THE ORGANIZATION

In 1920, Dr. Frederick Banting was working as a doctor in London, Ont., when he first thought of taking insulin from a pancreas to treat diabetes. After experimenting for a few months with the help of his assistant, Charles Best and biochemist James Collip and support from Professor John J.R. Macleod of the University of Toronto, they were able to create pure insulin that could be used on humans. The first successful test on a human patient with diabetes happened on January 23, 1922—it was a life-changing discovery.

In the late 1940s, Charles Best formed the Diabetic Association of Ontario to help advocate for and serve the needs of the growing numbers of Canadians with diabetes. After this, other provinces and territories formed their own diabetic associations. In 1953, they decided to amalgamate and become the Canadian Diabetes Association, which provided advocacy, education, research funding, and programs and services for those living with the disease.

On February 13, 2017, The Canadian Diabetes Association changed its name to Diabetes Canada. This name change represents their renewed commitment to changing the conversation around diabetes, making the invisible disease more visible, and raising awareness about the diabetes epidemic. Diabetes Canada is committed to partnering with Canadians to End Diabetes through resources for health-care professionals on best practices to care for people with diabetes; advocate to governments, schools, and workplaces; and fund world-leading Canadian research to improve treatments and find a cure.

With a vision of a world free of the effects of diabetes, Diabetes Canada’s mission is to lead the fight against diabetes by preventing the onset and consequences of diabetes, helping those affected by diabetes to live healthy lives, and working to find a cure.

For more information on Diabetes Canada, please visit www.diabetes.ca.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Mission, the Executive Director, Government Affairs & Policy (ED) plays a key role in implementing Diabetes Canada’s (DC) three-year strategic plan, and beyond, as it pertains to mission. The ED oversees the government relations initiatives on the federal, provincial & territorial levels of government. DC’s overall aspiration is to improve the quality of life for the 3.9 M people living with diabetes in Canada. As a key component in the DC three-year strategic plan, it will advance and improve public services and policies for people with diabetes and their families through public policy improvements at all levels.

Cornerstone to the efforts of the federal government’s tabling of a  Diabetes Framework in Oct 2022. There will be a cross-country initiative to put in place appropriate and aligned systems of care°. Another focus will be the continued improvement of support and access of medications, devices and services for people with diabetes in each province and territory. The ED will lead a small team of staff and a larger team of valued and trained volunteers who work with policy makers, key decision makers, bureaucrats, and political leaders.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop effective relationships with key government leaders, administrators, and political leaders to advance the implementation of a nation-wide comprehensive diabetes framework.
• Work directly with governments to prepare concrete initiatives on a system level to implement the Framework and deliver improved patient impact
• Ensure full engagement with key stakeholders and community leaders, provincial governments, and agencies.
• Develop and train, in collaboration with other team members, an effective national team of volunteers to partner to ensure increased meaningful lived experience participation within the execution of DC’s objectives.
• Work closely with the Science and Policy team to ensure evidence-based positioning and data driven advocacy.
• Work closely with the Research and Fund Development teams to ensure full alignment of strategy.
• Complete predetermined KPIs within Advocacy department.
• Build a system of evaluation for government relations and advocacy initiatives to measure impact.
• Build a strong network with a clear focus on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) to represent all aspects of the diabetes community and ensure equity seeking communities are included in the implementation of the Framework
• Oversee the Government Affairs and Advocacy budget development and implementation.
• Hire, mentor, train, and evaluate an experienced, talented, and highly professional team that is well prepared to meet the ongoing opportunities and challenges of Diabetes Canada.

FIRST YEAR – MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Ensure concrete initiatives and actions at all levels of governments regarding the implementation of the Framework and plan to align to the mission to significantly reduce diabetes in Canada.
• Strategically work with all aspects of Diabetes Canada and the community to continue to build momentum towards improved access and care
• Develop a new and improved volunteer base in collaboration with Volunteer Engagement and Diabetes Canada provincial teams.

THE INDIVIDUAL

Given the pivotal role this individual will be expected to play in achieving the strategic objectives of DC and in supporting the success of the organization, it is essential that the successful candidate possess the following core competencies, experience, and attributes:

Education

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant field supplemented by a master’s degree

Experience

• 7+ years of progressively influential Government Relations experience and health system change
• Experience working with a CRM system
• Experience working in a matrix organization

Competencies and Knowledge

• Full understanding of the challenges of diabetes
• Proven track record of leading successful teams
• Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook suite and aptitude to learn standard organizational software and other applications/tools
• Collaborative in working successfully toward a common goal with other departments and with peers; sharing knowledge and being reliable while inspiring, coaching, and motivating others
• Emotionally intelligent, building rapport quickly with other people and being an attentive listener with excellent interpersonal skills
• Innovative and continuously embraces the opportunity mode of thinking
• Adept at critical thinking, problem solving and planning creative partnerships
• Customer service oriented and solutions-focused with the ability to think creatively
• Takes initiative and responds instead of reacts
• Enthusiastic, passionate, and excited about the work and making an impact
• Effectively prioritizes tasks and projects while transparently communicating priorities
• Data driven, assessing the impact of decisions, and modifying course of action as needed
• Makes clear and transparent decisions in the best interests of Diabetes Canada
• Adapts to changing priorities & conditions, responding quickly and effectively
• Bilingualism in English and French is a definitely an asset

Personal Profile

• Confident with unquestioned personal and professional integrity
• Passionate about leading the fight against Diabetes
• Highly accountable
• Displays ethical leadership
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Able to respond and pivot quickly to new initiatives and business needs
• Highly collaborative, with a team-first mentality and thrives in an egoless environment
• Respectful of others
• Positive attitude and energy
• Leads by example
• Strategic and operational performer
• Highly organized with good time management skills
• Critical thinker with problem solving skills
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and without supervision
• A positive attitude when faced with adversarial situations
• Exhibits sound judgment

COMPENSATION

An excellent compensation package awaits the successful candidate

LOCATION

Preferred location of Ottawa with consideration of Toronto for the right candidate

HOW TO APPLY

For the opportunity to join Diabetes Canada in the role of the Executive Director, Government Affairs & Policy, please email your resume to DreamBig@profoundtalent.com referencing Position ID #ANEK-516207.

Should you have an inquiry regarding this position, please contact Terri Davis at 587-200-0114 ext. 101 or Stacey Laing at 587-200-0114 ext. 104.

For further information on ProFound Talent Inc. please visit:

Website: www.profoundtalent.com

* We thank all applicants for your submissions; however, only candidates being considered for this role will be contacted. *