Careers and opportunities

Are you looking for ways to use your unique skills and education to help make government produce better results that benefit Canadians?

Canada’s Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU) has two different ways you can work with our team and partners across government to start making a difference.

Fellowship

Become a Fellow

The Fellowship recruits new talent and skills into the public service to help advance the Government’s agenda. If you are interested in applying your specialized skills to help advance government priorities and influence a shift in policy and program approaches to help address complex challenges, this opportunity may be for you!

The Impact and Innovation Unit recruits subject matter experts in five areas of expertise:

1. Behavioural Insights (BI) applies the findings of psychology, economics, and other social sciences to the work of government. Practitioners of BI commonly test these insights using rigorous experimental methodologies to understand what works in driving better public policy outcomes for Canadians.
2. Innovative Finance is the strategic blending of public, private, philanthropic, and not-for-profit capital and resources to achieve positive economic, social, and/or environmental outcomes. This includes the use of pay-for-results instruments, where payments are contingent on funding recipients achieving outcomes that can improve the lives of Canadians (e.g. impact bonds, prizes/challenges).
3. Impact measurement can include a range of experimental (randomized controlled trials) and quasi-experimental methods. It the process of using scientific methodology to determine outcomes achieved by a program. It allows for the attribute of changes in social, economic and/or environmental outcomes.
4. Prizes/Challenges refers to an incentive-based approach that rewards the first or best solution to a specific problem, based on a set of pre-determined criteria. The goal is not only to seek out the best ideas and solutions, but also to ensure that these innovative funding models demonstrate that tangible and measureable results can be achieved for Canadians.
5. Data Science is an interdisciplinary field that uses scientific methods, processes, algorithms and systems to extract knowledge and insights from big data sources, in various forms.

Apply to Fellowship

Hire a Fellow

Are you a Government of Canada department or agency who could benefit from subject matter expertise to help advance the Government’s agenda?

The Impact and Innovation Unit recruits subject matter experts in five key areas: Behavioural Insights, Innovative Finance, Impact Measurement, Prizes/Challenges and Data Science, and pairs them with departments to support priority mandate commitments.

Affiliates

The IIU is driving a shift in the way the Government of Canada uses new policy and program tools to help address complex public policy challenges. With a focus on “the how,” the IIU supports departments to build results-driven approaches that work for Canadians.

The IIU houses the Centre of Expertise for the Impact Canada Initiative to work with departments in applying innovative financing approaches, new partnership models, impact measurement methodologies and behavioural insights in priority areas for the Government of Canada.

The IIU is seeking academics and senior leaders in their field to provide advice and direction on project work. As an Affiliate, you will be able to apply your work to improve government and have the opportunity to publish results.

The Affiliate’s opportunity is non-renumerated and is on an ad hoc, as needed basis.

Key advantages to becoming an Affiliate:

• opportunity for you to gain insights into the macheniry of Government
• opportunity to contribute your expertise on specific government priority issues