City : Hamilton

Category : Other

Industry : Education

Employer : McMaster University

Department Description

Global Nexus is a health innovation accelerator within the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University. Its mission is to amplify and accelerate real world impact of new health innovations via a partnership focused approach that brings together stakeholders from across sectors: academia, industry, government, public health, and communities. Global Nexus is also host to the Canadian Pandemic Preparedness Hub (CP2H), a national network funded through the Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy, whose mandate is to enhance Canada’s domestic capacity to respond to future health emergencies through academic-industry collaborations.

Job Summary

The Manager of Operations leads the operational management of Global Nexus including supporting the visioning, strategic planning, external partnerships, and is a resource to faculty and faculty wide initiatives. Additionally, the manager plays a key role in the planning and design of new infrastructure to support Global Nexus. The Manager of Operations will drive the growth and expansion of initiatives through the negotiation, collaboration, and relationship building with stakeholders across multiple sectors.

The Manager sets up the operational framework conditions so that innovation is encouraged and can take place successfully. The Manager is responsible for the strategic implementation and business planning of Global Nexus initiatives and management. Specifically, this involves an analysis of the opportunities, risks, strengths, and weaknesses as well as the development of important initiatives of the future and the purpose and vision of what Global Nexus aspires to achieve.
The Manager will contribute to the development of philanthropic gifts in collaboration with the Director of Development to further enhance the objectives of Global Nexus. As such, the Manager is expected to be innovative and to be continuously seeking efficient and effective ways of operating all aspects of Global Nexus.
The Manager will report to the Executive Director and will ensure the efficient operation of Global Nexus and enable sound decision making. This position will also be the designate of the Executive Director in his/her absence.

Accountabilities

Strategic and Operational leadership

• Reporting to the Executive Director supports strategic business planning and decision-making around all Global Nexus programming, resources, management, and administration.
• Leads all global business operations for Global Nexus, this includes developing comprehensive business and project plans and overseeing strategic planning and execution for short- and long-term success of Global Nexus, building and maintaining relationships with external and internal networks, partners and collaborators.
• Leads the strategic planning to advance the collaboration, establish partnership agreements, prepare frameworks for operational development and terms of collaboration with international and national partner universities.
• Monitors progress toward desired outcomes. Establish project schedules and budgets, ensure conformance to plans and revise as appropriate to meet changing needs and requirements.
• Enables a coordinated and integrated response to new challenges and opportunities. Seek and identify opportunities and partnerships that are aligned with the goals and mandate of Global Nexus.
• Designs, implements, monitors and evaluates all infrastructure activities of Global Nexus including human resources, finance, research, physical space and teaching activities
• Works as a collaborative member of a dynamic and complex leadership team across the University to advance the strategic priorities of the University and Global Nexus and, looking for opportunities to enhance team function, knowledge exchange, support, and outcomes.
• Advocates for the strategic priorities and needs of Global Nexus programs in committees and working groups at the University.
• Develop, maintain, and support collaborations that advance the mission of Global Nexus within McMaster University
• Provide a receptive and supportive environment for innovative research and educational initiatives, to optimize success, including oversight of start-up funding, participation in governance committees, assignment of appropriate staff and resources, and support of applications to additional funding sources as appropriate.
•  Serve as a key resource of strategic insight and data to support decision making.

Financial Management

• Develops business plans that encompass all the Global Nexus programming and at the request of the President’s office for outreach to government, donors and stakeholders.
• Support the Executive Director in developing funding requests that align with the strategic priorities of Education in FHS and McMaster as appropriate. Manges submissions for funding requests to university, government, and other entities.
• Works with the Manager of Administration and Finance to ensure fiscal responsibility for of the operating budget of Global Nexus.
• With the Manager of Administration and Finance develops, reports, monitors, and manages multiple budgets according to multiple institutional policies, procedures and funding requirements/gift agreement.
• With the Manager of Administration and Finance collaborates ensures that financial and information systems are well managed to meet strategic and operational needs of Global Nexus; examines, assesses and forecasts long term and immediate human resources needs; recommends reallocation of resources within the Initiative.
• Monitors and maintain contractual obligations with stakeholders and partners

