Applied Academy Program Lead

Our Purpose is to help our Customers, our Associates, our Suppliers, our Communities and our Shareholders in Achieving Superior Performance ! This is what Applied Canada stands for. Applied® is a leading value-added distributor of bearings, power transmission products, engineered fluid power components and systems, specialty flow control solutions, and other industrial supplies, serving MRO and OEM customers. With over 50 facilities located across Canada and 650 Associates, Applied® supports the steel, mining, forestry, agriculture, automotive, oil and gas, food processing, power generation, pulp and paper, and transportation industries, just to name a few. In addition, Applied provides engineering, design and systems integration for industrial, fluid power, and flow control applications, as well as customized mechanical, fabricated rubber, fluid power, and flow control shop services. 

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We are currently seeking and have an immediate opening for a qualified and motivated individual to fill the position of Applied Academy Program Lead . The location is flexible for any metropolitan area applied operates in: Greater Vancouver Area (Delta), Calgary, Edmonton/Nisku, Greater Toronto Area (Downsview), Montreal, Quebec City and is also a remote work opportunity (see specifics below).

Position Summary :

Reporting to the Vice President, Canada - HR & EHS, the Applied Academy Program Lead will take a lead role in our recently developed and launched Applied Academy – a foundational piece of the Talent Development strategy for AIT Canada and a significant investment in our people for years to come.

This individual will play a critical and highly influential role on the ongoing execution of Academy activities, contributing widely to the success of our operational and talent strategies. The successful candidate will be somebody with a passion to make a difference coupled with a high level of initiative and drive. A self starter with great time management/organizational skills, exceptional attention to detail, and excellent communication skills with internal and external stakeholders. Being self motivated, driven and having the ability to take the lead on execution without all task details, while working remotely from the direct leader and surrounding team – will be core competencies of the position.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Key individual responsible for execution of all in progress/ongoing programs within the Academy – think of it as the ‘Project Manager of the Academy – or the Air Traffic Controller’ – ultimately responsible for execution of all things academy (excluding the strategic direction, technical program builds and instruction). Ultimately the owner of all of the other critical pieces that make the Academy run including execution on programs.
• End to end management and coordination on multiple talent development projects (Applied Academy and sub-initiatives), ensuring initiatives are well planned, executed and delivered on time and within scope, and appropriately reflect and align with the direction of the Academy
• Lead the coordination of all Academy training class activities (scheduling, logistics, meeting rooms, meals, AV equipment, etc.). These responsibilities would resemble that of a skilled event planner.
• Responsible for establishing documentation, reviewing processes, and creating recommendations for Project Templates. This includes communication with different internal and/or external partners to achieve this goal.
• Ability to Support critical academy process, projects and programs by providing insights on best practice, collaborating with technical experts, building and monitoring budgets and maintaining program documentation
• Act as the key point of contact for all training and development enquiries and initiatives; lead point of contact for all Technical Accelerator cohorts
• Responsible establishing documentation, reviewing processes, and creating recommendations for Academy programs. This includes leading communications for training cohorts throughout the Technical Accelerator Programs.
• Proactively managing activities tied to ongoing training programs, ensuring planning as required and key deadlines met
• Coordinate with various academy team members/resources to make sure that all parties are on track with the projected requirements and deadlines.
• Engage with Academy cohort participants to ensure a positive and comprehensive experience within the programs while analyzing the effectiveness of current training and development initiatives and determine where gaps and opportunities exist to address high priority needs; providing feedback to the technical trainers and the technical/strategic Academy build team.
• Key point of contact as Cohort Lead for all Accelerator Programs – engaging with groups of Applied associates across Canada while participating in the Academy training programs (both virtually and in person)
• Develop appropriate learning impact KPIs, metrics/dashboards, and budgets to measure and track performance of programs.

Education & Experience:

• Human Resources/Talent Development experience is not mandatory for this role (while beneficial), however, minimum of 2-5 years of experience in a role that requires activities aligned with this position is required.
• Previous project management or senior coordination experience is required
• Proven success on the ability to manage multiple tasks/projects at once in a fast paced environment
• Post-secondary education with a concentration on either training/professional development and/or organizational development is an asset
• Project Management Professional (PMP) or Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification would be an asset
• Demonstrated success in project management with the ability to develop, organize, and manage multiple initiatives.

Specific Skillset and Competencies

• Critical capabilities include being a driven self starter who is highly organized, exceptional organizational skills/attention to detail and the ability to take initiative and work with minimal direction and oversight
• Ability to think critically and challenge the status quo; thinking to help identify educational gaps, analyze findings and make recommendations while articulating next steps.
• Ability to develop Project Plans, including but not limited to, project scope, plan, budget, and timelines
• Demonstrated ability to influence and work in a collaborative manner with multiple stakeholders – managers, employees, leadership, etc.
• Continuous improvement mindset with proven capability to drive process efficiencies and process improvements while also having the ability to create processes from scratch
• Ability to be a key individual who can take the lead on all activities related to executing programs and strategic plans, making them a reality!
• High level of personal accountability coupled with the ability to work independently.
• Prioritization and organizational skills with the attention to detail required for managing multiple priorities, deadlines and key deliverables at the same time.
• Superior collaboration skills including the ability to advise, integrate and act upon the unique requirements of stakeholders at all levels.
• Enjoys all aspects of event planning and coordination, working with multiple venues, hotels, caterers, etc. – travel will be minimal but requirement to be on site during in class training session for coordination will be required
• Excellent interpersonal and written/verbal communication skills; ability to use excel, word, powerpoint to a high level to take the lead on ensuring documents produced by the strategic/technical team are at the highest level of professionalism
• Bilingualism is an asset (English & French) although not a requirement

Working Conditions

• Position has opportunity to be based in an AIT Canada location (above) or work fully remotely or in a hybrid structure. Physical location must be in one of the following major geographical areas (ideally Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, Saskatoon) but other locations where AIT operations are held will be considered for the right candidate.
• Travel expected approximately 1-2 x/quarter - would be only for presence of block week training for coordination for on site activities. Would not exceed 1-2x/quarter and would be planned well in advance

You will be part of a stable and established company with consistently strong performance and growth. We encourage you to contribute fresh new ideas. Here is just some of what we have to offer:

• Competitive compensation and bonus opportunities
• Health, vision, and dental coverage, RRSP w/ company match
• Paid vacation, sick time, and company holidays
• Tuition reimbursement and opportunities for development
• Company supported community involvement opportunities

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status or any other characteristic prohibited by law.