Executive Director, International Relations Branch

Guided by the Saskatchewan Growth Plan, the Ministry of Trade and Export Development advances a strong and sustainable economy to build a better quality of life for Saskatchewan people. The Ministry leads international engagement and coordinates a cross-government approach to grow trade and investment, diversify international markets, increase Indigenous participation, and add value to the economy.

The Opportunity

The Ministry of Trade and Export Development is seeking a results-oriented, collaborative Executive Director to provide strategic leadership and direction to the Saskatchewan International Relations Branch.

Based in Regina, the Executive Director, International Relations will leverage their leadership skills, passion, and technical expertise with a Ministry that holds deep-rooted values of respect and integrity, serving citizens, excellence and innovation, and acting as one team.

Working collaboratively with key stakeholders, the Executive Director will manage the international office footprint for the Government of Saskatchewan to ensure provincial interests are being effectively represented abroad and are aligned with Saskatchewan's Growth Plan.

The Job

Reporting to the Assistant Deputy Minister of International Engagement, the Executive Director of International Relations will:

• Advance Saskatchewan's priorities in international trade and investment opportunities to open new markets and reduce barriers to trade.
• Lead the development of strategic plans to ensure sector-specific and regionally specific operational plans are aligned with broader government and ministry priorities.
• Demonstrate experience with provincial government decision-making processes, including policy development and legislative and regulatory processes.
• Strategically build and implement sound policy, efficient programs and effective regulatory frameworks, to make decisions on administrative and operational matters, through provincial policy, regulation and programs.
• Use various methods for building knowledge, including research, data analysis, synthesizing information, and quantitative statistical analysis.
• Lead a high-performing, values-based team with a clear plan to deliver on strategic outcomes.
• Negotiate and manage domestic and international contracts and service agreements with critical partners in support of Saskatchewan’s economic interests.
• Engage stakeholders in the development and delivery of strategic programs and services designed to support beneficial economic outcomes.
• Establish and maintain strong partnerships, sharing responsibility for planning and implementation of cross-ministry initiatives to advance the strategic priorities of the Ministry of Trade and Export Development.

This opportunity is for experienced executives with an exceptional history of achieving results in collaborative environments, ideally within the field of international business development.

Our Ideal Candidate:

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following:

• Leadership that promotes inclusion, engagement and fosters an innovative, collaborative environment.
• Well established consensus-building skills, strong leadership and team-building skills, with an ability to mentor and develop employees with a high degree of accountability.
• Proven capability to identify and deliver key strategic insights, and deliver effective programs and services while demonstrating sound professional judgement.
• A commitment to exceptional client service, ensuring coordination between partners to support strategic objectives.
• In-depth knowledge of government processes, in particular, multi-lateral and bilateral government relations.
• Ability to lead strategic initiatives, manage change and achieve positive results with an emphasis on performance reporting with a high-degree of knowledge of business planning, accountability processes and risk management.
• Proven ability to drive operational excellence with a strong emphasis on performance management, ensuring outcomes are delivered on time and on budget with clearly defined results.
• Exceptional ability to communicate effectively and collaborate strategically with a wide variety of stakeholders, balancing the needs and interests of diverse groups of partners.

Typically, the knowledge and experience required to achieve the above is obtained through:

• A master's degree in international relations, public policy, political science, sociology, business administration, or a related field.
• Significant executive leadership experience, fostering team engagement, collaboration, innovation, and inclusion.
• Relevant certifications such as project management, coaching, change management, public policy design, and/or executive leadership are considered an asset.

Work Hours and Travel Requirements:

The Executive Director will be regularly required to work outside traditional working hours in order to most effectively lead the international office network. As occasional international travel may also be a required the incumbent must possess a valid Canadian passport and class 5 license.

What we Offer:

• Dynamic, challenging work for talented individuals.
• A competitive salary.
• Comprehensive benefits package including pension.
• Vacation, scheduled days off (SDO) and other types of leave.
• Inclusive work environments.
• Advancement opportunities.

The successful candidate will demonstrate the Saskatchewan Public Service core values of respect and integrity; serving citizens, practicing excellence and innovation; and acting as One Team, including participating in, and contributing to an inclusive workplace culture.

We are committed to workplace diversity.