Executive Director, Tourism Development

Location: Vancouver or Ottawa (Hybrid) | Rest of Canada (Remote)

Department: Destination Development

Employment Type: Full Time / Hybrid or Remote (based on location) / Indeterminate

Language Designation: English/French Bilingual - CBC (Read/Write/Speak)

Posting Close Date: January 26, 2025

About Destination Canada

Tourism is the heartbeat of communities from coast to coast to coast. At Destination Canada, our aspiration for the tourism industry is to generate wealth and wellbeing for all of Canada and enrich the lives of our guests. Our mission is to influence supply and build demand for the benefit of locals, communities and visitors through leading research, alignment with public and private sectors, and marketing Canada nationally and abroad. We seek diverse, ingenious thinkers teeming with intellectual curiosity and a deep desire to grow Canada’s tourism industry – strengthening the socio-cultural, environmental and economic vitality tourism brings to Canada.

About the role:

Destination Canada is seeking an enterprising Executive Director, Tourism Development to spearhead initiatives that strengthen Canada's tourism supply, foster strategic partnerships across the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors, and promote tourism as a priority sector for federal government. Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Investment and Destination Development, this critical role is at the intersection of innovation, collaboration, and strategic influence, with a sharp focus on advancing economic tourism development nationwide.

A natural thought leader and system thinker, you’ll challenge conventional approaches, advance national conversations on tourism regeneration, integrate insights from research and emerging trends into impactful programs, and provide the tools, resources, and frameworks to empower stakeholders across Canada.

If you excel at delivering large-scale initiatives, thrive in complex environments, and are driven to create lasting impact for communities and the economy, this role is for you.

Key accountabilities

• Strategic Leadership: Lead the creation and execution of long-term strategies and programs that drive sustainable and inclusive destination development. Develop initiatives that support the regeneration of Canada’s tourism infrastructure and align with the broader objectives of Destination Canada.
• Partnership Development: Cultivate and maintain high-impact partnerships across public and private industry stakeholders, and non-profit organizations to accelerate a robust and resilient tourism supply chain.
• Economic Development Initiatives: Drive initiatives that directly contribute to economic growth in the tourism sector, prioritizing projects and programs that deliver measurable returns for Canadian communities, businesses, and the national economy.
• Thought Leadership: As an entrepreneurial leader, challenge conventional thinking within the organization and industry by redefining success metrics and integrating innovative approaches to destination development. Represent Destination Canada at critical forums, advancing conversations on expediting tourism development.
• Research and Insights Integration: Synthesize complex research and emerging trends into actionable insights. Use compelling storytelling and strategic communications to engage stakeholders and influence decision-making.
• Knowledge Sharing: Establish and lead platforms for nationwide knowledge exchange, ensuring stakeholders have access to resources, best practices, and frameworks that enhance destination development efforts across Canada.
• Internal Relationship and Change Management: Represent destination development at various internal tables and contribute to them effectively, bringing back essential material that impact the work of the Destination Development team.

What you need

• Graduation from a recognized university with a Master’s degree or an acceptable combination of education, training and experience.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in relevant fields such as economic development, social innovation, public policy, infrastructure development, community building, etc.
• Experience developing strategy and policy to set and deliver objectives with a medium to long timeframe (10-15 years).
• Demonstrated success driving large-scale programs that support economic growth and sustainable community development.
• Strategic Visionary: Proven ability to lead transformative strategies and influence high-level decision-making within complex organizational structures.
• Partnership Expert: Ability to cultivate impactful relationships across diverse sectors.
• Tourism knowledge: Ability to develop a deep understanding of the interplay between high-impact programs that catalyze tourism supply and investment attraction.
• Effective Communicator: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to translate complex information into clear, compelling narratives for diverse audiences.
• Innovative Thinker: Adept at integrating research, trends, and emerging opportunities to shape new approaches and create lasting impact.

It would be great if you also had

• Experience working in economic development
• Experience developing public private partnerships
• Knowledge of principles related to inclusive growth, capacity building, economic resilience planning, and regenerative development
• French language proficiency

Compensation

Salary range: $127,200 - $165,360

Within the range, the base pay offered is determined by multiple factors, including job-related skills and relevant education/experience. Please note starting salaries for new hires typically fall between the minimum and mid-point of the range, to support internal equity and allow room for progression as employees grow and excel in their roles. The range above reflects base pay only and does not include the competitive at-risk pay program and benefits that we offer!

Other components of our total rewards offerings include:

• Extended health and dental benefits
• Minimum 3 weeks of accrued vacation plus other paid time off
• Employee assistance program
• Defined contribution pension plan
• Generous parenthood top-up
• Flexible working options like compressed workweek and hybrid model
• Support towards your professional growth with learning and development opportunities, mentorship and more.

Things you should know:

• If the successful candidate is based out of Vancouver or Ottawa, this role will follow a hybrid work arrangement, where work is performed onsite at least 3 days per week (please note this work arrangement is subject to change). If based elsewhere in Canada, this role will be fully remote.
• This role requires travel approximately 4-6x per year.
• While this role will be an influential national and organizational leader, it does not include direct reports upon hire.

At Destination Canada, we believe that Canada's diversity is its greatest asset and is what touches travellers' hearts most deeply. To that end, we are committed to inclusive leadership within our workplace, workforce, and interactions with partners and travellers alike. Destination Canada is an equal opportunity employer committed to reflecting Canada's diversity through fair and accessible hiring and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. If you require accommodations at any point in the recruitment process, please reach out to accessibility@destinationcanada.com.

We know that applying for a new job can be both exciting and intimidating, and we sincerely appreciate your interest and effort. Only those applicants under consideration will be contacted.

Privacy Policy Acknowledgement

Personal information collected in relation to your application is collected pursuant to the Canadian Tourism Commission Act and under the Privacy Act. It will be used to evaluate your application and maintain an inventory of candidates for work opportunities and staffing pursuant to Destination Canada’s personal information banks PSU 911 and PSE 902. Information will be retained for a minimum of 2 years.

By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree to our Privacy Policy.