Learn more about this exciting opportunity
Growth Potential
The potential for personal and professional growth, coupled with the satisfaction of seeing tangible results from your efforts, makes this position particularly rewarding and inspiring.
Unique Opportunity
This role offers a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of transformative efforts aimed at enhancing Ottawa’s economic landscape while addressing a wide range of development issues.
Public-Facing Role
You are comfortable representing the organization in the public eye, ideally in both official languages, and are energized by community engagement and relationship building.
Director, Advocacy & Economic Development @ Ottawa Board of Trade
Company: Ottawa Board of Trade
Position: Director, Advocacy & Economic Development
Location: Ottawa, ON
The Ottawa Board of Trade (OBOT) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization independent from the government, dedicated to supporting the private sector in the greater Ottawa area. Established in 1857, OBOT is one of Canada’s oldest Boards of Trade and serves as a trusted, authoritative voice for businesses of all sizes and sectors. With a mission to cultivate a thriving, world-class business community, OBOT actively advocates for effective policymaking aimed at fostering economic growth and prosperity locally, provincially, and nationally.
OBOT’s strategic priorities emphasize reducing barriers to business, creating new opportunities for the region, and fostering inclusivity and resilience. By working closely with members, partners, and government entities, OBOT leads initiatives like the Downtown Agenda, equity, diversity, and inclusion programs, and Build Up Ottawa. These efforts are complemented by a commitment to collaboration with key stakeholders, including Ottawa Tourism, Invest Ottawa, and community organizations, ensuring a unified vision for economic vitality.
Skills & Experience
Experience
Your extensive experience in creating and executing advocacy strategies has led to proven success in advancing agendas and driving positive change.
Strong Interpersonal Skills
With strong interpersonal skills, you excel in convening stakeholders and fostering collaboration.
Background
You are an experienced professional in government relations and policy development, with a strong understanding of local, provincial, and federal political landscapes.
Active Listener
Ensuring that all voices are heard and represented in discussions will be a delicate task, especially when addressing conflicting interests and balancing public opinion.
Problem Solver
You are proactive and capable of navigating complex challenges while delivering impactful results.
Adaptable
In this role, you will be required to act with a high degree of adaptability and strategic thinking.
Summary of the Role
Reporting directly to the CEO, the Director, Advocacy & Economic Development is a critical role focused on advancing the OBOT’s advocacy agenda across various economic development issues. In this inaugural position, you will prioritize strategic stakeholder engagement and develop strategies to influence key decision-makers around a variety of policy matters.
As the Director, Advocacy & Economic Development, you will lead comprehensive research on policy issues and formulate positions that address the needs of the business community. You will coordinate advocacy committees and task forces to drive collective action and preparesubmissions for government consultations, public policy and media. All this is done to effectively represent OBOT’s positions and hold third-party stakeholders accountable to the needs of the business.
While one of your primary areas of focus will be the Downtown Agenda, which aims to revitalize the downtown core and support local businesses, your responsibilities will encompass a broad
range of economic and community development initiatives. You will lead advocacy efforts for policies that foster economic growth, and highlight the importance of collaboration among government, businesses, and community organizations.
You will oversee the implementation of strategies that support business interests, ensuring accountability and transparency among various stakeholders. A key aspect of the role is to build
a compelling narrative around Ottawa’s economic landscape, enhancing the organization’s visibility and influence in public policy discussions. You will be responsible for fostering relationships with key stakeholders and partners, driving advocacy efforts, and coordinating initiatives that align with OBOT’s mission to support economic development and community building.
Apply for this opportunity
Thank you for your application for this opportunity. Due to the high number of applications we receive, we will only be contacting those that are under consideration for the role.