Director, Advocacy, Canada (Remote)

Director, Advocacy, Canada

(Remote)

Summary

The Institute of Internal Auditors’ (The IIA) Advocacy Director will operate as a lead advocate in advancing the organization’s public policy and thought leadership goals in Canada.  This position is primarily remote, but with a preference for the individual to be based in Ottawa or a major Canadian metropolitan area.  The Director will report to the Senior Director for North American Advocacy.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following.  Other duties may be assigned.

• Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with key stakeholders and influencers, including governmental and non-governmental organizations 
• Educate and engage various spheres of influence, including public policymakers, the business community, and the public about internal auditing, The IIA, its certifications and standards, and various profession policy issues, while positioning internal audit professionals as highly trusted expert resources and thought leaders 
• Develop and implement a Canadian advocacy strategic plan, in consultation with key stakeholders, which will become a dynamic document, updated on an annual basis
• Track relevant legislative proposals, hearings, rules, regulations, public comment periods, and other various government policy proposals in Canada
• Support other IIA staff, volunteers, chapters, and members in advancing The IIA’s strategic and public policy goals across Canada
• Identify emerging strategic, political, and policy risks and opportunities in Canada and formulate appropriate responses to advance the best interests of The IIA, its members and the internal audit profession  
• Launch campaigns to advance The IIA’s strategic policy goals, including overseeing the drafting of legislative recommendations, the building of coalitions, and coordinating with The IIA’s Communications/Media team to drive and manage media coverage and social media engagement  
• Collaborate on and help to create lobby packets, position papers, testimony, public comment letters, briefing memos, multimedia, PowerPoint presentations, web content, and social media which advance the organization’s advocacy goals 
• Ensure organizational compliance with all relevant Canadian and provincial lobbying laws and registration requirements, when necessary
• Implement a strategy to build goodwill and The IIA’s brand recognition with the Canadian public, the federal and provincial governments, the business community, and other relevant stakeholders
• Help to develop and implement a provincial advocacy program for the organization 
• Engage members and other stakeholders for advisory feedback through various volunteer councils, chapters, committees, and other channels 
• Coordinate and collaborate closely with The IIA’s Executive Director for Canada as well as other Canadian IIA staff to ensure alignment with various Canadian IIA initiatives
• Assist in informing, engaging, and presenting to The IIA Canada Advisory Committee and Canadian Advocacy Working Group
• Support the Advocacy Team’s various global initiatives and global affiliate partnerships, ensuring alignment and identifying synergies between The IIA’s North American and global advocacy activities and strategies

Qualifications To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably with a major in political science, economics, accounting, or public policy
• A master’s degree or law degree is considered an asset. 
• At least eight years of relevant and progressive experience working for Parliament, a Canadian government agency, a provincial legislative assembly or provincial government agency, a government relations firm, and/or a membership organization or corporation, while actively engaged in public policymaking, lobbying, or government relations 
• The ability to build and maintain strong relationships across the political spectrum, with an already established set of relationships with federal and provincial governments
• Demonstrated experience prioritizing and balancing multiple, on-going high-profile projects with the ability to meet critical deadlines 
• Strong people management skills with a proven ability to lead by influence 
• Self-motivation and an ability to work independently with significant attention to detail 
• Subject matter familiarity with the relationship between internal auditing and various subjects such as, but not limited to, artificial intelligence, ESG/climate, cybersecurity, fraud, governance, risk, internal controls, data privacy, and blockchain is an asset  

Writing and Language Skills

• A high level of professional fluency in both business French and English.  Candidates should be able to confidently hold conversations, conduct and participate in meetings, respond to emails, and read reports and other professional materials in both official languages.  Additional languages are always an asset. 
• Ability to analyze and interpret professional and technical documents.  Ability to respond to various inquiries from key internal and external stakeholders.  Strong writing skills with the ability to explain technical concepts in language readily understood by a layperson. Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups, elected officials and their staff, and/or boards of directors.

Computer Skills                                                                

• Intermediate to expert level of competency with all Microsoft office products, specifically Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. 

Physical Demands

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk and sit. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and distance vision.

Work Environment

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.
• Regular, in-person meetings will be required, subject to any COVID or other governmental health restrictions.
• Domestic and international travel as warranted, including periodic travel to Washington, DC and The IIA’s headquarters in Lake Mary, Florida. 

Location

The candidate needs to be based in Ottawa, Montreal, or Toronto, with relevant experience in the region.