Manager, Research and Partnerships

Application deadline: None, position will be posted until filled.

NOTE: This role requires relevant experience developing major competitive research funding applications and working effectively with university researchers and research administration systems.

Are you frustrated with what’s happening in the world? Do you feel powerless to drive real change? Are you ready to do something about it? Join Jumpstart!

Jumpstart Refugee Talent is establishing Refugee Lens Investing Canada (RLI Canada), a national research and market-development initiative focused on building the evidence, partnerships and community needed to advance refugee lens investing in Canada. We are seeking an experienced research and partnership professional to lead and pioneer the next stage of RLI Canada’s development.

Jumpstart Refugee Talent is a global refugee-led charitable organization with offices in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Bogota, and Beirut. We are dedicated to unlocking the potential of refugee talent by fostering economic inclusion through employment, entrepreneurship, and labor mobility pathways. Since 2016, we have empowered thousands of refugees to contribute meaningfully to their communities while building thriving, resilient careers.

About the Role

This is a hands-on institution-building role. The successful candidate will build university research partnerships, develop major research funding opportunities, secure external funding partners, help establish RLI Canada’s governance and operating model, and lead the development of a national Refugee Lens Investing Community of Practice.

A central priority is competitive academic research funding. The successful candidate must understand how major university-led research applications are developed and have direct experience working with researchers and university research offices on successful applications to SSHRC, CIHR, NSERC or comparable competitive research funding programs.

The successful candidate will not be expected to conduct the academic research. They will be expected to know how to bring together the researchers, universities, partners, funding and institutional processes required to make major collaborative research happen.

RLI Canada, Jumpstart Refugee Talent and the Refugee Impact Fund

RLI Canada is being developed as a semi-autonomous initiative within Jumpstart Refugee Talent and will work closely with both Jumpstart’s economic inclusion programs and the Refugee Impact Fund.

The three have distinct but complementary roles:

• Jumpstart Refugee Talent provides the charitable home, organizational infrastructure and deep connection to refugees, employers and Canada’s refugee-serving ecosystem.
• RLI Canada builds the research, evidence, academic partnerships, knowledge infrastructure and Community of Practice needed to advance refugee lens investing in Canada.
• The Refugee Impact Fund applies refugee lens investing in practice by mobilizing capital for refugee-led businesses, employers expanding refugee hiring and ecosystem partners supporting refugee economic inclusion.

The successful candidate will help create productive collaboration across these initiatives while maintaining appropriate boundaries between charitable programming, independent academic research and investment activities.

Key Responsibilities

University Partnerships and Research Funding

• Build relationships with Canadian universities, faculty researchers, research institutes and university Research Services, Research Development and Research Partnerships offices.
• Identify and engage potential principal investigators and research teams.
• Work with partners to develop a Canadian research agenda for refugee lens investing and refugee economic inclusion.
• Identify and pursue SSHRC, Tri-Agency and other significant research funding opportunities.
• Work with university partners to develop competitive research applications, including partnership structures, budgets, work plans, knowledge mobilization and institutional requirements.
• Coordinate external cash and in-kind partner contributions where required or strategically valuable.
• Build a strong multi-year research funding pipeline.

Institutional Partnerships and Funding

• Build relationships with foundations, financial institutions, investment funds, corporations, governments and other potential partners.
• Secure core and project funding for RLI Canada and its activities.
• Connect institutional funding partners with university-led research opportunities where appropriate.
• Develop a sustainable funding model combining research grants, philanthropic and institutional support, strategic partnerships, sponsorship and, over time, contributions from participating organizations.

Community of Practice

• Lead the development of a national Refugee Lens Investing Community of Practice involving researchers, investors, financial institutions, foundations, corporations, refugee-serving organizations and other partners.
• Connect the Community of Practice to RLI Canada’s research agenda, funding strategy and knowledge mobilization.
• Develop its participation model, value proposition and long-term funding approach.
• Work with specialized partners, potentially including the Refugee Investment Network (RIN), as design, technical and potentially delivery partners for the Community of Practice.
• Manage external design and delivery relationships on behalf of RLI Canada.

