Manager Research Program MAP Primary Care Policy

Job summary

Oversee the OurCare initiative and related primary care policy work, including partnerships, strategic planning, communications, grant development, research quality and compliance, budgets, and team operations. Work closely with the Principal Investigator while representing the program independently and advancing its long-term sustainability and impact.

Job details

About the program: OurCare is a national initiative that has engaged more than 10,000 patients and members of the public in a conversation about the future of primary care in Canada. Public engagements in 2022–23 spanned a national survey, deliberative reference panels, and community roundtables, and culminated in a 2024 report that introduced the OurCare Standard — a shared articulation of what people want from primary care that informed Ontario’s Primary Care Act. A 2025 follow-up survey measured how the experience of people in Canada compares with the OurCare Standard. OurCare is linked to the Primary Focus podcast and continues to grow, with new proposals in development to advance primary care policy and practice in line with the OurCare standard. OurCare’s success is due in part to productive collaborations with a large range of interest holders across Canada including clinicians, health system leaders, researchers, policy-makers and members of the public. The Research Program Manager will oversee not only OurCare but the broader program of work led by Dr. Tara Kiran to advance primary care policy and practice — including grant-funded research, public engagement, knowledge translation, and policy advocacy. Dr. Kiran is a family physician and MAP Scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto and the Fidani Chair of Improvement and Innovation at the University of Toronto. Throughout her work, she is motivated by a deep commitment to improving access to high-quality, equitable, and patient-centred care. This is a senior, highly autonomous role for someone who can move fluidly between big-picture strategy and hands-on execution. The Research Program Manager’s primary responsibility is to develop, improve, and sustain the operational and strategic effectiveness of the program: building and stewarding relationships with OurCare’s large national network of interest holders, helping chart OurCare’s transition to a financially sustainable initiative with lasting impact, supporting communications and grant-writing, and overseeing the program’s finances and team. They will work in very close partnership with the Principal Investigator and will need excellent judgment to represent the program independently with external partners. We are looking for someone who is genuinely creative and comfortable trying new ways of working, while also bringing a solid grounding in quantitative and qualitative research methods — enough to provide oversight and ensure the program’s work remains rigorous even as it moves quickly and experiments with new approaches. The successful candidate will report directly to Dr. Tara Kiran; they will have the flexibility to work remotely provided they can attend on-site meetings as needed. Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that people in underrepresented communities are less likely to apply to jobs when they don’t meet every single qualification. We are dedicated to building an inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly, we still welcome you to apply. Duties & Responsibilities Due to the evolving nature of the program, this list is to be used as a guide only; percentages are approximate. External Interest-Holder Relationships & Partnerships (25% of work time) Serves as a key relationship manager for the program's large national network of collaborators, including civil servants, clinicians, researchers, health system leaders, and patient and public partners. Builds and nurtures new partnerships and strategic alliances with outside organizations (health system, government, philanthropic, and community) to advance the program's reach and impact. Acts as a point of contact for external interest holders, and represents the Principal Investigator in meetings or negotiations when she is not available. Leads or supports the negotiation and management of contracts and agreements with partners and vendors, including reviewing legal documents such as data sharing agreements, collaboration agreements, and service provider contracts, in conjunction with the Office of Research Administration. Recruits and manages patient and public partners on the team, ensuring meaningful and well-supported engagement. Plans and leads convenings (roundtables, national meetings, advisory committees) including inviting and coordinating guest participants. Liaises with funders, regulators, and other institutional stakeholders (e.g., Office of Research Administration, Finance, Legal, Communications). Identifies and cultivates relationships with new potential funders and institutional partners. Strategic Leadership & Sustainability (15% of work time) Works closely with the Principal Investigator to develop and execute the program's strategic plan, including the transition of OurCare toward a financially sustainable model with sustained impact (e.g., diversified funding, potential new organizational structures, earned revenue). Helps translate strategic priorities into concrete workplans, timelines, staffing, and resource needs across OurCare and related primary care policy projects. Contributes ideas and options for new ways of working, testing, and scaling program activities; brings a creative, entrepreneurial mindset to problem-solving. Monitors the policy and funding landscape (government priorities, health system developments) to anticipate opportunities and risks for the program. Supports business/strategic planning documents, board or advisory materials, and funder-facing strategy pieces as needed. Communications (10% of work time) Working in close collaboration with Dr. Kiran and MAP Communications: Provides strategic guidance and oversight of the program’s communication strategy — media relations, social media, website, and the Primary Focus podcast Supports execution of the media strategy including procurement of communications services as needed Supports and approves the translation of research findings into accessible, plain-language material for public, media, and policy-maker audiences including clear visual summaries Grants & Fundraising (15% of work time) Supports the writing and coordination of grant applications to secure funding for OurCare and related primary care policy projects, including tri-council, foundation, and other funding competitions. Tracks funding opportunities and deadlines and coordinates internal input and sign-off on applications. Supports the preparation of pitch materials and proposals for philanthropic or institutional donors, in support of the program's sustainability goals. Prepares budgets and budget justifications for grant and funding applications. Reports, Knowledge Translation & Research Rigor Oversight (15% of work time) Supports the writing and production of reports for funders, system stakeholders, and general audiences, coordinating input from the research team and external contributors. Provides oversight of the program's quantitative and qualitative research components