Vice-President, Programs and Partnerships

Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) is one of Canada’s preeminent membership organizations and has been a respected voice for post-secondary education for over 50 years. CICan works closely with government, industry and community sector partners in Canada and abroad to represent and advocate for its 135 members, Canada’s dynamic network of publicly supported colleges, institutes, CEGEPs, and polytechnics. CICan is the premiere national forum for Canada’s college and institute leaders to convene, connect and collaborate to build strong communities, and a strong and resilient Canada. Guided by our Roadmap to 2026,  CICan is an innovative global leader that mobilizes the cutting-edge workforce training and applied research and innovation expertise of its members to bring lasting solutions to Canada’s – and the world’s – biggest challenges.  

Reporting directly to the President and CEO, the Vice-President, Programs and Partnerships is a critical member of CICan’s executive leadership team. This role is responsible for the strategic development, growth, management, and administration of the organization’s extensive portfolio of Canadian and international programs. The Vice-President ensures that CICan’s initiatives are responsive to the evolving needs of its members and partners, both in Canada and abroad. This includes representing the Canadian college community and CICan at key national and international meetings and maintaining collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships with key stakeholders and government officials, while leading a dynamic and high-performing team. Additionally, the Vice-President will spearhead change management initiatives aimed at driving organizational sustainability, fostering innovation, and supporting transformation and vitality in Canada’s postsecondary sector. 

As the ideal candidate, you are a dynamic, engaging, and perfectly bilingual executive who embodies CICan’s member-service mission and its values of respect, integrity, and trust. You are known for establishing professional relationships founded on collaboration, mutual respect, partnership, and transparency and your leadership style is described as consultative, empathetic, and unambiguous. Your experience providing strategic leadership to partnership and program development, as well as acting as a trusted collaborator on a senior leadership team, will serve CICan well. Similarly, your experience in influencing policy, securing funding, and advocating on behalf of an organization across federal and non-governmental entities will also be valuable. You have solved many complex problems in a multi-stakeholder, multi-layered context throughout your career. As a gifted leader, communicator, and relationship builder, you are now ready to be leader in a highly successful organization as it enters an exciting new chapter. 

If interested or to learn more, please email Eric Lathrop and Maja Messam at mmessam@boyden.com and please 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. CICan is strongly committed to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. CICan invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including members of racialized groups, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation, and persons of any gender identity or gender expression.