Advisor, Operational Excellence

Do you want to be part of our innovative and entrepreneurial team?

Do you thrive in an entrepreneurial environment and enjoy working in a team atmosphere? Are you an “outside the box” thinker who strives to implement continuous improvements? Do you take a strategic approach to your work? Do you enjoy a fast-paced culture where your opinions are valued and respected? Do you enjoy building partnerships to solve mutually beneficial challenges?

Mitacs is a national not-for-profit that helps industry and non-profit partners solve strategic challenges by leveraging Canada’s world-class post-secondary talent and a global network of industry, academic, and government partnerships. Through these collaborations, Mitacs helps business and community partners succeed, improves students’ on-the-job skills development, and strengthens Canada’s world-class innovation ecosystem. At Mitacs, we strive to develop the next generation of innovators with vital research and business skills. In partnership with domestic and international companies, governments, and academia, we support a new economy using Canada’s most valuable resource – its people.

To get a better understanding of Mitacs and read more about our values, please visit our website.

POSITION SUMMARY

Working under the supervision of the Director, Operational Excellence, this role is pivotal in driving transformative change at Mitacs by working in close collaboration with functional team members from across the organization, through facilitation of strategic continuous improvement activities.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and maintain the foundation for Operational Excellence at Mitacs
• Facilitate rollout of elements of the OE Roadmap to support the greater Mitacs Strategic Plan and Corporate Plan
• Facilitate Continuous Improvement training and activities utilizing Lean thinking and data driven decision making Facilitate diverse groups who contribute to improvement ideas and build consensus for priorities 
• Facilitate Strategy Deployment and Execution
• Facilitate Sales & Operations deployment and execution
• Facilitate Tiered Accountability process mentoring and coaching
• Facilitate the analysis of current state and development of future state business processes 
• Develop necessary artifacts in project facilitation including, but not limited to, charters, timelines, tasks, communications, training and closeout presentations
• Be able to make recommendations and communicate to senior management 
• Facilitate the development and initial use of data & metrics dashboards in the context of improvement activities
• Analyze data for various improvement activities to assist in data driven decision making
• Provide periodic status updates related to timelines, risks and risk mitigation strategies 
• Work closely with business leads, the Service Design team and the IT team on business process improvements

Other 

• Key contact for cross-functional communication and working groups
• Respond to queries and requests from internal and external stakeholders for support and facilitation of improvement activities
• Other duties as required or assigned

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Formal training and >3 years of practical experience implementing Lean tools and thinking, specifically including significant experience with transactional value stream process improvements
• Formal training and >3 years of practical experience with Quality frameworks, metrics and improvements
• Exposure & experience with Hoshin Kanri Strategy Deployment, Value Stream Mapping, Tiered Accountability processes and other Lean methodologies
• Exposure & experience with Six Sigma methodologies
• Exposure to Agile ways of working
• Strong communication skills – both written and oral – with all levels of stakeholders
• Ability to focus on the critical few and mentor individuals and teams in this area
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to prioritize, multi-task and meet deadlines
• Strong business acumen with the ability to think analytically and solve problems
• Ability to build and maintain strong cross-functional working relationships
• High attention to detail and obsessive with the accuracy of data
• Familiar with project management methodologies
• Familiar with Organization Change Management concepts
• Bilingualism in French and English an asset. Knowledge of written and spoken English is required in this role as you will interact with colleagues, clients and stakeholders located across Canada
• Experience with Microsoft Power Platform (e.g. Power BI) is a plus
• Experience with Process Mapping applications (Miro, Vision, etc.) is a plus

Hiring Range: $90,000 - $100,000

Hiring and Salary Range Transparency 

Typically, employees are hired, transferred, or promoted within the salary range, specifically between the minimum and midpoint in the hiring range.

The salary range refers to the range of base salaries for a given position, encompassing the minimum and maximum amounts. The midpoint of the range is positioned approximately halfway between the minimum and maximum, indicating a fully qualified employee with comprehensive job knowledge and experience for the role.

Only in rare and exceptional circumstances, where a candidate has the experience, skills, and expertise that far exceed those required for the position, would we consider paying above the hiring range for this role.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and decolonization are core values at Mitacs: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion - Mitacs. We believe a diverse workforce comprised of individuals with different ideas, strengths, interests, and backgrounds (e.g., gender identities and expressions, Indigeneity, race, abilities, sexual orientation, and other identities) are crucial to our success. We welcome everyone to apply and encourage you to connect with us if you require accommodations during the recruitment process.

 *This is a 2 year full-time temporary contract.