Senior Manager of Research Operations
About OSCIA
The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) is a unique not-for-profit farm organization whose diverse membership has a significant presence in all agricultural areas of the province and across all major sectors. The mission of OSCIA is to facilitate responsible economic management of soil, water, air and crops through development and communication of innovative farming practices. OSCIA is a leader in agricultural program delivery, including cost-share funding distribution, educational workshop offerings for farmers, and administration of on-farm applied research and knowledge transfer opportunities.
Job Summary
The Senior Manager, Research Programs & Operations is the people and operational leader for OSCIA's Research department. The role ensures a portfolio of concurrent, externally funded research programs is effectively planned, resourced, managed and delivered.
The Senior Manager provides day-to-day leadership to staff and establishes the systems, processes and accountability required to keep programs on track, manage budgets and risks, meet contractual and reporting obligations, and maintain strong partner relationships. Working with the Director, technical staff and external experts, the role translates organizational and funding commitments into clear operational plans and ensures appropriate scientific and technical expertise is engaged.
Key Responsibilities & Duties:
People Leadership & Team Management
- Lead, coach and manage Research department staff, including performance management, goal setting, development and succession planning.
- Establish clear roles, priorities and expectations; monitor workload and progress and hold team members accountable for results.
- Build a collaborative, solutions-oriented culture and lead the team through change, competing priorities and staffing transitions.
- Identify capacity and skill gaps and support recruitment, onboarding and training of new team members.
Research Portfolio & Program Operations
- Provide operational oversight for OSCIA's research portfolio, maintaining visibility into objectives, deliverables, timelines, budgets, reporting requirements and contractual commitments.
- Establish practical workplans, dashboards and review processes that provide timely visibility into program performance and emerging issues.
- Coordinate priorities and resources across programs, direct staff as required and ensure agreed actions are completed.
- Adapt the level of direct involvement based on program complexity, risk and staff capability, escalating significant issues and decisions to the Director with recommendations.
- Support annual and multi-year planning and the development of research opportunities aligned with OSCIA priorities and sector needs.
Financial Management
- Oversee Research portfolio budgets in collaboration with the Director and Finance team, including annual and project-level forecasting.
- Ensure each program maintains accurate budget tracking for commitments, expenditures and remaining funds and reconcile trackers to financial actuals regularly.
- Identify underspending, overspending and other financial risks early and implement corrective actions.
- Ensure expenditures comply with approved budgets, contribution agreements and organizational policies.
Operational Systems & Continuous Improvement
- Develop and continuously improve practical systems, processes, procedures, templates and Standard Operating Procedures that support consistent and efficient research operations.
- Strengthen department-wide approaches to project management, documentation, reporting, data management, knowledge management and quality assurance.
- Identify inefficiencies and implement improvements that reduce risk, duplication and administrative burden, including appropriate use of digital tools.
Risk, Compliance & Quality Management
- Maintain a proactive view of operational, financial, contractual, staffing, scheduling, stakeholder, data and delivery risks and ensure mitigation actions are in place.
- Oversee compliance with contribution agreements, contracts, organizational policies and applicable research requirements.
- Maintain visibility of key deliverables, milestones and reporting deadlines and coordinate timely preparation and review of required submissions.
- Support funding proposals and program development with operational plans, staffing assumptions, budgets, timelines and risk considerations.
- Communicate significant risks and issues to the Director in a timely manner with recommended actions.
Stakeholder & Partner Management
- Build and maintain effective relationships with funders, government agencies, academic institutions, research organizations, producers, industry partners and other collaborators.
- Ensure stakeholder commitments and expectations are reflected in program plans and support staff in resolving complex partner or delivery issues.
- Represent OSCIA professionally in meetings, working groups, workshops and industry events and collaborate across OSCIA to support program delivery and knowledge translation.
Research Quality & Data Oversight
- Ensure appropriate scientific and technical expertise is engaged in research design, implementation, analysis and interpretation.
- Establish accountability and quality processes that support research integrity, data quality, documentation, reproducibility, data governance and confidentiality.
- Work with technical staff, researchers and external experts to ensure research activities meet appropriate standards. The Senior Manager is not expected to be the technical expert in every research area.
Qualifications & Skills:
Education:
Post-secondary education in project/program management, business or public administration, organizational leadership, agriculture, environmental science, natural resources, research administration or another relevant discipline. Equivalent combinations of education and significant relevant management experience will be considered. A graduate degree, project/program management credential, leadership credential or relevant professional designation is an asset.
Experience:
Candidates should demonstrate success in several of the following areas:
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Directly managing, coaching and developing professional staff, including performance management and accountability.
- Managing a portfolio of multiple concurrent projects or programs and translating agreements or strategies into workplans and staff priorities.
- Managing budgets, forecasting expenditures, monitoring financial performance and addressing variances.
- Establishing project-management systems, dashboards, SOPs, workflows and operational controls.
- Managing grants, contribution agreements or other externally funded programs, including deliverables, reporting and compliance requirements.
- Identifying operational risks and implementing practical mitigation strategies.
- Leading teams through change, staffing transitions or periods of significant workload.
- Managing relationships with government, funders, external partners and other stakeholders.