to help ensure methodological rigor Reviews study data and findings, and supports preparation of both academic outputs (manuscripts, presentations) and non-academic outputs (blogs, briefs, plain-language summaries and visual summaries). Ensures development and maintenance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and quality processes across projects. Oversees research governance and compliance, including REB approvals and amendments, adherence to approved research protocols, and data management practices Chairs or co-chairs research team meetings. Budget & Financial Management (10% of work time) Supports long-term budgeting and financial planning across the program's multiple projects and funding sources. Develops, maintains, and/or authorizes project budgets, payment schedules, and financial reporting. Oversees programmatic and financial reporting to funders (e.g., financial status reports, spending recoveries). Facilitates procurement of services and manages related invoicing. Team Leadership, Hiring & Operations (10% of work time) Supports hiring, onboarding, and day-to-day management of research assistants, coordinators, students, and other program staff, in collaboration with the Principal Investigator. Oversees workload distribution and scheduling across the team, including vacation and coverage planning. Supports performance management and professional development for team members. Develops and fosters a collaborative, encouraging team culture. Oversees personnel-related administrative processes (contracts, status changes, payroll coordination). Performs cross functional and other duties as assigned and/or requested. Responsibilities All staff are expected to carry out their assigned duties and responsibilities in a manner which prioritizes patient and employee safety, and confidentiality. Key accountabilities in this regard include: Strict compliance with patient/employee confidentiality practices and policies. Strict compliance with patient/employee safety practices and standards. Appropriate identification, reporting, and response to confidentiality breaches, and to safety risks and incidents, in accordance with established policies and procedures. Appropriate identification, reporting and response to patient/employee safety risks and incidents/events in accordance with established policies and procedures. Qualifications Masters with 5 years of relevant experience and 2 years in a leadership role, OR a demonstrable equivalent combination of specialized education and experience. Experience negotiating and managing contracts and partnership agreements. Experience supporting or leading the writing of successful grant applications (tri-council and/or foundation funding). Excellent writing skills, with experience producing both academic outputs and lay/plain-language reports and knowledge translation products for varied audiences. Solid grounding in both quantitative and qualitative research methods, sufficient to provide oversight and quality assurance across a mixed-methods research program. Experience with strategic planning and/or organizational sustainability work (e.g., diversifying funding, transitioning a program or initiative to a new organizational model) is a strong asset. Experience supporting communications work — media relations, social media, website content, or podcast/multimedia production — is a strong asset. Experience managing budgets and long-term financial planning for a research program or similar initiative. Experience managing staff, including hiring, delegation, developmental conversations, and performance management. Demonstrated knowledge of the Canadian health care system. Knowledge of the primary care policy landscape is an asset GCP (Good Clinical Practice) certification is an asset (or completed within first 2 weeks of hire). TCPS 2 is preferred (completed within first 2 weeks of hire). Project Management certification is an asset. EDI training is an asset. Familiarity with research budgeting and contract negotiation. Familiarity with research ethics/REB processes. Proficient with MS Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.) and Google software; familiarity with project management tools (e.g., Smartsheet, Notion, Microsoft Project) an asset. Familiarity with statistics/qualitative analysis software (e.g., SAS, Stata, SPSS, R, NVivo) an asset. Ability to communicate in French is an asset. Advanced communication (verbal/written) and superb interpersonal skills, with the ability to adapt communication style to diverse stakeholder groups. Exceptional relationship-building and stakeholder engagement skills, with demonstrated experience across a wide range of interest holders — government/civil servants, clinicians, researchers, health system leaders, and patients and the public. Strong strategic thinking and ability to translate strategy into an executable plan. Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously. Ability to work independently and exercise sound, autonomous judgment. Creativity and comfort with ambiguity and new ways of working. Attention to detail and commitment to rigor. Professionalism, self-motivation, and dependability. Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion principles. Unity Health Toronto is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We strive to provide a recruitment process that is barrier-free and in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code. We understand that you may require an accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process. When you are contacted, please inform the Talent Acquisition Specialist and we will work with you to meet your accommodation needs. We want to emphasize that all accommodation requests are handled with the utmost confidentiality, respecting your privacy and dignity.

What you’ll do

Oversee the OurCare initiative and related primary care policy work, including partnerships, strategic planning, communications, grant development, research quality and compliance, budgets, and team operations. Work closely with the Principal Investigator while representing the program independently and advancing its long-term sustainability and impact.

Requirements

Requires a master’s degree with at least five years of relevant experience and two years in a leadership role, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Candidates should bring experience in partnerships and contracts, grant writing, mixed-methods research oversight, budgeting, staff management, and Canadian health care, along with strong communication, strategic, and organizational skills.

Listed skills

• Contract Negotiation · Preferred
• Financial planning · Preferred
• Team Leadership · Preferred
• Project management · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Stakeholder Relationship Management
• Strategic Planning
• Partnership Development
• Contract Negotiation
• Grant Writing
• Research Methods
• Knowledge Translation
• Communications Strategy
• Budget Management
• Financial Planning
• Team Leadership
• Project Management
• Research Ethics and Compliance
• Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis
• Health Policy
• Plain-Language Writing

Job areas

• Management & Leadership
• Healthcare
• Science & Research
• Government & Public Sector
• Finance & Accounting

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