Director General, Aquatic and Crop Resource Development

Your Challenge

Great Minds. One Goal. Canada’s Success. 

The NRC is seeking a senior research executive to fulfil the role of Director General (DG), to lead the Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre and make up the ranks of its senior management team.  

The incoming DG’s goal will be to continue to lead and inspire a diverse multisite and multidisciplinary team to continue to excel in performing advanced scientific research and providing research services and technology development for the sustainable transformation of Canadian bio-based resources into higher-value products. 

The ACRD’s agriculture focus is on the targeted design of crops for current and future applications aligned with Government of Canada priorities. Examples include integrating engineering and plant biotechnology to optimize crop production in controlled indoor environments as well as model nutrient sequestration and drought resiliency to study the impact of climate change on Canadian agriculture environments. This research, conducted mainly in Saskatoon is based on a successful history of supporting industry and working with academic and other government departments and employing genomics, cell technologies, analytical technologies and data analytics. To support these activities, ACRD is also enhancing its R&D infrastructure in key areas. Strategic investments are planned to modernize existing plant growth facilities that are critical to the R&D conducted by internal and external scientists and to develop new capabilities such as a controlled environment model test facility for evaluation of novel technologies and concepts for deployment in Northern and isolated communities.

ACRD’s expertise in marine technologies focuses on integrating the sustainable development and valorization of marine bioresources with innovations to monitor and maintain the health of Ocean environments in the face of stressors caused by changing climate and industrial activity. Essentially, using biological sciences to improve the economic competitiveness and environmental sustainability of Canada’s Blue Bioeconomy. Current activities include algal technologies directed towards researching biosensing technologies to monitor the health of ocean environments, bioprospecting and value-added marine products, and novel feed sources for sustainable aquaculture. This research is supported by a marine research station in Ketch Harbour, NS that has been growing microalgae, seaweeds, and other marine and freshwater organisms in Halifax for nearly 50 years. This unique and comprehensive facility is also benefitting from new investments to outfit it with advanced equipment for the production of substantial quantities of microalgae.

Your Challenge, Continued

The newly launched Atypical Fermentation Facility (AFF) in Charlottetown is an example of ACRD’s core suite of industrial biotechnology platforms that support its marine and agricultural biotechnology strategic foci. The AFF specializes in fermentation process development and scale-up to address the unique technical challenges of valorizing renewable bioresources and affords greater access to single cell production expertise and infrastructure. The AFF is designed to support Canadian companies seeking to innovate and commercialize bio-based products for the growing blue and ag bioeconomies. 

Reporting to the Vice-President, Research (Life Sciences), the Director General, Aquatic and Crop Resource Development (DG, ACRD) provides strategic leadership on matters relating to agricultural and biomarine research across the NRC and works closely with internal and external stakeholders in advancing its research agenda. The DG strategically positions on-going and new projects while spearheading growth initiatives and research collaborations with industry, academia, and government partners to develop and transform agricultural and marine bioresources into food, feed and ingredients, and other high value bioproducts.

As a well-qualified candidate, you are a seasoned research leader and come with a high level of scientific credibility in one or more of the centre’s disciplines. You are skilled in inspiring research groups and collaborating across the innovation landscape in achieving outcomes. You bring significant experience in developing, maintaining, and leveraging strategic partnerships, research collaborations and client relationships that include academia, SME’s, and governmental research bodies. You are experienced in developing and leading research strategies designed to keep groups at the forefront of scientific and technical fields. As an outstanding communicator you easily navigate large, complex organizations with many stakeholders, and are skilled in developing high performing teams that pivot to seize emerging opportunities and adapt to change. As an ideal candidate, you possess a master’s or PhD in a relevant field. Bilingualism is highly preferred, however if no qualified bilingual candidates are identified, NRC may consider unilingual candidates who will be required to commit to achieving these levels within two years.

The NRC Advantage

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. 
 
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