Appendix C1 - Benchmark Index by Function - Research

Executive Group Benchmark Number: 10-F-1

POSITION TITLE: Assistant Deputy Minister, Research

GENERAL ACCOUNTABILITY

Is accountable for the strategic direction and leadership of the Department's research programs and activities.

ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE

This is 1 of 12 management positions reporting to the Deputy Minister. The others are Assistant Deputy Minister, Market and Industry Services; Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy; Assistant Deputy Minister, Farm Financial Programs; Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Management; Assistant Deputy Minister, Communications and Consultations; Assistant Deputy Minister, Human Resources; Director General, Audit and Evaluation Branch; Director General, Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, Executive Director, Rural and Cooperatives Secretariat; Executive Director, Portfolio Coordination; Corporate Secretary / Executive Assistant to the Deputy Minister.

Specific functions of the management positions reporting to the Assistant Deputy Minister, Research, are as follows:

Director General, Sustainable Production Systems, (staff of 1,085) is responsible for providing leadership, management and direction to the sustainable production systems national program of scientific research and development.

Director General, Environmental Health, (staff of 751) is responsible for providing leadership, management and direction to the environmental health national program of scientific research and development.

Director General, Bioproducts and Bioprocesses, (staff of 450) is responsible for providing leadership, management and direction to the bioproducts and bioprocesses national program of scientific research and development.

Director General, Food Safety and Quality, (staff of 270) is responsible for providing leadership, management and direction to the food safety and quality national program of scientific research and development.

Director General, Science Secretariat, (staff of 65) is responsible for managing and coordinating planning and priority-setting processes, as well as policy and strategy development for the Research Branch; assessing studies; developing research strategies; and planning and negotiating special R&D initiatives.

Director, Innovation, Commercialization and Intellectual Property Management, (staff of 29) is responsible for developing and implementing strategies and approaches to advance the Department's innovation agenda through an integrated management framework that incorporates diverse scientific, financial, legal and business activities.

NATURE AND SCOPE

The Department's mandate is to promote the development, adaptation and competitiveness of the agriculture and agri-food sector and to assist the sector in maximizing its contribution to Canada's economic, social and environmental objectives through the provision of information, research and technology, and policies and programs that achieve security of the food system, health of the environment and innovation for growth. The agriculture and agri-food portfolio is complex and highly diversified, with responsibility for 37 acts and 6 commissions, agencies and Crown corporations.

The Assistant Deputy Minister, Research, articulates the Branch's strategic vision and establishes, promotes, advocates and expands its philosophical underpinnings for the Department's science-based activities. The incumbent defines the broad operating parameters for the four national research programs: sustainable production systems, environmental health, bioproducts and bioprocesses, and food safety and quality. A major challenge for the Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) is to identify, adjust and realign the Branch's research focus in response to factors such as the globalization of the agriculture and agri-food sector; biotechnology advances and the use of genetics to modify animal and crop growth and production; the urbanization of traditional farm lands; technology transfer to enhance the economic well-being of the agriculture and agri-food sector; the debate on sustainable agriculture and the implications for the environment; the shifting nature of science and technology and the impact on agricultural and food science research; and public concerns on the impact of agriculture practices on public health.

The ADM establishes frameworks for the development and implementation of research policies, objectives and programs; the development of multi-year strategic business plans and the subsequent resourcing strategies; the allocation of approved resources under Branch business plans and objectives; and the management overview and control of resources and program delivery.

The ADM ensures that strategies and activities are consistent with the Department's agriculture and agri-food agenda and that the government's agriculture and agri-food policies are used to advance Canada's international interests. The incumbent must also meet government objectives for enhanced cooperation and cost-sharing with collegial science-based federal departments and agencies, the provinces, the private sector and academia, while ensuring that Canadian food and agricultural research is seen, both nationally and internationally, as being uncompromised when faced with commercial, jurisdictional, legislative or other pressures.

A major challenge for the ADM is to ensure that the Branch is fully aware of the trends and developments in food and agricultural research around the world. The incumbent is therefore called upon to establish and enhance relations with top scientists from leading R&D countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and France, for the purposes of coordinating research efforts among those countries and establishing agreements for sharing scientific data and knowledge in agricultural and food research. The ADM also ensures that scientific relations are developed with other countries where Canada could benefit from research sharing and cooperation. The ADM influences the focus and direction of other countries' scientific research to serve the interests of Canada and the advancement of scientific knowledge.

