Executive Director

The Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA) is the national standards and certification organization assuring seed crop varietal integrity for the seed certification system in Canada. Located in Ottawa, the CSGA represents the interests of more than 3,500 members in nine provinces and seven regional Branches and annually certifies seed crops of more than 2,200 different varieties of more than 40 different crop kinds on 1.3 million acres. Since 1904, this innovative, science-based organization has managed the varietal certification of seed crops that produce the pedigreed seed for commercial crop production while also ensuring a reliable supply of high-quality seed with assured genetic identity for both Canadian and export markets. At this important juncture, the   CGSA is seeking their next Executive Director (ED) to be the driving force behind the organization and bring a unified voice in the seed sector in order to continue to deliver tangible results to its membership.

Reporting to the CSGA Board of Directors, the ED will provide leadership for the organization (15 staff, $3 million budget) and maintain its leadership position in the development and modernization of industry relations and seed regulatory framework. He or she will focus on ensuring effective communication and relationships with “grower” members, provincial branch associations and other affiliated seed synergy associations, and ensuring the association has an effective cross-sectoral approach to addressing public trust and other issues.  With a broad perspective and vision for the sector, the new ED will effectively manage member relations, and will provide thoughtful leadership in the navigation of CSGA’s stakeholder community, building effective working relationships with media, industry stakeholders, regulatory authorities, government and the public. He or she will bring a fresh perspective to building internal capacity, while ensuring the organization is structurally aligned to meet its goals and address the evolving agricultural landscape.

As the ideal candidate, you bring a successful track record of business management related to agriculture, food processing, and/or associations and have an appreciation, and understanding of national agriculture, seed issues, agri-science developments and trends.  You understand how to navigate the political and regulatory arenas and bring both strategic and operational leadership with an ability to anticipate and respond to cross-sectoral issues.  You are an active listener and build strong relationships while taking a proactive approach to media, public and government engagement. Thoughtful, agile, analytical, collaborative, and solutions-oriented, you have a track record of leveraging limited resources to maximize results, and continually driving organizational development. Bilingualism would be an asset.