Senior Strategist, Program Expansion & Integration (term)

University of Toronto•Toronto, ON

12d•CA$106,705 - CA$124,491•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Toronto’s President’s Advisory Committee on Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability (CECCS) was founded in 2017 to accelerate the university’s efforts to identify, facilitate, support, enable and promote sustainability in teaching, research, operational innovation and engagement across and beyond all three campuses. The CECCS established the Sustainability Pathways Program which promises sustainability learning opportunities to all undergraduate students at the University of Toronto, as an early flagship soon after being established. Sustainability Pathways are clusters of courses and co-curricular activities with a common theme of sustainability that allow students to explore sustainability from various disciplinary, methodological, and practical perspectives regardless of their chosen discipline, department or core academic focus. Students can engage in one or more of the three pathway tiers to become a Sustainability Citizen, Scholar or Leader. At the core of the program is an intent to “reach the rest” of students not currently enrolled in conventional sustainability degree programs. Following the launch of the culminating (Leader) tier in 2025, U of T has created an exciting new position within the CECCS Secretariat aimed at deepening the reach and impact of the program across all three tiers. This high-impact position will contribute directly to U of T’s institutional excellence on sustainability. Over the last four years, U of T has consistently ranked in the top two universities in the world for sustainability by the QS World Sustainability Rankings owing to its dual focus on operational and academic excellence in sustainability, including through programs like Sustainability Pathways.

Requirements

Master’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent in education and experience.
Minimum of eight to ten years experience, preferably in a large, distributed organization or university environment and in progressively senior roles
Demonstrated leadership in developing, driving, and delivering institutional and/or programmatic strategies, proposals, or plans
Proven ability to oversee complex, cross-divisional partnerships and initiatives with high institutional visibility and impact
Experience working with and advising senior executive leaders on contributions to institutional strategy and priorities
Practiced capabilities in building and maintaining effective relationships with diverse stakeholders
Competent and confident leader able to operate at the highest strategic levels to foster respect and responsiveness among senior leaders
High degree of political acuity and tact and the skills to build professional rapport and effectively manage complex, confidential, or political issues with discretion
Demonstrated superior written, interpersonal, and oral communication capabilities, including strong public-speaking skills and the power to persuade
Sound judgement, negotiation, and decision-making skills, including the capacity to work under pressure, and to navigate complex challenges and difficult outcomes
Collaborative leader able to deal with colleagues in a manner that facilitates cooperation and consensus building
Ability to analyse, interpret, evaluate and synthesize different types of information and incorporate the relevant level of detail without losing accuracy
Creative problem-solver with proven organizational skills in planning, project management, and task coordination to advise and/or co-develop opportunities that align with institutional policies, practices, and procedures
Confident self-starter and creative problem-solver who can anticipate challenges and exercise sound judgement in the absence of perfect information or detailed instruction
Strategic vision with the practical orientation required to translate strategy into relational, programmatic, technical and promotional tactics
High proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams), Internet, Acrobat, and scheduling software
Supervisory & management skills

Nice To Haves

Degree or certification in sustainability, education, project and/or change management are assets.
Experience in curriculum development and design; familiarity with program structures, standards, and governance expectations across the full range of diverse undergraduate programs within a university environment
Strong understanding and experience with relevant enterprise infrastructure and systems related to academic programming such, as student information systems (e.g., U of T’s ROSI) and with Power BI
Knowledge of, or experience with, enhancing co-curricular and curricular programs and offerings in one or more U of T divisions
Commitment to advancing institutional sustainability and positive outcomes for student leaders
Familiarity with or background in educational and pedagogical best practices and innovation
Experience in change management

Responsibilities

Oversee and lead consultation and strategic planning processes for flagship co-curricular and curricular Sustainability Pathways flagship program with senior and divisional leaders
Provide high level support to Director and Vice-Provost on matters concerning Pathways
Design and facilitate sessions with senior leaders to develop actionable recommendations
Deliver presentations to institutional stakeholders, establishing cooperative relationships
Assess integration and expansion needs and opportunities in different divisions and units
Authoritative resource to stakeholders seeking development and design advice
Provide enhanced support and insight towards effective positioning of the program across central and divisional outlets
Manage a portfolio of strategic initiatives and special projects with significant impact
Create and implement reporting process to monitor the implementation of the plan
Support program communications and outreach
Design and deliver strategic and operational plans