Policy and Data Development Lead – SSCAN Data Space (Job ID 75746)

Term/ Start Date: 24-month contract

Position Type: Hybrid

Salary: $101 466 – $133 048 (annual)

Duties:

The Policy and Data Development Lead will lead CRDCN’s SSCAN pilot, a two-year National Data Spaces initiative, by identifying data depositors and researchers to define deposit requirements, developing policies and a sustainable business model to support future funding, and building strong, trust-based relationships with stakeholders across sectors, disciplines, and levels of seniority.

Working closely with CRDCN’s Executive Director, this role will:

Identify and lead engagement with potential data depositors from government departments, funders and large-scale research projects, individually and through the project advisory groups to develop the required elements of the service.
Cultivate and manage relationships with the identified data depositors, positioning CRDCN as a trusted partner for data stewardship and access.
Guide the development and refinement of a data depositor framework though oversight of a process to gather depositor feedback, identify requirements, and translate needs into operational and technical solutions, such as standardized data deposit workflows and intake processes and SLAs.
Assess new data depositors by applying defined criteria (e.g., strategic alignment, data value, legal and technical feasibility, and resource requirements) to expand the network’s portfolio of available datasets.
Lead and structure collaboration between data depositors, researchers, and internal CRDCN teams by establishing formal engagement mechanisms (e.g., onboarding frameworks, advisory groups, and working sessions), coordinating requirements gathering, and aligning technical, curation, and policy functions to ensure seamless data onboarding and integration. Drive a long-term strategy that strengthens partnerships, standardizes processes, and advances sustainable data stewardship models, ensuring ongoing data quality, accessibility, and alignment with evolving research and infrastructure priorities.
Provide strategic oversight of depositor engagement initiatives ensuring consistent communication, strong partnerships, and alignment with CRDCN’s organizational goals.
Provide leadership and administrative oversight to ensure program requirements are clearly defined, documented, and consistently implemented, including the development and management of formal agreements and governance instruments to support compliant and effective collaboration
Understand and integrate, oversight mechanisms to ensure compliance and all applicable legal and regulatory requirements are identified and embedded into service frameworks.
Identify and lead funding applications that seek to expand and implement the technical infrastructure component of the project
Direct the exploration, development, and implementation of sustainable support mechanisms for the infrastructure, including funding models, partnerships, and operational frameworks.
Direct the evaluation and alignment of CRDCN’s data infrastructure with peer initiatives nationally and globally, ensuring interoperability, consistency with emerging standards, and strategic positioning within the broader research data ecosystem.
Oversee cross-organizational coordination with CRDCN and other stakeholders to ensure operational integration, and strategic collaboration to strengthen research capacity and infrastructure effectiveness.
Lead the development of a transparent, compliant policy and governance framework to sustain long-term infrastructure operations, ensuring responsiveness to evolving data ecosystem dynamics and the needs of a diverse community of depositors, researchers, and institutional partners.
Provide strategic oversight and direction to ensure alignment to CRDCN strategic initiatives, integrating data access and governance policies, curation practices (e.g., metadata, documentation, and quality standards), technical frameworks, and infrastructure capacity to deliver seamless, secure, and scalable research data services.
Direct cross-project collaboration with leaders in the technical and research data management (RDM) community, including National Data Spaces pilots and the Digital Research Alliance Canada, to ensure consistent alignment of project deliverables, standards, and infrastructure requirements.
Represent the organization at national meetings, working groups, and partner institutions, providing leadership in discussions related to data infrastructure, research data management, and collaborative initiatives.
Create a report to inform stakeholder engagement outcomes and emerging opportunities to senior leadership at CRDCN, ensuring insights from in-person engagements inform strategic planning and project implementation.

The following assets are highly desirable:

High level of knowledge about the academic research ecosystem and the culture of academic institutions.
Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and representational skills
Exemplary analytical, problem-solving, organizational and change management skills.
Effective and experienced in liaising with academic, government, non-profit and industry stakeholders.
Skilled in managing and mitigating risks related to operational and collaborative activities.
Excellent sense of discretion and diplomacy; collaborative disposition.
Leadership style that is inclusive and respectful.
The ability to participate in meetings and events in French (in addition to English) is an asset.
Strong understanding of data governance, and cybersecurity is an asset
Familiar with compliance standards relevant to data security is an asset

Requirements:

Master’s Degree in a discipline in the social or health sciences, ideally with experience in quantitative methods, PhD is preferred

How to apply:

To apply, please use the following link and search Job ID 75746: Policy and Data Development Lead – SSCAN Data Space

If you have any questions, please email info@crdcn.ca.