Manager of Government Relations, Canada

Manager of Government Relations, Canada

Job Title: Manager of Government Relations, Canada

Location: Vaughan, Ontario or Remote in Ottawa

Salary Range: $131,082.750 - $154,215 per year

Job Type: Full-time position

About This Role

The Manager of Government Relations, Canada is responsible for leading Kidde’s engagement with the Government of Canada, Parliament, provincial governments, regulatory agencies, standards organizations, and relevant industry associations. This position will develop and execute strategies to advance the company’s priorities in fire and life-safety products within Canadian legislative, regulatory, code, standards, and industry association environments. The role serves as the primary point of contact with policymakers, regulators, government officials, industry associations, and other external stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Engagement

• Develop and manage strategies for engagement with federal and provincial governments, legislatures, regulatory agencies, and other relevant Canadian authorities.
• Monitor federal and provincial legislative, regulatory, code, and standards developments impacting fire and life-safety products; assess potential impacts on business operations, technologies, certifications, and market access.
• Align Canadian government relations priorities with company objectives and broader North American government relations strategies.
• Identify emerging policy, regulatory, code, and standards issues and opportunities for engagement and develop appropriate strategies for proactive participation. Advocacy
• Represent the organization in meetings with federal and provincial policymakers, regulators, government officials, and key external stakeholders. 
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with federal and provincial officials, coalitions, and other partners.
• Advocate for policies, codes, standards, and regulatory outcomes that advance public safety and support organizational growth.
• Support the development and delivery of policy positions, testimony, briefing materials, consultation responses, comment letters, and other advocacy materials.

Industry Relations

• Build and maintain strong relationships with trade associations, standards organizations, industry coalitions, and other stakeholders relevant to fire and life-safety.
• Represent the company in industry forums, working groups, conferences, consultations, and other stakeholder engagements to shape policy, regulatory, code, and standards discussions.
• Partner with industry peers to identify common priorities and advance collective advocacy efforts.
• Ensure industry perspectives and partnerships are integrated into company strategies for Canadian government relations.

Collaboration

• Work closely with internal teams, including Engineering, Product Compliance, Communications, Marketing, Legal, and other relevant functions, to ensure Canadian policy, regulatory, code, and standards positions reflect company objectives.
• Support internal leadership with policy analyses, briefings, and preparation of testimony and advocacy materials.
• Provide internal updates, training, and guidance on Canadian policy, regulatory, code, standards, and industry developments.
• Coordinate with U.S. and other North American government relations activities on cross-border issues affecting the business, including trade and market-access matters.

Project Oversight

• Track and coordinate federal and provincial legislative sessions, hearings, regulatory processes, consultations, and code and standards development activities relevant to the organization.
• Oversee preparation and submission of consultation responses, comment letters, testimony, and other required documentation.
• Maintain a forward calendar of key Canadian legislative, regulatory, code, and standards milestones to prioritize engagement.

Compliance and Risk Management

• Identify and evaluate potential risks arising from evolving Canadian policies, legislation, regulations, codes, standards, and industry initiatives.
• Develop strategies to mitigate risks and support compliance with applicable Canadian requirements.
• Provide guidance to compliance, quality, and legal teams on Canadian-specific policy, regulatory, code, and standards requirements.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in public policy, political science, government, law, communications, or related field
• 7+ years’ experience in government relations, public affairs, public policy, advocacy, or related field, with demonstrated success in government and stakeholder engagement

Preferred Qualifications

• In-depth knowledge of Canadian federal and provincial government structures, legislative processes, and regulatory systems
• Demonstrated success engaging with industry associations, trade groups, standards organizations, and coalitions.
• Proven track record in government relations, public policy, or advocacy
• Strong financial acumen and ability to manage budgets with accuracy and accountability
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills with policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders
• Ability to manage complex policy, regulatory, code, and standards issues with strategic insight
• Strong organizational and project management capabilities
• Ability to collaborate effectively across diverse internal functions and represent the company with credibility
• Experience working with Canadian federal and/or provincial governments, legislatures, regulatory agencies, or industry associations
• Experience managing budgets for government relations initiatives, association memberships, and related activities
• Established relationships with Canadian policymakers, regulatory agencies, standards organizations, or relevant trade associations strongly desired
• Experience with building codes, fire codes, product standards, certification, or regulatory requirements is strongly preferred