Priority may be given to the following designated employment equity groups: women, Indigenous peoples* (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), persons with disabilities and racialized persons*.

* The Employment Equity Act, which is under review, uses the terminology Aboriginal peoples and visible minorities.

Candidates are asked to self-declare when applying to this hiring process.

City: Ottawa 

Organizational Unit: Construction 

Classification: MGT-2 

Tenure: Term to 30 March 2029

Language Requirements: Bilingual Imperative CBC/CBC 

Notes: Due to the nature of the work and operational requirements, this position will require a physical presence, in the form of a hybrid work arrangement (a combination of working onsite and offsite) of three days per week at the NRC work location identified.

Great Minds. One Goal. Canada's Success.

Help bring research to life and drive your career forward with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Canada's largest research and technology organization.

There remains significant challenges for Canada to successfully realize its international climate commitments. One such challenge is that the Canadian built environment and construction sector is a significant producer of GHG emissions – from the production of building materials such as concrete and cement to the heating, cooling, and maintenance of existing buildings. Successfully reducing GHG emissions in this area will require a paradigm shift in construction technology, practice and regulations. This paradigm shift requires the right tools and skilled resources to be in place, along with a wide-scale adoption of new technologies, practices and regulations across the industry. This challenge is significant for the construction sector: with more than 14.5 million existing residential and commercial buildings, Canada would need to retrofit one building each minute to achieve its targets for GHG emission reductions in this area by 2050.

We are looking for a Program Directorto lead the Construction Sector Digitalization and Productivity Challenge Program,to support the transition of Canada’s construction sector as it strives to increase productivity and reach the 2050 climate change goals. The Program Director is expected to collaborate and synergistically align the  program to deliver the outputs needed by industry to commercialize new low-carbon technologies that lever digitalised construction and performance-based codes.  Further, they are expected to collaboratively work with teams within the Built Environment Regulations and Specifications Resource Unit to effectively and fully lever deployment paths including, but not limited to NRC mandated activities, the National Master Construction Specifications, Canadian Construction Materials Centre, and the National Model Codes, which Codes Canada publishes on behalf of the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes.  The Program Director would share our core values of Integrity, Excellence, Respect and Creativity. 

The program (approximately $70M over seven years) will drive transformation to digitalized construction. The program will lower construction time and cost, while improving sector innovation potential, productivity and the pace at which low-carbon solutions can be deployed in new and retrofit construction projects.  

The program will be specifically designed to harness and focus Canada’s research and innovation capacity in industry, academia and research-based OGDs to address fill key knowledge gaps (e.g. guidelines, standard methods of data exchange, mandates at jurisdictions, digital construction roadmap, integration methods between digital ecosystem and low carbon environmental impacts assessment tools, and standard data exchange formats, among others) to realise standardised seamless building/infrastructure data collection. It will also seek to exchange practices and reporting, implement processes to optimise the designs and compliance of buildings and infrastructure, leverage benefits of advanced manufacturing processes (including off-site panelized and modular construction), and advance development of low-carbon retrofit solutions that lever performance-based design. 

Research will reverse-engineer the underlying performance standards from the existing prescriptive solutions in the National Model Codes and express these in terms of numerical quantities needed by designers and materials manufacturers when creating new low-carbon materials and systems and the buildings and houses that use them. Digitalization of the performance levels in building information management models will stimulate innovative building retrofit solutions and adoption of new low-carbon products.

Research and development motivated by this Program, in collaboration with an ecosystem of industry value chain participants, academia, and research-based OGDs, will provide the technical solutions needed for early adopters in the private sector to uniformly implement integrated digital construction practices throughout the asset lifecycle and across the sector.   

Demonstration projects with early adopters will showcase the value of digitalized construction solutions, which will help increase sector productivity, reduce time and cost, when coupled with a shift from prescriptive to performance-based solutions.

Successful candidates will be part of NRC's Engineering Division, reporting directly to the Director General of the Construction Research Centre who in turn reports to the Vice-President, but are expected to work collaboratively with other Research Centres and relevant Challenge Programs across NRC.

This is a unique opportunity to play a leadership role in advancing transformational science, platform technologies, prototypes and products and their pilots, in the areas of low-carbon construction, and digitalized construction needed for the sector to achieve its 2050 greenhouse gas (GHG) carbon reduction targets.

Applicants must demonstrate within the content of their application that they meet the following screening criteria in order to be given further consideration as candidates:

A graduate university degree in engineering or in a science field relevant to the position. Preference may be given to candidates with a combination of science/engineering experience and business education.

