Manager, Research

About Us

The Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage (CCTH) supports communities across the province to be welcoming, inclusive and accessible, providing a great quality of life for Nova Scotians and a memorable experience for visitors. We value the collective diversity of our heritage and our people and believe in the transformative nature of culture to help create healthy, active, growing communities.

Tourism Nova Scotia, a division of CCTH, is focused on attracting visitors to the province and maximizing the value of tourism to Nova Scotia’s economy through research, experience and sector development, business coaching, marketing, and visitor servicing.

Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens we serve. The Government of Nova Scotia has an Employment Equity Policy, and we welcome applications from Indigenous People, African Nova Scotians and Other Racially Visible Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Women in occupations or positions where they are under-represented. If you are a member of one of these equity groups, you are encouraged to self-identify on your electronic application.

About Our Opportunity

The Research Manager is accountable for developing, implementing and managing Tourism Nova Scotia’s consumer market research initiatives to support effective, timely, and evidence-based decision making that support Tourism Nova Scotia’s strategic priorities.

The Research Manager leads, develops, retains and motivates a professional team of consumer market research analysts. They develop and reinforce a culture in the research unit that promotes professional rigour, relevance, innovation, insight, and timely work. They establish a workplace climate that supports collaboration, motivates subordinates, promotes achievement, and reflects CCTH values.

Primary Accountabilities

• Engaging internal and external clients to identify consumer market research initiatives to support Tourism Nova Scotia’s strategic priorities.
• Leading the development and implementation of consumer market research initiatives in support of Tourism Nova Scotia priorities.
• Leading, overseeing, and directing the work of multiple, multidisciplinary consumer market research teams and projects.
• Ensuring effective management of work plans, budgets, and contractual agreements, including overseeing the work of contractors.
• Ensuring information is timely, relevant, reliable and comprehensive.
• Generating forward looking analysis and management insights that inform evidence-based strategic decision making.
• Ensuring that all consumer market research is professional, rigorous, comprehensive, relevant, timely, and defensible.
• Implementing appropriate controls to ensure that design and implementation of consumer market research projects are methodologically sound and will produce an appropriate level of precision.
• Synthesizing, distilling, and analyzing data. Reporting, and presenting research findings in ways that are accessible and meaningful for various audiences. These audiences include Tourism Nova Scotia’s senior leadership team, government partners, and industry members and organizations.
• Providing leadership in extending the "reach and leverage" of Tourism Nova Scotia’s research initiatives, including pursuing opportunities for tourism research collaboration.
• Leveraging information sharing networks, forging tourism research relationships, and promoting research partnerships with counterparts in industry, academia, and other levels of government.
• Taking the lead in developing and managing key research relationships and partnerships designed to leverage Tourism Nova Scotia’s limited research budget and capacities.
• Fostering effective inter-organizational relationships as a Tourism Nova Scotia representative in interactions and negotiations with research counterparts in other government departments, other governments, academia, and industry.

Qualifications and Experience

Bachelor’s Degree plus five years’ of experience managing qualitative and quantitative consumer market research studies, related experience, or master’s degree plus three years’ experience. The ability to maintain a high degree of attention to detail and accuracy while adhering to tight timelines is crucial to this position. Excellent interpersonal skills and a high level of competence in written and verbal communication are essential in order to prepare written materials and to present work/findings and to interact and converse with stakeholders. This position requires the ability to translate consumer research data into tangible insights, including the identification of emerging trends or issues, to inform strategic decision making by Tourism Nova Scotia and tourism industry stakeholders. Must have experience leading and managing a team and comfortable delegating responsibility and holding others accountable.

The Research Manager is required to have an advanced knowledge of market research, analysis and statistics, including deep practical experience. The successful candidate must be able to prepare and present clear and concise analytical reports and presentations to various stakeholder groups.

The successful candidate will have experience with various software applications, including, but not limited to Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint).

The above qualifications will be assessed using one or more of the following tools: written examination, standardized tests, oral presentations, interview(s), and reference checks.

LEADS

The Government of Nova Scotia has adopted the LEADS Leadership Framework. During the interview, candidates will be expected to express how they have demonstrated the key behaviours and capabilities required to effectively lead in a caring and inclusive environment. LEADS Domains includes Leads Self, Engage Others, Achieve Results, Develop Coalitions and Systems Transformation.

Please follow LEADS (novascotia.ca) for more information.

Equivalency

Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

Benefits

Based on the employment status and union agreement, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, Health, Dental, Life Insurance, General illness, Short and Long Term Disability, Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs.  For information on all our Benefit program offerings, click here: Benefits for government employees.

What We Offer

• Career development where you have access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career
• Engaging workplace: our employees feel valued, respected, connected, and tuned in, we have forward-thinking policies and strategies
• Countless career paths
• Department specific flexible working schedules