The Digital Research Alliance of Canada (The Alliance) is seeking a dynamic and visionary leader as its next Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The Alliance has an ambitious mandate — to transform how research data across all academic disciplines is organized, managed and used. Working with academic, government and industry partners, the Alliance sets Canada’s national digital research infrastructure (DRI) strategy, funds world-class infrastructure and services and equips researchers with the technology and tools needed to drive discovery and innovation with national and global impact.
The Opportunity
This is a rare executive leadership opportunity to shape the future of Canada’s digital research infrastructure strategy. As artificial intelligence, quantum computing and open science accelerate the demand for computing power and data management, Canada’s researchers need cutting-edge tools, specialized software and world-class infrastructure to advance and protect their findings and maximize access to their data.
The Government of Canada has created a $2-billion Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy, of which the Alliance has received $85 million to date—on top of funding for ongoing national operations. These investments will enable the Alliance to bolster Canada’s supercomputing infrastructure, improve services and equip Canada’s researchers with the resources they need to fuel Canada’s knowledge economy and global leadership in AI.
As an influential national leader, the next CEO will have the opportunity to:
- Champion the transformation of Canada’s digital research infrastructure strategy;
- Forge and foster powerful regional, pan-Canadian, and international partnerships;
- Lead a diverse, high-performing national team and distributed workforce;
- Advocate for policies that expand compute capacity, accelerate digital transformation and support Canada’s leadership in emerging technologies; and
- Empower researchers with the tools, infrastructure, and opportunities they need to drive discovery, innovation and economic growth.
The Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a strategic and inclusive leader with a passion for technology and its role in advancing Canadian discovery and innovation. They anticipate emerging trends and have the skillset to collaboratively identify opportunities to position Canada at the forefront of supercomputing, data management and technologies like AI and quantum computing.
As an authentic and results-driven leader, they are known for cultivating a high-performing, inclusive workplace culture and excel at uniting diverse partners and building alliances in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
They bring a credible and effective presence in public sector and academic research communities, with the influential leadership to articulate and champion the strategic vision and priorities for the digital research landscape.
The next CEO will have access to a world-class scientific and research community, presenting a unique opportunity to attract top talent and build a future-ready organization that serves the needs of Canadian researchers and innovators.
The ability to communicate effectively in both official languages is an asset, along with the ability to have a presence in Ottawa and travel across Canada and internationally as needed to support the mandate of the organization.
To apply for this position, please visit: https://boyden.thriveapp.ly/job/2774
For more information, please contact Michelle Richard and Renée Young at [email protected] and state the title of the position in the subject line of your e-mail.
We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those under consideration for the role will be contacted. The Alliance is strongly committed to equity and inclusion within the community and encourages applications from all qualified candidates, including women, members of racialized groups, people of colour, persons with disabilities, and Indigenous- and 2SLGBTQIA+ identified people.