The ADM contributes to the formulation of Department policies and strategies to promote the growth and international competitiveness of the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector. As the authoritative scientific adviser on agriculture and agri-food research, the incumbent is a key contributor to corporate policies and strategies. The ADM must be aware of the diversity and complexity of the agriculture and agri-food sector and of its needs, which are often conflicting, divergent, inconsistent and subject to the vagaries of the marketplace and end-consumer tastes. He or she must reconcile the often competing pressures in the ongoing development and rationalization of the research program.

A major challenge for the ADM is to promote and advance the critical role that research plays in ensuring and enhancing Canada's competitive advantage to all levels of government and to industry, academia and farm organizations and other associations with interests in agriculture and agri-food activities and practices. The incumbent is a member of the Interdepartmental Committee of Scientific ADMs, which provides advice to Cabinet on science policies and priorities.

The ADM consults with senior executives in other departments and agencies on agriculture and agri-food issues, including land resources, energy in agriculture and nutrition and food safety. The incumbent consults university deans and presidents, senior officials of provincial departments and private sector representatives on issues of common interest and concern and on their alleviation through science and technology and in order to clarify and solidify science research relationships and partnerships.

DIMENSIONS (Constant Dollars)

FTEs:	2,650
Operating budget:	$45.3 million

SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES

1. Applies science research and technology to improve agriculture and agri-food production, food processing, quality, safety and product development and to enhance the national and international growth and competitiveness of the agriculture and agri-food sector.
2. Articulates the Branch's strategic vision and philosophy and establishes the operating parameters that include fostering science research partnerships with the agriculture and agri-food sector on a cost-shared basis and with other levels of government and academia.
3. Ensures that studies, programs and activities support the government's strategic directions and objectives and contribute to the sustainable development of the agriculture and agri-food sector.
4. Manages science research relations, policies and agreements with other leading research countries and with countries engaged in research with potential significance for the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector.
5. Leads the Department's response to public concerns over food safety and agriculture practices where agriculture and agri-food scientific knowledge can aid in alleviating such concerns.
6. Provides advice to Cabinet on science policies and priorities as a member of the Interdepartmental Committee of Scientific ADMs.

EVALUATION RATIONALE

Assistant Deputy Minister, Research

KNOW-HOW

G	Mastery of the interrelationships between government priorities and agendas in natural sciences related to agriculture and agri-food research, including botany, chemistry, biology, physics, zoology, animal sciences, crop sciences, soil sciences, genetics and genomics; in-depth knowledge of agriculture and agri-food industries and economies in Canada and their research needs; and in-depth knowledge of federal, provincial and territorial responsibilities and interests relative to agriculture and agri-food in Canada.
IV	Integration of large and highly diversified agriculture and agri-food research activities and of a large and highly dispersed organization by establishing priorities based on funding, industry and producer needs, and government priorities.
3	Successful achievement of objectives hinges on the position's ability to establish and maintain effective interpersonal relations in order to influence decisions and policies that require reconciling divergent interests with senior officials, staff, industry and the domestic and international research communities.
1056	High number reflects the requirement for mastery of government priorities and objectives in the agricultural sector, involving a complex and diverse scientific field, both domestically and internationally.

PROBLEM SOLVING / THINKING

G	Thinking within general policies, principles and broad government priorities to direct agricultural research to achieve the Department's objectives and goals through the application of science and technology to the improvement of agricultural production, food processing and production development in Canada.
4	Constructive and evaluative thinking required to maximize the use of resources and to evaluate and analyse the major constraints in the agricultural and food system, the role of science and technology and the implications of globalization for the industries.
(66) 700	Higher percentage recognizes the more complex thinking required to cope with divergent, and at times novel, non-recurring research requiring imaginative approaches.

ACCOUNTABILITY / DECISION MAKING

G	Reporting to the Deputy Minister, is subject to general guidance and is responsible for providing advice and guidance to the Minister and the Deputy Minister on the goals the organization should be striving to achieve and on how the research organization can most effectively support the achievement of those goals. Is subsequently responsible for directing activities toward achievement of objectives.
4P	Primary impact on the results of the Department's research program. The proxy chosen is a budget of $45.3 million (constant).
800	Solid mid-range number reflects the position's accountability for setting the vision and program directions for scientific research and development that have an impact on both the domestic and international agriculture and agri-food sectors.

SUMMARY

GIV3

1056

G4(66)

700

G4P

800

=

2556

A1

ASSISTANT DEPUTY MINISTER
RESEARCH
NUMBER: 10 - F - 1