Lead, Research & Insights

Ontario Centre of Innovation•Toronto, ON

78d

About The Position

The Lead, Research and Insights is responsible for reviewing, developing, and synthesizing research across the automotive and mobility ecosystem, with a focus on advanced mobility technologies including connected and autonomous vehicles, EV and battery technologies, hydrogen and alternative energy systems, dual-use and market adjacent technologies, and emerging mobility solutions. This role provides critical analysis and credible insight by evaluating internal and external research, identifying key trends, and translating evidence into clear, actionable feedback for stakeholders. The Lead develops research products including summaries, reports, jurisdictional scans, and literature reviews, and aligns insights across teams to inform strategic decision-making. In addition, the Lead supports business development by identifying emerging market opportunities, helping shape paths forward through evidence-based recommendations, and providing consultative input grounded in best practices and sector knowledge. About Us: The Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) drives the development of Ontario’s economy by helping create new jobs, products, services, technologies, and businesses. In partnership with industry, OCI co-invests to commercialize innovation originating in the province’s publicly funded colleges, universities, and research hospitals. We also support and invest in early-stage projects, where the probability of commercial success and potential total return on innovation are substantial. A trusted partner of government in program delivery, we are committed to advancing a whole-of-government approach as a means of streamlining funding application processes for companies and entrepreneurs. OVIN (Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network), led by OCI, is the Government of Ontario’s flagship initiative to support the future of the automotive and mobility sector. Through innovative programming, business and technical supports, and testing and demonstration sites, the OVIN initiative is driving the commercialization of advanced technologies, cultivating the capacity of a province-wide network to drive future mobility solutions and addressing the evolving needs of Ontario's automotive and mobility sector's workforce.

Requirements

Formal, specialized education (4-year university degree) in a professional field.
Minimum 5-7 years of hands-on experience in roles relating to research and analysis, data management or information sciences, technical writing, or any combination.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively, providing high quality deliverables, and contributing ideas and presenting opportunities.
Demonstrated professionalism with the ability to represent the organization in various settings.
An effective communicator, with the ability to concisely communicate complex data and information into digestible and engaging stories, outcomes, and presentations.
Undaunted by ambiguity, able to look beyond the obvious and ask the right questions; intellectually curious about developments and trends in the sector.
Strong analysis skills and experience with data visualization tools such as Tableau and Power BI
Results oriented, agile, and willing to work in a dynamic work environment.
Demonstrate a high degree of initiative, efficient, organized and able to produce high quality work under pressure in a fast-paced environment with the ability to manage numerous conflicting and changing priorities simultaneously..

Nice To Haves

Preference would be given to those with an advanced graduate degree or certification in a relevant discipline such as engineering, analytics or information sciences.
Experience within automotive and mobility would be considered an asset.

Responsibilities

Lead the development of timely updates and specialized insight reports (minimum 4 per year) that synthesize research findings and emerging trends across the automotive and mobility ecosystem.
Lead the development and publication of a comprehensive report (minimum 1 per year) for public release, providing a clear assessment of the state of the automotive and mobility sector, key technologies, and market trends.
Serve as a subject matter expert on automotive and mobility research, providing credible insights, analysis, and feedback to OVIN and OCI teams.
Identify opportunities and new areas of focus and initiatives that align to OVIN’s goals and portfolio activities.
Manage and coordinate all aspects of research processes, including primary and secondary research, proposal writing, research design, analysis and interpretation of results through to preparation of reports and delivery of presentations.
Collaborate with various internal and external stakeholders and industry organizations to provide briefings and insights on information relating to the automotive and mobility sector.
Question, summarize, verify, and interpret data, and assimilate technical and sector information for review.
Collect, verify, interpret and summarize data into coherent analysis and insights and provide actionable recommendations and conclusions.
Conduct SWOT and gap analyses, presenting findings and summarizing results.
Identify benchmark organizations to gather information and analyze best practices, making recommendations and identifying related sectors, partnerships and opportunities.
Support senior leadership on day-to-day project operations including project status updates, data management and reporting, proposal development, and program management.
Other duties as assigned.