Director, Governance and Controls

Are you looking for a leadership role where you can shape how an organization operates, manages risk, and achieves excellence? Can you see yourself driving enterprise-wide governance, performance, and continuous improvement initiatives that support safe, secure, and efficient operations? If you answered yes, this may be the job for you. Apply today! Our Chalk River location is looking for a Director, Governance and Controls to provide strategic leadership for CNL's management system, governance frameworks, safeguards management, nuclear material accountability, human performance, and organizational effectiveness programs.

What you will be doing!

• Leadership and Strategic Direction
  • Developing and implementing the strategic vision, objectives and performance expectations for the Governance and Controls organization.
  • Establishing long-term plans supporting corporate objectives and operational priorities.
  • Providing leadership for enterprise-wide Governance and Controls initiatives.
  • Promoting a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and operational discipline.
  • Aligning departmental objectives with corporate strategic priorities.
  • Ensuring programs and initiatives support CNL contractual commitments and business objectives.
  • Advising executives on organizational performance risks, opportunities and strategic considerations.
  • Championing safety, security, quality and environmental stewardship principles throughout the organization.
• Management Systems and Compliance
  • Providing executive oversight of Management System and Nuclear Materials & Safeguard Management Functional Support Areas (FSA).
  • Establishing governance frameworks that support corporate accountability and compliance objectives.
  • Ensuring CNL’s management system remains compliant with CNSC licence requirements, AECL contractual obligations, CSA standards and corporate policies.
  • Directing development, implementation and maintenance of corporate governance processes.
  • Monitoring management system effectiveness and identifying opportunities for improvement.
  • Leading evaluations of governance performance and compliance effectiveness.
  • Overseeing corporate procedure development standards and governance requirements.
  • Supporting regulatory inspections, audits and assessments.
  • Directing corrective action programs related to governance and management system deficiencies.
  • Ensuring management system documentation remains current and aligned with operational requirements.
  • Acting as a senior authority for governance-related decisions and compliance matters.
• Operational Integration and Resource Management
  • Ensuring the integration of Management System and Nuclear Materials and Safeguards activities across multiple sites and organizations.
  • Overseeing departmental budgets, forecasts and financial performance.
  • Directing workforce planning and resource allocation activities.
  • Supporting development of annual business plans and performance objectives.
  • Ensuring contractual commitments and deliverables are achieved.
  • Monitoring program performance against established plans.
• Performance Improvement and Stakeholder Engagement
  • Providing organizational performance updates to governance committees.
  • Supporting executive decision-making through analysis and recommendations.
  • Interfacing with regulators, customers, and oversight organizations.
  • Participating in senior management committees and review boards.
  • Representing CNL during external assessments, inspections and audits.
  • Responding to executive and regulatory information requests.
  • Communicating strategic priorities and organizational expectations.
  • Promoting stakeholder confidence in organizational performance.
• People Leadership and Organizational Capability
  • Leading, coaching and developing professional, technical and managerial staff.
  • Establishing performance objectives and accountability expectations.
  • Conducting performance management and talent development activities.
  • Supporting succession planning and workforce sustainability initiatives.
  • Supporting organizational change management initiatives.
  • Ensuring personnel possess required qualifications and competencies.
• Other duties as assigned by your manager.
  

What we are looking for:

• Education
  • Bachelor's degree in business administration, engineering, science, quality management, organizational effectiveness, public administration, or a related discipline.
  • Master's degree considered an asset.
  • Professional certifications in governance, quality management, auditing, risk management, organizational effectiveness, or change management are considered assets.
• Experience
  • Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in a highly regulated environment with responsibility for governance, management systems, compliance, performance assurance, safeguards, quality, organizational effectiveness, or related functions.
• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
  • Ability to develop and execute strategic plans that align organizational priorities with corporate objectives while providing leadership in governance, management systems, regulatory compliance, and risk management.
  • Ability to drive organizational effectiveness, performance improvement, and continuous improvement initiatives, supported by strong financial and resource management expertise.
  • Exceptional executive communication, presentation, stakeholder engagement, and influencing skills, with the ability to build consensus and foster productive relationships across diverse groups.
  • Skilled in leading organizational change, making sound decisions in complex and highly regulated environments, and applying effective negotiation, facilitation, and conflict resolution techniques to achieve business objectives and resolve competing priorities.
  • Knowledge of Nuclear management system, Quality Assurance, nuclear regulatory environment, Functional Support Areas, safeguards and non-proliferation is an asset.
• Security Clearance Eligibility Required
  • Level 2 Secret requires a minimum of 7 years of verifiable history in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and/or the United Kingdom. CNL implements security screening in accordance with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's “Standard on Security Screening” and the “Policy on Government Security.”
    

Working Conditions:

• Working schedule: Five (5) days per week, seven and a half (7.5) hours per day for a thirty-seven and a half (37.5) hour work week.
• May be required to respond to emergent regulatory, operational, audit, or performance issues outside normal business hours.
• Periodic travel to CNL and external sites is required, along with occasional extended workdays and after-hours availability to support business, operational, and regulatory requirements.
  

Why CNL?

Does the idea of working with a dynamic team across Canada to advance nuclear science and technology for a clean and secure world excite you? At CNL, we’re reinventing ourselves to be industry leaders—pioneering solutions to the problems that matter most.

From building the next generation of clean nuclear and hydrogen energy technologies, to developing targeted cancer treatments, to continuing our global leadership in environmental remediation—we are driven by impact, innovation, and purpose.

What We Offer: A Total Rewards Package

We believe in taking care of our people. Here’s what you can expect as part of our team:

• Paid time off: vacation, sick, personal, and floater days
• Benefits effective Day One – no waiting period
• Tuition support to help you keep learning and growing
• A defined-benefit pension plan or a defined-contribution pension plan, depending on your employee group, to support your long‑term financial security

Do Our Priorities Resonate with You?

• Delivering clean energy for today and tomorrow
• Restoring and protecting the environment
• Contributing to the health of Canadians

If so, you’ll feel right at home at CNL!

Location: Onsite

Located in the heart of the Ottawa Valley, our Chalk River site offers a beautiful natural setting with forests, lakes, and wildlife, right at your doorstep. Surrounded by welcoming communities such as Deep River, Petawawa, and Pembroke, you’ll have access to unparalleled outdoor adventures and a fantastic work-life balance.

Please note: This is a fully on-site position based at our Chalk River Laboratory in Ontario.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

At CNL, we are committed to fostering an environment that promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion. We celebrate and welcome employees, stakeholders, and partners of all backgrounds and identities. Click here to read all about it!

We are proud to uphold a workplace culture grounded in our Core Values:

• Respect
• Teamwork
• Accountability
• Safety
• Integrity
• Excellence

These values drive our employment practices and ensure meaningful career development opportunities and accommodations for all employees.

CNL is an equal opportunity employer. If you require accommodation during any phase of the hiring process, please let us know via [email protected]. All requests will be handled with confidentiality.

CNL operates on sites located on the traditional lands, waterways and ceded and unceded territories of Indigenous peoples. CNL recognizes and affirms all First Nations, Métis communities and Inuit in this land we now know as Canada. We acknowledge, respect and seek to better understand Indigenous history, rights and title on the lands where we work and develop projects. We honour and respect the importance of the relationship between Indigenous peoples and their lands, waters and territories.

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