Director, Office of Academic Research

Research with purpose starts here. At SAIT, the Office of Academic Research Services empowers our community to grow research capacity, foster partnerships and turn ideas into real-world impact—elevating teaching, learning and the student experience. Join a collaborative team advancing academic and applied research that shapes the future for our learners and industry.

The Opportunity

Job classification: M1105 - Director

Salary range: $150,000 - $175,000. Placement within the range is typically based upon a review of skills, experience, and internal equity.

Hours per week: 37.5

Paid leave: 4 Weeks Vacation / 14 Flex Days per year

Deadline to apply: 4:00PM, Monday June 22nd 2026

Are you ready to empower academic excellence and shape the future of post-secondary education? SAIT is seeking a Director, Office of Academic Research to provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for SAIT’s academic research enterprise. In this role, you'll establish, grow, and sustain the institutional capacity for academic research, scholarship, and research compliance, while enabling faculty and academic units to pursue high-quality, ethical, and impactful research. The Director is accountable for institutional performance in academic research capacity, compliance and readiness, including risk mitigation and reputational stewardship.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President, Academic, the Director leads the Office of Academic Research Services (OARS), which provides services and supports across the academic research lifecycle, including research development, ethics and governance, compliance, research integrity, and faculty development related to scholarship and research. OARS has a dual mandate for academic research development, faculty scholarship and research capacity building and institutional research stewardship, including ethics, integrity, research data management, compliance, governance and reporting. With this dual mandate, the director will work closely with the Vice President Academic, Teaching & Learning Commons (TLC), Applied Research & Innovation Services (ARIS), academic schools, and central service units, to ensure alignment between institutional strategy, academic priorities, and external funding and regulatory requirements.

The role plays a key leadership function in advancing a research-informed academic culture at SAIT and strengthening the institution’s reputation, readiness, and accountability in academic research. The Director is a key member of the Unified Research Council, SAIT’s institution-wide coordinating body for research activity, and contributes strategic leadership, policy insight, and institutional perspective to support alignment and decision-making across the research enterprise.

How you'll contribute

Strategic Leadership & Office Development: Shape the vision, service model, governance, and growth of OARS while aligning initiatives with institutional academic and research priorities. Lead the design and evolution of OARS including building capacity, establishing standards and performance measures, and overseeing institutional structure, staffing and management

Academic Research Services & Faculty Enablement: Lead and advance academic research support by delivering advisory services, provide access to internal and external funding programs, and the development of initiatives that enable faculty participation and equitable access. Collaborate and strengthen partnerships, and grow research capacity and funding opportunities

Research Ethics, Governance, Research Policy & Compliance Oversight: Senior leadership and oversight of research ethics, integrity, and governance, ensuring compliance with Tri-Agency, TCPS2, and institutional requirements while coordinating across ethics, data governance, and compliance. Serve as a key advisor to the Vice-President, Academic and contribute to SAIT-wide research priorities

Institutional Collaboration, Stakeholder Engagement, & External Engagement: Lead the development and implementation of SAIT's academic research framework, advancing research priorities and alignment with program quality while fostering strong partnerships with government, industry and funding bodies

Operational Management & Continuous Improvement: Guide strategic resource planning and budget oversight for academic research, while driving continuous improvement of research policies, systems, and service delivery

What you bring

Doctorate or equivalent combination of advanced scholarly, research, or professional experience is required

5-7 years of progressive experience in academic research, research administration, higher-education leadership, or related field

2-5 years of demonstrated experience providing strategic leadership in a post-secondary environment, including leading cross-functional or institution-wide initiatives

Minimum 3-5 years in a senior leadership role

An equivalent combination of experience and education may be considered

Capabilities

Strong strategic and systems thinking with the ability to translate institutional priorities into actionable plans

Deep understanding of academic research culture, faculty roles, and post-secondary governance

Demonstrated ability to balance academic freedom with compliance, risk management, and institutional accountability

Excellent communication and relationship management skills, including the ability to advise senior and executive leadership

Proven ability to influence, negotiate, and lead change across complex organizational environments

High level of judgment, professionalism, and integrity

We sincerely thank all applicants for their interest in this opportunity. We understand how important communication is, and we are committed to following up with every candidate. Please know that each application is thoughtfully reviewed, and you will hear from us either way.

Together, we build bold futures

At SAIT, we equip you with the resources you need to shape bold futures for yourself and our communities. We offer a comprehensive package including:

Defined Benefit pension through LAPP to help you retire with confidence

Generous time off to pursue other passions and support your wellbeing

SAIT paid premiums for medical, dental, and vision benefits so you, and your family, are well supported

Access to a Health Spending or Taxable Spending Account

Benefits supporting mental health and access to Greenshield + for virtual therapy at a reduced rate

Professional development opportunities through our Free Seat Program, tuition support, access to LinkedIn Learning and discounted Continuing Education & Professional Studies courses

Excellent dining options on campus

Free access to our fitness facilities and group fitness classes

And the perks keep on coming!

About SAIT

At SAIT, we’re building bold futures. We’re a community of tenacious problem-solvers, inventive thinkers, and passionate collaborators who believe in doing work that matters.

Named one of Alberta’s Top Employers, we’re driven by a desire to create an impact in our community. If you’re looking for a place where purpose meets possibility, you’ve found it here.

We’re committed to community and belonging

Community and belonging is essential to achieving SAIT's vision to be a global leader in applied education. We encourage applications from women, Indigenous people, racialized people, people with disabilities, people from gender and sexually diverse communities, and/or people with intersectional identities. Learn more about Community and Belonging at SAIT.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.