The Conference Board of Canada Looking for Senior Research Associate l – Education and Skills (6-month contract) at Ottawa, ON Full Time

Employment opportunity: 6-month contract with possibility of extension

Reports to: Associate Director, Education & Skills

Location: remote work arrangement within Canada

The Conference Board of Canada is the nation’s largest independent applied research organization offering unbiased, evidence-based information and analysis to both industry and federal/provincial governments. We have one of the country’s largest private economic analysis and forecasting teams and are widely recognized for expert economic forecasting, modeling, and leading analysis. Simply put, we deliver insights that help leaders cut through the noise and make informed decisions.

Our Education and Skills research group is seeking a Senior Research Associate to join its team.

Our Ideal Candidate… will be an experienced researcher and communicator who has a deep understanding of business, academia, government, and public policy issues related to education and skills, and can convey insights to a variety of audiences. They will have the ability to think strategically and respond quickly to multiple priorities and deadlines in a concise and compelling way. In this role, you will be expected to conceptualize strategic research issues, manage, and conduct major research projects utilizing your experience with qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, and produce high quality written work, leveraging your communication skills. In addition, the candidate will lead on a variety of business development activities—growth mindset for this role is a must.

Overall, the successful candidate will be part of a professional research and convening team and will undertake integrated, non-partisan, and compelling applied research for public policy and private sector decision-makers.

We are a virtual organization and as a remote worker you must be comfortable and able to work 100 per cent of the time from a home office. To be successful as a remote worker you need to have a self-starter attitude, possess strong organizational and time management skills and be a proactive communicator. Having a home office environment that provides for a productive, professional, and safe work environment during regular working/business hours is a requirement of this role.

About the Role

Some of the things you will do every day:

• Lead, manage and contribute to research projects of varying sizes, scopes, and complexities.
• Produce high quality, well written research reports, executive summaries, articles, and proposals.
• Undertake research projects of varying complexity.
• Conduct research applying advanced quantitative research techniques and/or appropriate qualitative methodologies.
• Analyze and quickly translate complex research results into key messages for senior executives and decision makers; write high quality reports and media-friendly articles.
• Manage projects to ensure deliverables are on-time, within budget and meet client expectations.
• Play an active role in business development by contributing to securing funding for research projects, and engaging executives and senior leaders to identify possible projects or opportunities for them to join one of our Executive Networking Councils or Research Centres.
• Speak with authority, providing insights to customers through presentations at conferences and business meetings.
• Deliver excellence in product and customer service.
• Conceptualize new research opportunities and projects.
• Become familiar with Conference Board research in immediate and related knowledge areas.
• Commitment to producing high quality work and demonstrating professional values in all aspects of work and interactions with colleagues and customers.

About You

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or PhD in a related discipline
• Minimum of six years’ experience in a professional research environment with responsibility for handling complex projects from inception to completion.
• Substantial experience and in-depth knowledge of economic or public policy research on a broad range of education and skills themes.
• Ability to communicate research findings to all levels of internal and external stakeholders and audiences.
• Demonstrated understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies including literature reviews, interviews, case studies, surveys, and quantitative data analysis.

• Experience using SPSS, NVIVO or other statistical analysis programs.

• Strong project management skills.
• Ability to write clearly, concisely, and quickly; published work would be an asset.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Proficiency in the use of computers in an MS Office environment and experience with statistical software for time series analysis.
• Ability to travel in Canada and internationally when it is safe to do so.
• Business acumen and growth mindset.
• Having a home office environment that provides for a productive, professional, and safe work environment during regular working hours is a requirement of this role.

We value the unique skills, experiences, and insights that each employee brings to The Conference Board of Canada. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported and welcome members of all backgrounds and perspectives to apply. If you require an accommodation at any point during the recruitment process, please email [email protected] and we will work with you to meet your needs.

We wish to thank all applicants for their interest in The Conference Board of Canada. Please note that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.