Senior Director, Partnerships & Government Relations

Parkinson Canada

3d•Remote

About The Position

Reporting to the VP, Mission, this newly created role will lead the development and execution of Parkinson Canada’s partnership strategy while advancing its government relations, health policy, and advocacy priorities across Canada. The Senior Director will build and manage a network of partners across healthcare, community, government, and the private sector to strengthen outcomes and improve access to care. This role involves influencing decision-makers, navigating complex systems, and turning strategy into action. The position will bring structure and clarity to how partnerships are identified, prioritized, and activated, ensuring they are aligned with the mission and deliver meaningful outcomes for the Parkinson’s community. This is a remote-based role, with in-person time required for partner and stakeholder meetings. Travel is expected approximately 20% of the time, primarily within the Toronto area with some across Canada.

Requirements

Experience building and managing partnerships across healthcare, community, government, or private sector organizations.
Understanding of how to develop and grow a portfolio of partners that extends reach, improves access, and delivers meaningful outcomes.
Experience navigating government and healthcare systems and influencing decision-makers to advance complex initiatives.
Ability to translate ideas into clear, practical partnership models—structuring agreements, referral pathways, or collaboration approaches that can be implemented, measured, and scaled.
Thoughtful, outcomes-driven approach to assessing opportunities, prioritizing focus, and making trade-offs based on impact, feasibility, and organizational capacity.
Understanding of the importance of structure in partnerships, with experience working within or establishing frameworks related to due diligence, risk, privacy, and brand alignment.
Experience leading or mentoring others, setting direction, and creating clarity.
Ability to build trust and influence across a wide range of partners and decision-makers.
Ability to translate internal priorities into clear external narratives, manage relationships at all levels, and bring stakeholders along in a shared direction.
Comfort working across teams, shifting priorities, and engaging in person when needed to support collaboration and delivery.
Successful completion of a criminal background check and references.

Nice To Haves

Experience from consulting, public affairs, advocacy, government relations, or healthcare strategy.
Knowledge of how to build alignment across stakeholders with different priorities and create momentum around shared objectives.

Responsibilities

Define and execute Parkinson Canada’s partnership strategy, building and managing a portfolio of partners that expand reach, improve access, and strengthen outcomes for the Parkinson’s community.
Assess, prioritize, and develop partnerships across healthcare, community, government, and private sector organizations, building relationships that are purposeful, aligned, and designed to deliver meaningful outcomes.
Turn ideas into clear partnership approaches, defining how partners engage, how success is measured, and how collaborations are structured and scaled. Establish standards for governance, risk, and partner experience.
Develop and evolve tools, pathways, and approaches that connect people living with Parkinson’s to trusted partners—improving how individuals access and navigate support across a fragmented system.
Use data, partner feedback, and system insights to identify gaps, refine the approach, and continuously strengthen and expand the ecosystem across Canada and internationally.
Develop and advance advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and government relations priorities that strengthen access to care, treatment, and support for people living with Parkinson’s across Canada.
Identify opportunities, build momentum around key initiatives, and help position Parkinson Canada as a trusted and influential voice within the healthcare ecosystem.
Oversee the development of briefing materials, policy positions, advocacy messaging, stakeholder presentations, and engagement strategies that support organizational priorities and strengthen Parkinson Canada’s external voice and influence.
Provide leadership, coaching, and direction to team members and external partners, fostering accountability, momentum, collaboration, and strong execution across initiatives and priorities.