Vice President, Area X.O

VICE PRESIDENT AREA X.O

INVEST OTTAWA - AREA X.O

Area X.O founded and operated by Invest Ottawa is Canadas premier R&D complex for emerging technologies and NATO DIANA Test Centre where visionary entrepreneurs innovators and leaders come together to shape the future. From dual-use technologies and solutions for defence and cybersecurity to smart mobility autonomy connectivity smart cities robotics agri-tech and drones Area X.O accelerates the development testing commercialization and adoption of next-generation solutions helping founders companies and their collaborators get to market safely faster. It is as a beacon of innovation multi-purpose technologies and cross-sector collaboration.

Set in the heart of our global tech hub Area X.O plays a central role in advancing the economic growth sustainability and global competitiveness of Canadas Capital region. Together with Ottawas thriving tech ecosystem this team is dedicated to advancing the market customer and investor readiness of the entrepreneurs and firms it serves helping to accelerate their growth success and economic impact. By unleashing the potential of emerging and advanced technologies Area X.O helps to enhance lives; create new opportunity jobs investment and economic growth; and strengthen community safety and prosperity.It is within this dynamic context that Invest Ottawa is seeking a forward-thinking entrepreneurial and tech-savvy Vice President Area X.O (Vice President) to drive the next phase of strategic growth innovation and impact.

Reporting to the President and CEO of Invest Ottawa the Vice President will lead the continued expansion of Area X.O overseeing all facets of operations performance growth and sustainability while scaling the organization to its next phase of growth.

This Vice President will bring a minimum of 10 years of executive leadership an entrepreneurial mindset and proven ability to scale complex innovation-driven enterprise. Building on Area strong foundation and momentum and working closely with a committed team fellow Invest Ottawa programs and collaborators this leader will ensure operational excellence security sustainability and measurable impact while strengthening its national and global reputation and opportunity as a hub for next-generation technologies that power Canadas prosperity and security.

This includes:

• Leading and overseeing the development and implementation of the long-term plan and technology roadmap of Area X.O with its high-performing team defining annual targets for client impact market expansion technology adoption sector engagement and economic outcomes
• Managing and operating all facets of Area X.O including personnel physical assets and budget with responsibility for achieving year-over-year growth in financial performance client satisfaction and organizational sustainability.
• Leading and collaborating with a talented team of engineering business development and operations professionals and sets clear priorities and KPIs including measurable outcomes for professional development project delivery and client impact; models leadership and provides coaching and support consistent with Invest Ottawas values.

The Vice President will play a pivotal role in evolving Area capabilities across defence security public safety future mobility clean technology smart agriculture and next-generation communications. A track record of technology leadership within an innovation-based organization and a strong grasp of technologies such as IoT 5G autonomous and electric systems and connected infrastructure will be key to driving innovation and market adoption.

The ideal candidate will excel at scaling an innovation-based organization systematically and impactfully and building strategic partnerships with industry government and academia to deliver measurable results. The successful candidate will be equally adept at visionary leadership business growth and operational excellence someone who can balance strategic growth with day-to-day execution risk mitigation and management and stakeholder engagement.

As an ideal candidate you bring:

• A minimum of 10 years of executive leadership experience
• Proven experience scaling or growing an innovation-based organization with impact
• Demonstrated leadership in advanced technology environments such as innovation hubs testbeds or applied R&D facilities.
• A track record in managing market opportunities technical operations budgets diverse stakeholders across industry government academia and the investment community and multidisciplinary teams in complex client-centric settings.
• Proven ability to bridge technology and business translating complex engineering and R&D capabilities into scalable products partnerships and market impact
• Strategic insight into and experience with emerging technologies (connectivity autonomy IoT 5G autonomous and electric vehicles connected infrastructure).
• Masters degree preferred in Business Engineering or Operations Management

This is a rare opportunity to lead one of Canadas most dynamic technology hubs where innovation meets real-world impact. The Vice President Area X.O will help innovators entrepreneurs and their collaborators grow and succeed and shape the future of technology development commercialization and adoption for Canadas Capital region.

Required Experience:

Senior Exec