Bilingual Senior Advisor, Strategic Communications and Public Affairs (15-month contract)

** This position can be fully remote or hybrid, if located near a Mitacs office in Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver. Please ensure that you apply for only one post close to your location ** 

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. 

Guided by our values — Impact, Integrity, Collaboration, Excellence, and Talent — we work with partners nationwide to advance research, commercialization, and innovation

Position Summary         

The Bilingual Senior Advisor, Strategic Communications and Public Affairs lead the development and execution of strategic communications initiatives that strengthen Mitacs’ visibility, reputation, and alignment with organizational priorities. Reporting to the Director, Communications and Public Affairs, this role develops high-quality written content and communications materials for a range of internal and external audiences, while supporting executive communications, storytelling, media relations, events, and brand alignment across the organization.

The role is instrumental in elevating the Mitacs brand and story, ensuring consistent language and narrative across all communications. The role will also support Mitacs Executive members, crafting remarks and media briefings, as well as cultivating opportunities for Mitacs leadership in the media through pitching, op-ed development and other thought leadership opportunities.

The successful candidate is a fluently bilingual communications professional, with experience crafting strategic communications in both French and English. They are a strategic communicator, experienced writer and editor with sound judgment, strong attention to detail, and the ability to translate complex information into clear, compelling, and audience-focused communications materials.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Communications Support:Leads the development and execution of strategic communications initiatives and materials aligned with organizational priorities and communications objectives. Support planning and execution of corporate events including development of program, remarks, and related promotion.
• Content Development and Storytelling:Research, write, edit, and coordinate a range of communications materials, including articles, impact stories, speaking notes, briefing notes, messaging documents, website content, and news releases.
• Executive Communications:Support the development of executive communications and thought leadership materials for senior leaders, including speeches, presentations, key messages, and external communications materials.
• Media and Public Affairs Support:Contribute to media relations and public affairs activities through the development of media materials, communications support for announcements and events, and coordination with internal stakeholders.
• Brand and Messaging Alignment:Support consistency and alignment across communications materials and initiatives to ensure adherence to Mitacs’ brand and messaging frameworks.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:Work collaboratively with teams across the organization, including Communications & Public Affairs, Government Relations, Business Development, Programs, and Partnerships, to support integrated communications initiatives.
• Digital and Multimedia Content:Support the development and coordination of digital and multimedia communications content across organizational channels.
• Project Coordination:Support the planning, coordination, and execution of communications projects and initiatives while managing competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
  

 Ideal Candidate Profile

• Undergraduate or graduate degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, political science, or a related field.
• Fluently bilingual, experienced in developing content and strategic communications in both official languages. Knowledge of written and spoken English is required in this role as you will interact with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders located across Canada.
• 5+ years of experience in strategic communications, public relations, media relations, content development, or a related field.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information into clear and compelling communications materials for diverse audiences.
• Experience developing communications materials for senior leaders and external stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.
• Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams and with stakeholders at different levels of the organization.
• Experience in the innovation, research, academic, nonprofit, public sector, or agency environment would be considered an asset.
• Experience supporting media relations, events, executive communications, or thought leadership initiatives would be considered an asset.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion and reconciliation are strong commitments at Mitacs: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion - Mitacs. We believe a diverse workforce comprised of individuals with different lived experiences, ideas, strengths, 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.

Hiring Range: $77,100 - $97,660

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.