- Leading technical or subject-matter experts without needing to be the technical expert and improving organizational systems and processes.
Experience in agriculture, applied research, environmental programming, science, government-funded programming or another technical environment is an asset.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs):
Knowledge:
- Program, project and portfolio management principles, including planning, scheduling, resource allocation, performance monitoring and reporting.
- People leadership practices, including performance management, coaching, staff development, team building, succession planning and change management.
- Financial management principles, including budgeting, forecasting, expenditure monitoring and financial reporting.
- Risk management, internal controls, compliance and grant/contribution agreement management in multi-project environments.
- Operational management and continuous improvement, including process design, SOPs, workflow improvement and quality assurance.
- General understanding of applied research operations, data management, research integrity and multi-partner program delivery. Knowledge of Ontario agriculture and the agricultural research environment is an asset.
Skills:
- Strong people leadership and management, including setting expectations, coaching, addressing performance issues and developing high-performing teams.
- Strong program, project and portfolio management across multiple concurrent initiatives with different budgets, timelines, deliverables and stakeholders.
- Strong financial management, including budget development, forecasting, expenditure tracking, variance analysis and oversight.
- Strong operational planning and systems development, with the ability to translate strategy and funding commitments into actionable workplans and accountabilities.
- Strong risk management, problem-solving, analytical and decision-making skills with consistent follow-through.
- Strong communication, facilitation, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills, including communicating complex program, financial and technical information clearly.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and project, financial and information-management tools, with the ability to learn and implement new digital systems.
Abilities:
- Lead, motivate and develop a multidisciplinary team, including professionals with specialized expertise outside the Senior Manager's own background.
- Lead through change and ambiguity while maintaining clarity, accountability and program delivery.
- Quickly learn unfamiliar programs and technical subject matter to the level needed to manage staff, risks, budgets, stakeholders and commitments effectively.
- Maintain a portfolio-level view while recognizing when an issue requires deeper involvement and hands-on management.
- Balance competing priorities and make sound, timely decisions, including recognizing when consultation or escalation is required.
- Translate complex agreements and organizational objectives into clear expectations, workplans and actions for staff.
- Build trusted relationships across departments and with external partners, funders and stakeholders and represent OSCIA credibly and professionally.
- Identify and implement practical improvements that strengthen efficiency, consistency, accountability and organizational capacity while maintaining confidentiality and sound judgment.
Behaviour Competencies:
- Adaptability: Demonstrate a willingness to be flexible, versatile, and dynamic in a changing work environment while maintaining effectiveness and efficiency.
- Ethical behaviour: Ensure personal behaviours align with the Association's core values and code of conduct.
- Relationship development: Establish and maintain positive working relationships with others, internally and externally.
- Effective communication: Speak, listen, and write in a precise, clear, and timely manner using appropriate and effective communication tools.
- Client focus: Anticipate clients' needs and respond in an appropriate and timely manner, seeking to provide the highest quality service.
- Teamwork development: Work cooperatively and effectively with others to set goals, resolve challenges, and make decisions that enhance cross-functional cooperation.
- Initiative: Ability to assess and initiate tasks independently.
- Decision-making: Assess role-based situations to determine the importance, risks, and make clear decisions in a timely manner.
- Time management and organization: Set priorities, develop a task schedule, monitor progress towards deadlines.
- Problem-solving: View problems as learning opportunities, focus on improving future results.
- Cultural Competence: Value diversity and inclusivity, demonstrating an ability to work effectively with trust across various departments.
- Foster Sustainability: Ensuring the work we do improves the viability and sustainability of rural Ontario and Ontario agriculture.
- Continuous Learning: Participates in an environment of professional development and personal growth.
Working Conditions / Physical Demands:
- Hybrid work model combining remote and in-office work, with the position based in Guelph, ON.
- Home office settings require a dependable, high-speed internet connection to ensure effective participation in virtual meetings and online collaboration.
- May require occasional work outside of standard business hours (e.g., early mornings, evenings, or weekends) to attend meetings, events, or respond to organizational needs.
- Requires regular use of a computer; prolonged sitting, typing, and screen time required.
- May involve occasional lifting of light materials (e.g., files, laptop – up to 10 lbs).
- Must be adaptable to a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities and time-sensitive deadlines.
- Must hold and maintain a valid driver’s licence and have access to reliable transportation for occasional travel to meetings, stakeholder events, and organizational sites.
- Must maintain a high level of professionalism and confidentiality when handling sensitive or organizational information.
OSCIA offers a competitive compensation package and is an equal opportunity employer.
We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those candidates under consideration will be contacted.
Thank you for your interest in this position!
ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT (AODA IN ONTARIO)
OSCIA is committed to providing a barrier-free work environment in concert with the provincial guidelines for accessibility (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code, Ontario Only). As such, OSCIA will make accommodations available to applicants with disabilities upon request during the recruitment process.
HUMAN RIGHTS STATEMENT
OSCIA strives to ensure that its employment practices are free from direct and indirect discrimination and is committed to upholding the human rights of those participating in the hiring process. In pursuit of this commitment, OSCIA will not condone or tolerate any acts of discrimination or harassment under any of the grounds protected under human rights legislation. This commitment extends to the hiring process and throughout the course of employment.