Contracts and Agreements

• Negotiates agreements and contracts for to ensure alignment with University policies and procedures.
• Cultivates and develops partnerships with international and national stakeholders such as external industry, academic and community partnerships including training partnerships with academic institutions across the globe, public health agencies, public health Ontario and various other agencies.
• Manages the relationships with external partners in the strategic development and negotiations of contracts and agreements including complex funding agreements.
• Develops Memorandum of Understanding and inter-institutional agreements for use of resources, laboratories, and learning space
• In collaboration with MILO negotiates contract and agreement terms with industry, academia, government and collaborating partners to ensure compliance with University policies.
• Connects and engages with partners across the globe to facilitate connections with Global Nexus and the University to leading experts, institutions and organizations

Government, Stakeholder and Donor Relations
Partner with the Executive Director to understand and coordinate efforts regarding strategic initiatives, internal and external partnerships.

External Relations

• Independently and/or alongside the Executive Director, represents McMaster, and Global Nexus in discussions and negotiations with external groups.
• Supports the advancement strategy for Global Nexus.
• Work with the Executive Director on Identification of potential donors in addition to leading strategic proposal development,
• Engages in government, donor or other stakeholder relations to enable progress on strategic initiatives and to report on this progress.
• Negotiates/creates and maintains memoranda of understanding and/or contracts to formalize key partnerships. Monitor and maintain contractual obligations.
• Seeks opportunities for fundraising through external partners, including potential donors or investors, in partnership with University Advancement.
• Leads the planning events or meetings of strategic importance to Global Nexus for internal or external audiences.
• Assess new partners and innovative centres having an interest in collaborating with Global Nexus for suitability and expansion

Internal Relations

• Supports the Executive Director through sharing information, participating in strategic discussions, and planning and participating in reporting to Governing Boards
• Facilitates the development internal partnerships, capacity building and education/training while recognizing and acknowledging the diverse strengths, needs, and complexities that exists in various parts of the University.
• Serve as a direct link between Global Nexus and internal stakeholders and partners, including University Advancement, Public Affairs and Communications, Office of the VP Research, Government Relations, among others.

Project Management

• Manages the Canadian Pandemic Preparedness Hub (CP2H) in collaboration with colleagues at UOttawa and OHRI Managed special projects and actively manage the operations and all initiatives of Global Nexus which includes McMaster University and partners across Canada and internationally to ensure milestones and targets are met (aligned with gift agreements etc.)
• Monitors all publications, articles and reports generated from projects, ensuring proper acknowledgement
• Acquires, analyzes and reports the data necessary for the purposes of budgeting, and assessment of project activities
• Reports on performance and annual reports demonstrating our progress with our initiatives (to the executive director, dean, senior leaders, philanthropists)

Physical Resource Management

• The Manager plays a key role in physical resource including planning of new space that is anticipated to house a new GMP-compliant biomanufacturing laboratory, containment level 3 laboratory, and vivarium. Supports the development of the feasibility study and architectural plans with hired consulting firm. Supports development of business plans
• Supports managers and directors of key research platforms in securing business and developing partnerships with external clients and McMaster-based spinouts.

Human Resource Management

• Develops recruitment and staff/faculty management strategies with the Executive Director
• Manages human resources planning and development within Global Nexus; ensures compliance with Human Resources policies and procedures including compliance with collective agreements.
• Ensures that human resources are well managed to meet strategic and operational needs of the Initiative; examines, assesses and forecasts long term and immediate resources needs.
• Develops and implements recruitment, retention and succession planning strategies for staff, faculty, advisors and consultants
• Manages training and development programs for staff
• Manages performance standards for staff
• Mediates conflict among staff, between faculty and between staff and faculty