Senior Policy Advisor

Do you want to be part of a mission‑driven organization shaping Canada’s innovation future? Do you thrive in collaborative environments where creativity, continuous improvement, and strategic thinking are valued? Are you motivated by work that strengthens Canada’s competitiveness and delivers meaningful impact for communities and businesses?

At Mitacs, we take a talent‑first approach to building Canada’s innovation capacity. We connect researchers with organizations across every region of the country to help solve pressing challenges and accelerate economic growth. By enabling business‑academic collaboration and supporting the development of highly‑skilled talent, we contribute to a resilient, future‑ready Canadian economy.

The Policy team at Mitacs plays a central role in translating complexity into clear, actionable insight. We transform data into informed decisions, develop evidence‑based rationales for new initiatives, and articulate the organization’s impact in ways that resonate with government and partners. We ensure that Mitacs programs align with public priorities, clarify the purpose of our work, and provide the strategic advice necessary to support organizational transformation.

We collaborate closely with Programs, Government Relations, and Evaluations to ground strategies, programs, and proposals in robust evidence, to stay responsive to public‑sector priorities, and to communicate effectively to funders and stakeholders.

Strategic Policy Research & Foresight

• Conduct original policy research, environmental scans, and jurisdictional analyses to inform Mitacs’s evolution and long‑term direction.
• Identify new opportunities in research, innovation, talent development, and economic policy that should shape Mitacs programs and partnerships.
• Demonstrate how emerging federal/provincial priorities may impact Mitacs and provide actionable recommendations for organizational alignment.

Organizational Strategy & Transformation

• Provide evidence‑informed policy advice that supports organizational transformation, modernization, and alignment with stakeholder expectations.
• Identify policy gaps, risks, and opportunities to strengthen Mitacs’s positioning within the broader innovation ecosystem.
• Develop strategic insights that help executives make decisions about new directions, partnerships, and funding opportunities.

Program Development & Evaluation Integration

• Articulate the rationale behind new programs and pilots by grounding them in research, evaluation findings, and public priorities.
• Work with Program teams to interpret evaluation data and recommend whether programs should be scaled, adapted, or sunset.
• Contribute to theories of change, logic models, and other foundational policy materials.

Government Relations Support & Funding Proposals

• Produce intelligence briefs, strategic insights, and tailored messaging that help Government Relations engage funders.
• Co‑author funding proposals that draw on policy analysis, program impact, and organizational strategy.
• Track government mandates, budget cycles, and policy developments to inform both immediate and long‑term strategy.

Impact Communication & Storytelling

• Collaborate with Evaluations to translate program results into compelling stories for governments, partners, and internal stakeholders.
• Develop content for panels, events, and public communications to clearly articulate Mitacs’s impact.
• Ensure that data, insights, and narratives are aligned with Mitacs’s strategic objectives and funder expectations.

• Graduate degree in public policy, economics, political science, sociology, or a related field preferred.
• 5–8+ years of experience in policy analysis, public‑sector research, strategic planning, or government‑related roles.
• Proven experience conducting original policy research that informs strategy or program design.
• Strong understanding of government decision‑making, funding processes, and public‑sector priorities.
• Exceptional writing and communication skills—able to distill complexity into compelling stories.
• Experience contributing to organizational strategy or transformation initiatives is a strong…