Senior Manager, Research Programs & Operations

Senior Manager of Research Operations

The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) is a unique non‑for‑profit farm organization whose diverse membership has a significant presence in all agricultural areas of the province and across all major sectors. The mission of OSCIA is to facilitate responsible economic management of soil, water, air and crops through development and communication of innovative farming practices. OSCIA is a leader in agricultural program delivery, including cost‑share funding distribution, educational workshop offerings for farmers, and administration of on‑farm applied research and knowledge transfer opportunities.

The Senior Manager, Research Programs & Operations is the people and operational leader for OSCIA's Research department. The role ensures a portfolio of concurrent, externally funded research programs is effectively planned, resourced, managed and delivered.

The Senior Manager provides day‑to‑day leadership to staff and establishes the systems, processes and accountability required to keep programs on track, manage budgets and risks, meet contractual and reporting obligations, and maintain strong partner relationships. Working with the Director, technical staff and external experts, the role translates organizational and funding commitments into clear operational plans and ensures appropriate scientific and technical expertise is engaged.

• Lead, coach and manage Research department staff, including performance management, goal setting, development and succession planning.
• Establish clear roles, priorities and expectations; monitor workload and progress and hold team members accountable for results.
• Build a collaborative, solutions‑oriented culture and lead the team through change, competing priorities and staffing transitions.
• Identify capacity and skill gaps and support recruitment, onboarding and training of new team members.

• Provide operational oversight for OSCIA's research portfolio, maintaining visibility into objectives, deliverables, timelines, budgets, reporting requirements and contractual commitments.
• Establish practical workplans, dashboards and review processes that provide timely visibility into program performance and emerging issues.
• Coordinate priorities and resources across programs, direct staff as required and ensure agreed actions are completed.
• Adapt the level of direct involvement based on program complexity, risk and staff capability, escalating significant issues and decisions to the Director with recommendations.
• Support annual and multi‑year planning and the development of research opportunities aligned with OSCIA priorities and sector needs.

• Oversee Research portfolio budgets in collaboration with the Director and Finance team, including annual and project‑level forecasting.
• Ensure each program maintains accurate budget tracking for commitments, expenditures and remaining funds and reconcile trackers to financial actuals regularly.
• Identify under spending, overspending and other financial risks early and implement corrective actions.
• Ensure expenditures comply with approved budgets, contribution agreements and organizational policies.

• Develop and continuously improve practical systems, processes, procedures, templates and Standard Operating Procedures that support consistent and efficient research operations.
• Strengthen department‑wide approaches to project management, documentation, reporting, data management, knowledge management and quality assurance.
• Identify inefficiencies and implement improvements that reduce risk, duplication and administrative burden, including appropriate use of digital tools.

• Maintain a proactive view of operational, financial, contractual, staffing, scheduling, stakeholder, data and delivery risks and ensure mitigation actions are in place.
• Oversee compliance with contribution agreements, contracts, organizational policies and applicable research requirements.
• Maintain visibility of…