Governance and Institutional Development

• Work with Jumpstart leadership to establish the governance and management structures required for RLI Canada to operate effectively as a semi-autonomous initiative within the charity.
• Help develop RLI Canada’s governance, decision-making structures, operating model, budget, reporting and multi-year strategy.
• Define effective working relationships among RLI Canada, Jumpstart, university partners, RIF, RIN and other strategic partners.
• Support appropriate approaches to research independence, partner participation, conflicts of interest, data and intellectual property in collaboration with universities and professional advisers as required.

First-Year Priorities

Initial priorities are expected to include:

• Establish a strong network of university partners, researchers and potential principal investigators.
• Develop RLI Canada’s Canadian research agenda.
• Develop and submit major competitive research funding applications.
• Build a significant SSHRC, Tri-Agency and broader research funding pipeline.
• Secure institutional partners and funding for RLI Canada’s core operations and research activities.
• Establish RLI Canada’s governance and operating framework.
• Design and begin establishing the Community of Practice with RIN and other partners.
• Develop a sustainable multi-year funding model for RLI Canada and the Community of Practice.

Qualifications and Experience

Education

• A master’s degree in a relevant field is required. A PhD or other research-intensive advanced degree is strongly preferred.
• Relevant disciplines may include social sciences, public policy, economics, business, international development, migration and refugee studies, labour and employment studies, finance or related fields.

Required Experience

• Demonstrated experience developing and coordinating successful major competitive research funding applications.
• Direct experience with SSHRC, CIHR, NSERC or comparable research funding programs.
• Strong knowledge of the Canadian university research funding environment.
• Experience working directly with principal investigators, faculty researchers and university research offices.
• Experience developing complex university partnerships involving external organizations.
• Experience coordinating multi-partner research proposals, including budgets, partner contributions, institutional approvals and supporting documentation.
• Strong proposal development, writing, project management and partnership-development skills.
• Experience building relationships with institutional funders and external partners.
• Experience working across academic, nonprofit, government, philanthropic and private-sector institutions will be particularly valuable.

Particularly relevant candidates may have worked within or closely with university Research Services, Research Development or Research Partnerships offices; university-based research institutes and centres; major research networks and consortia; international development organizations; development finance organizations; foundations; research and policy institutes; or organizations working in migration, refugee economic inclusion, social finance, impact investing or inclusive economic development.

Relevant Subject-Matter Experience

Experience in one or more of the following areas is preferred:

• international development and development finance;
• migration, forced displacement and refugee economic inclusion;
• economic development and livelihoods;
• labour markets and employment;
• entrepreneurship, SME development and access to capital;
• financial inclusion and economic mobility;
• social finance, impact investing and responsible investment;
• public policy and social innovation; or
• related applied social-science research.

Specific experience in refugee lens investing is an asset but is not required. The successful candidate must be able to quickly develop a strong understanding of refugee lens investing and work credibly with researchers, investors, financial institutions, foundations and refugee-serving organizations.

Direct experience supporting faculty in major Tri-Agency applications, particularly SSHRC partnership-based competitions, is a significant asset.

Who This Role Will Suit

RLI Canada is at an early stage of development. This role will suit someone who combines strong experience within the Canadian research funding system with an entrepreneurial approach to building new partnerships, funding opportunities and institutional structures.

The successful candidate will be comfortable working in an emerging initiative where not every element is already established and will see that as an opportunity to help shape what RLI Canada becomes.

We are looking for someone who knows how to move a major research idea from concept to a competitive funding application and, ultimately, a funded partnership.

You do not need to be the principal investigator. You do need to know how to help principal investigators and their partners win.

What We Offer

• One-year contract position with a competitive compensation package, including starting salary range of $70,000-$80,000, health benefits and 20 annual vacation days. The intention is for this role to become permanent, funding permitting.
• A chance to make a tangible difference within a rapidly expanding organization that serves marginalized communities.
• Flexible work schedule with all essential virtual communication tools provided.
• Ability to work remotely or from one of our shared office environments in Toronto, Calgary. Montreal, or Vancouver.

Jumpstart is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. Refugees and individuals from underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Disclosure

• Jumpstart does not use artificial intelligence to screen, assess, or select applicants for this position.
• This posting is for an existing vacancy.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume and cover letter through the online application. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Any applications without a cover letter will not be considered. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.