The Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA) is a respected, science-based, digitally driven global leader in seed quality assurance and genetic traceability committed to growing an innovative, profitable, and internationally competitive Canadian agricultural sector. CSGA’s core mandates are to establish standards for varietal purity of seed and provide a national seed crop certification program to benefit Canadian agriculture. Each year, they certify the seed crops of 2,900+ seed growers and 2,500 seed-growing businesses covering 1.25 million acres of over 60 different crop kinds and over 2,000 different varieties from coast to coast.

 

Reporting to the CSGA Board of Directors, the Executive Director (ED) will provide overall leadership and stewardship of CSGA, advancing its mandate as both a regulatory authority and a member-based organization. The role offers a unique opportunity to help shape the future of Canada’s seed certification system during a time of regulatory modernization and increasing digital transformation, and the ED will have an opportunity to create a new path to the future of CSGA and build on the strong foundation that has been created. The ED will work closely with the Board to set strategic direction, oversee policy development, and ensure strong operational, financial, and governance performance, while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and service.

 

The successful candidate will bring strong executive leadership experience, exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to navigate complex regulatory and stakeholder environments. They will be comfortable working with government, industry partners, provincial associations, and growers, and will serve as CSGA’s senior spokesperson and advocate on national and international issues affecting the seed sector. A solid understanding of governance, financial management, risk oversight, and leading distributed teams is essential, along with strong digital literacy and an openness to innovation.

Experience within agriculture, agri-food, or a regulated environment is highly valued, as is familiarity with government operations and public policy. Knowledge of the seed industry, bilingualism in English and French, and experience working with member-based or not-for-profit organizations are considered strong assets. The Executive Director is expected to maintain a regular presence in Ottawa, reflecting the national scope of the role and the importance of close engagement with federal stakeholders. The position involves significant domestic travel throughout the year, with occasional international travel.

 

Reason for Posting: Existing Vacancy

 

To Apply

 

To fill this position, CSGA has partnered with leadership advisory firm Odgers. Applications are encouraged immediately and should be submitted online at https://careers.odgers.com/en-ca/30929. For more information, please contact Gaiana Chan of Odgers. We thank all those who express an interest; however, only those chosen for further development will be contacted.

 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

 

CSGA is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with the Accessible Canada Act, 2019 and all applicable provincial accessibility standards, upon request, accommodation will be provided by both Odgers and CSGA  throughout the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process to applicants with disabilities.

 

Odgers is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all the work that we do. As part of our efforts to better understand our ability to reach as broad a pool of candidates as possible for our searches, our DEI team would like to encourage you to take a moment and access our Self-Declaration Form.