Director, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is a Crown corporation governed by a Board of Directors, accountable to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. CMHC has been helping to house Canadians for over 70 years and is committed to its aspiration that by 2030, everyone in Canada will have a home that they can afford that meets their needs. With its head office in Ottawa, CMHC has five regional business centers and other local offices across Canada.

CMHC employs approximately 2,300 people and ranks as the largest federal Crown Corporation with total revenues of $6.1 billion, a net income of $1.6 billion in 2022, and approximately $297 billion in assets.

The Board of Directors is comprised of the President and Chief Executive Officer, the Deputy Minister of the Minister for CMHC, the Deputy Minister of Finance and eight other directors. The Board ensures a tone of integrity and ethics and establishes the highest standards of corporate governance. In this regard, directors are responsible for overseeing the management of the affairs and business activities of CMHC, including:

• Appointing the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), approving the CEO’s annual objectives and assessing the performance against those objectives;


• Overseeing CMHC’s strategic direction and corporate objectives;


• Reviewing CMHC’s financial objectives and results; and


• Overseeing the development and implementation of policies and frameworks that govern the CMHC’s internal and external conduct.

Diversity and Official Languages

We are committed to providing a healthy and accessible workplace that supports one’s dignity, self-esteem and the ability to work on one’s full potential. With this in mind, all appointees will be expected to take steps to promote and maintain a healthy, respectful, inclusive and harassment-free work environment.

Preference may be given to applicants who are members of one or more of the following groups: women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of a visible minority group.

The Government of Canada will consider bilingual proficiency and diversity in assessing applicants. You are therefore encouraged to include in your online profile your ability to speak and understand your second official language.

Education and Experience

• A degree from a recognized university in a relevant field of study (commerce, accounting, law, economics, social and applied sciences, or environmental studies), or equivalent experience;


• Experience with stakeholder relations;


• Experience in at least one of the following areas:
  
  
  
  • Risk Management (Professional experience at a senior level in a major financial institution, large company, government or not-for-profit organization with significant responsibilities related to the overall risk management of the organization, including complex financial risks, clients or activities. Experience with climate change risk management would be considered an asset).
  
  
  • Financial Services (Experience at a senior level in a major financial institution with significant responsibilities in areas such as, banking, insurance, capital markets, and/or mortgage underwriting. Experience of housing commercial activities, including insurance and securitization functions).
  
  
  • Real Estate Development (Senior role in an organization primarily dealing with real estate development, ownership, operations of rental portfolios, operations of real estate trust or similar entity).
  
  
  • Real Estate Financing (Senior role in an organization primarily dealing in real estate financing, equity and debt markets as these relate to real estate financing, capital markets, or similar experience).
  
  
  • Housing (Experience in, or understanding of, the housing system, and the various markets, definitions, concepts and /or models deployed across Canada).
  
  
  
  


• Experience in, or understanding of, the workings of government and the public sector would be considered an asset;


• A professional accounting designation (CPA, CGA, CFA or CMA) would be considered an asset;


• Experience serving on a board of directors in a large organization and / or demonstrated leadership in a governance role would be considered an asset; and


• Experience in affordable housing policy development and / or affordable housing management would be considered an asset.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of the legislative framework and the mandate and activities of the CMHC;


• Knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of the board of an organization of similar size and complexity to the CMHC;


• Knowledge of governance principles and best practices in corporate governance;


• Superior communication skills, both verbal and written;


• Ability to contribute to debate and discussion among board members to support effective decision making;


• Ability to effectively understand and monitor overall corporate performance; and


• Ability to think at a strategic level.

Language Requirements

Proficiency in both official languages would be preferred.

• High ethical standards and integrity


• Sound judgment


• Strong interpersonal skills


• Discretion


• Flexible, inclusive, adaptable

Eligibility Factors and Conditions of Employment

• Appointees must comply with the Ethical and Political Activity Guidelines for Public Office Holders throughout their appointment as a term and condition of employment. The guidelines are available on the Governor in Council Appointments website under the Forms and reference material.


• All appointees are subject to the Conflict of Interest Act. Public office holders appointed on a full-time basis must also submit to the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics within 60 days of appointment, a confidential report in which they disclose all of their assets, liabilities and outside activities. For more information, please visit the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's website.


• Appointees must uphold the highest standards of probity and are expected to demonstrate behaviours in the workplace that afford respect, equality and dignity, to everyone they interact with at work at all times. The Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector outlines the values and expected behaviours for public servants, including valuing diversity and creating workplaces free from harassment and discrimination. Governor in Council appointees are expected to uphold and respect these values and principles in a positive and active manner.


• If you are outside the federal public service, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Act stipulates that you cannot be appointed if you are:
  
  
  
  • a director, officer or employee of a lending institution (defined for these purposes as “a loan, insurance, trust or other company or corporation, trustee of trust funds, building society, credit union, bank or other cooperative credit society authorized to lend money on the security of real property”);
  
  
  • not a Canadian citizen or otherwise a British subject ordinarily resident in Canada;
  
  
  • employed in any capacity in the federal public administration or the public service of a province or hold any office or position for which a salary is payable out of public moneys, but nothing in this paragraph prohibits you from holding office while performing temporary services for the Government of Canada or of a province. (statutory)
  
  
  
  


• If you are outside the federal public administration and a shareholder of a lending institution (as defined above), the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Act stipulates that if you are appointed, you shall divest yourself of ownership of your shares of the lending institution, either through a sale of the shares or by placing the shares in a blind trust for the duration of your appointment, within three months after the date of your appointment and afterwards, you shall not have an interest or right either directly or indirectly as a shareholder in a lending institution during your term of office. (statutory)


• If you are appointed, you must be willing to travel to meetings of the Board of Directors, which normally meets five to six times a year.

A link to this notice will be placed in the Canada Gazette to assist the Governor in Council in identifying qualified candidates. It is not, however, intended to be the sole means of recruitment.

A list of qualified candidates may be established and may be used for similar opportunities.

How to Apply

Review of applications (more information available here) will begin on October 10, 2023. Candidates should apply online via the Governor in Council Appointments website. Candidates are strongly encouraged to submit their applications by this date. After this date, your application will be retained and may be considered up until an appointment to the position is made. Your cover letter should be addressed to the Director of Selection Processes, Senior Personnel Secretariat, Privy Council Office, and should be sent only through the online application.

Instructions on how to apply for an appointment opportunity can be found on the Governor in Council Appointments website.