For information on certificates and diplomas issued abroad, please see Degree equivalency

• Significant experience developing strategic program plans and the associated metrics to realise national-scale impact from mission-driven research.
• Significant experience identifying strategic partnerships needed to realise national-scale impact, developing and fostering the relationships, and supporting their growth throughout the course of the program.
• Significant experience working in the Canadian and international context around Program specific technologies: industries, forums, trends, the issues and dynamics that impact them and the engagement needed to keep this knowledge current.
• Significant experience identifying strategic projects and associated outputs needed to realise national-scale impact called for by the strategic plan
• Experience working with governments, academia and industries in a research environment.
• Experience in leading, planning, monitoring and re-aligning studies, projects or strategic initiatives within a fast-paced and complex environment.
• Experience supervising, developing, and motivating both direct and indirect staff in multidisciplinary teams, ideally in a matrix environment of projects and programs.
• Significant and recently demonstrated experience in applying the principles, tools and practices of administrative, financial, and human resource management.
• Extensive and recent experience in providing strategic advice and counsel to senior level executives including Presidents, Vice Presidents and/or other equivalent positions in the public or private sectors, on complex initiatives.
• Significant business development experience within the relevant scientific and technological domains gained through experience with industry, government or other partnerships.
• Experience managing partnerships including contributions, terms of engagement, reporting and IP ownership.

Secret (II)

Bilingual Imperative CBC/CBC 

Information on language requirements and self-assessment tests

Candidates will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

• Knowledge of the NRC, and its mandate, programs and awareness of the characteristics and special requirements of an innovation program and scientific research environment.
• Expert knowledge of R&D management, including strategic planning, in an environment whose main features are matrix management; high interdisciplinary; and multi-partner participation in mission-critical roles.
• Expert knowledge of the relevant field and its applications in a broad range of sectors, including current and emerging trends globally.
• Expert knowledge of the players, dynamics, and business models of relevant industry sectors as well as the related R&D fields nationally and internationally.
• Significant knowledge of policies and sound practices related to contract management, financial management, human resources, and procurement management.
• Knowledge of strategic marketing, and the practices and principles of negotiating and securing business and partnership relationships.
• Knowledge of codes, standards, specifications and how they are used in Canada’s regulatory system 
• Demonstrated ability to autonomously evaluate, manage and assume risks for large scale R&D projects.

• Inspirational leadership (Level 3)
• Strategic outlook & alignment (Level 3)
• Drive for results and efficiency (Level 4)
• Leverage Collaborative Relationships (Level 3)
• Financial Management (Level 3)
• Client Relationship Management (Level 3)
• Industry Sector Knowledge (Level 3)
• Self-Awareness (level 4)
• Action Management (level 4)
• Human Resources Management (Level 3)

For this position, the NRC will evaluate candidates using the following competency profile: Management Competencies (MG)

View all competency profiles

From $147,118 to $176,471 per annum. 

NRC employees enjoy a wide-range of competitive benefits including comprehensive health and dental plans, vacation, sick, and other leave entitlements, disability insurance and pension plans.

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is the Government of Canada's largest research organization supporting industrial innovation, the advancement of knowledge and technology development. We collaborate with over 70 colleges, universities and hospitals annually, work with 800 companies on their projects, and provide advice or funding to over 8000 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) each year.

We bring together the brightest minds to deliver tangible impacts on the lives of Canadians and people around the world. And now, we want to partner with you.  Let your expertise and inspirations make an impact by joining the NRC.

At the NRC Employee wellness matters. We offer flexible work schedules as well as part-time work to help employees maintain work-life balance. We are one of the few federal organizations that close our offices during the December holiday season.  We offer professional learning and development opportunities such as conferences, workshops, and a suite of mentorship, award and recognition programs. Diversity enables creativity and innovation. Fostering a diverse, inclusive, welcoming and supportive workplace is important to us, and contributes to a more inclusive Canadian innovation system. We welcome all qualified applicants and encourage you to complete the employment equity self-declaration questions during the job application process. Please let us know of any accommodation measures required to help you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Please note that the information you provide will be treated confidentially. 

Help us solve problems for Canada. Grow your career with us today!

• Relocation assistance will be determined in accordance with the NRC's directives.
• A pre-qualified list may be established for similar positions for a one year period.
• Preference will be given to Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada. Please include citizenship information in your application.
• The incumbent must adhere to safe workplace practices at all times.
• We thank all those who apply, however only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Please direct your questions, with the requisition number (21487) to:

E-mail: [email protected]

Telephone : 613-858-5773 

Closing Date: 6 March 2024 - 23:59 Eastern Time

For more information on career tools and other resources, check out Career tools and resources

*If you are currently a term or continuing employee at NRC, please apply through the SuccessFactors Careers module from your NRC computer.