Director, Canada Council for the Arts

The Canada Council for the Arts was created to promote and celebrate Canadian art and culture throughout our country and around the world. Since its creation in 1957, the Canada Council has supported professional Canadian artists and arts organizations – in all artistic disciplines – so that people from coast to coast have the opportunity to experience and enjoy the very best of Canadian culture. It offers a broad range of grants and services to professional Canadian artists and arts organizations in all artistic disciplines, including emerging disciplines such as digital arts. The Canada Council for the Arts works tirelessly to raise public awareness of the arts through extensive communications, research, and promotion activities. The most well-known of these activities are the Canada Council’s prizes and fellowships, which celebrate creativity by recognizing exceptional Canadians in the arts, humanities, and sciences. Both the Killam Program and the internationally recognized Canadian Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) operate under the general authority of the Canada Council. Strategically, the Canada Council takes concrete steps to enrich the artistic and cultural experience of Canadians across the country. In order to further support artists, stimulate culture, and ensure it is enjoyed by more Canadians than ever, the Canada Council’s budget will be doubled over the next five years.

The Director is the Chief Executive Officer and is responsible, under the direction of the Board, for providing dynamic corporate leadership for the management of the Canada Council’s resources and assets and for the effectiveness and efficiency of its operations in meeting its mandated objectives.

Diversity and Official Languages

The Government of Canada will consider bilingual proficiency and diversity in assessing applicants. You are therefore encouraged to include in your online profile your ability to speak and understand your second official language. Preference may be given to applicants who are members of one or more of the following groups: women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of a visible minority group.

Education and Experience

• A degree from a recognized university in a relevant field of study or an acceptable combination of equivalent education, job-related training and/or experience;
  


• Significant leadership and management experience at the senior executive level in a public or private organization, including managing human and financial resources;
  


• Experience in strategic management, organizational change and management techniques which promote good governance and improve organization performance;
  


• Experience in reporting to, serving and engaging a board;
  


• Experience in dealing with the federal government, preferably with senior government officials, would be considered an asset;
  


• Experience working with the arts and culture sectors would be considered an asset; and
  


• Experience in the communications, social media, and media sector, such as the distribution of creative and digital content, would also be considered an asset.
  

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of the mandate and mission of the Canada Council for the Arts (Council), its business activities, strategic priorities and public policy issues, as well as its governing legislation;
  


• Financial literacy and knowledge of the federal government’s expectations with regard to accountability and reporting;
  


• Knowledge of the government’s policy agenda and how it relates to the Council, especially in arts funding;
  


• Knowledge of the arts and culture sectors of Canada, and their unique regional dimensions;
  


• Knowledge in the areas of information technology, technological evolution related to digital, the supporting environment of national creative content, government relations, human resources or marketing would be an asset;
  


• Ability to manage and provide corporate vision, leadership and the strategic direction needed to ensure that the Council is able to fulfill its mandate and achieve its objectives;
  


• Ability to identify, analyze and define priorities and strategies;
  


• Ability to focus the energies and talents of the employees of the Council and motivate them to achieve corporate objectives;
  


• Ability to anticipate emerging issues and develop strategies to enable the Council to seize opportunities and solve problems;
  


• Ability to develop effective working relationships with the organization’s management, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and his Office, the Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage, and the key stakeholders and partners of the Council; and
  


• Superior communication skills, both written and oral, and the ability to represent the Council with a wide range of stakeholders, and appear before Parliamentary Committees, when required.
  

Language Requirements

Proficiency in both official languages would be preferred.

• Dynamic advocate for the arts
  


• Strategic and innovative leader
  


• High ethical standards and integrity
  


• Tact and diplomacy
  


• Sound judgment
  


• Superior interpersonal skills
  


• Collegiality
  

Eligibility Factors and Conditions of Employment

• Appointees must comply with the Ethical and Political Activity Guidelines for Public Office Holders throughout their appointment as a term and condition of employment. The guidelines are available on the Governor in Council Appointments website under the Forms and reference material.


• All appointees are subject to the Conflicts of Interest Act. Public office holders appointed on a full-time basis must also submit to the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics within 60 days of appointment, a confidential report in which they disclose all of their assets, liabilities and outside activities. For more information, please visit the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's website.

• Appointees must uphold the highest standards of probity and are expected to demonstrate behaviours in the workplace that afford respect, equality and dignity, to everyone they interact with at work at all times. The Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector outlines the values and expected behaviours for public servants, including valuing diversity and creating workplaces free from harassment and discrimination. Governor in Council appointees are expected to uphold and respect these values and principles in a positive and active manner.
  


• If you are appointed to this position you must reside in or be willing to relocate to the National Capital Region, or to a location within a reasonable commuting distance.
  


• If you are appointed to this position, you must willing to travel across Canada and internationally.
  

A link to this notice will be placed in the Canada Gazette to assist the Governor in Council in identifying qualified candidates for this positions. It is not, however, intended to be the sole means of recruitment. A roster of qualified candidates may be established and may be used for similar opportunities.

How to Apply

Review of applications will begin on September 26, 2018. Candidates must apply via the Governor in Council Appointments website. Your cover letter should be addressed to the Deputy Director of Selection Processes, Senior Personnel Secretariat, Privy Council Office, and should be sent only through the online application.

Instructions on how to apply for an appointment opportunity can be found on the Governor in Council Appointments website.