Program Director, Centralized PLAR Platform

Reports to: President and CEO, ONCAT

Type: New Vacant Position, 1-Year Contract with possibility of extension, Hybrid (2 to 3 days in office), Remote candidates will be considered

Location: Downtown Toronto – 180 Dundas West, Suite 1902 (near St. Patrick Station)

Salary: $110,000 to $125,000, commensurate with experience

About ONCAT

The Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT) puts learners first by making it easier to navigate and succeed in Ontario’s postsecondary system. ONCAT manages ONTransfer.ca, a trusted resource for exploring pathways and transfer options across colleges, universities, and Indigenous Institutes. As a convener and sector partner, ONCAT collaborates with institutions to advance learner mobility and recognition of prior and non-formal learning. We support pathway development and streamlined credit transfer, while fostering innovation through shared tools, project-based funding, research, and the exchange of best practices. Funded by the Government of Ontario, ONCAT is building a more seamless, student-centred postsecondary system.

About the Initiative

ONCAT is launching the Centralized PLAR Platform Initiative: an ambitious, province-wide effort to develop a unified digital system for Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) across Ontario’s publicly assisted colleges. The initiative, tentatively named OntarioPLAR™, will leverage OntarioLearn’s existing infrastructure and is designed to reduce duplication, improve consistency, and fast-track learner access to credential recognition.

ONCAT will oversee governance, financial management, and reporting, disbursing funds to OntarioLearn and participating colleges based on agreed deliverables. The Project Director will be the senior lead for this initiative, providing the academic credibility, institutional relationships, and collegial authority needed to bring Ontario’s college community together around a shared vision for PLAR.

About the Position

Reporting directly to the President and CEO, the Program Director will provide senior leadership for the Centralized PLAR Platform Initiative. This is a high-profile contract role that calls for a respected and well-connected leader from within Ontario’s college system, someone with the academic standing, firsthand experience with PLAR, and the demonstrated capacity to lead complex, multi-institutional initiatives.

The ideal candidate is an experienced higher education academic administrator (e.g., a former college dean, associate dean, or department chair), who brings deep, applied knowledge of PLAR practice and policy, an established network across Ontario's colleges, and the administrative acumen to lead a provincially significant project to successful completion. While the Program Director will set direction, build consensus, manage key relationships, and ensure the initiative advances with rigour and momentum, candidates should also be comfortable rolling up their sleeves when the work calls for it. The successful candidate has a demonstrated track record of finding creative and practical ways to move things forward and is as comfortable drafting a steering committee agenda or a progress report as they are presenting to senior institutional leaders or government funders.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic and Academic Leadership

• Provide senior leadership and strategic direction for the Centralized PLAR Platform Initiative, ensuring alignment with ONCAT’s mandate, the government’s priorities, and the operational realities of Ontario’s colleges.

• Act as the primary institutional champion for the initiative, lending academic credibility and collegial authority to advance consensus across participating institutions.

• Advise the President and CEO on key decisions, risks, opportunities, and progress related to the initiative.

• Ensure the initiative reflects leading practices in PLAR assessment, quality assurance, and equity, drawing on current evidence and the expertise of the broader PLAR community.

Governance and Stakeholder Engagement

• Establish and chair (or co-chair) a steering committee with broad representation from participating colleges, OntarioLearn, and relevant stakeholders.

• Build and sustain productive relationships with senior leaders at participating colleges, including deans, associate deans, registrars, and PLAR coordinators.

• Serve as ONCAT’s primary liaison with OntarioLearn as the technical and operational backbone of the platform.

• Engage with the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES), the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS), and other government and sector partners as required.

• Foster communities of practice and working groups to advance policy harmonization, shared assessment standards, and quality assurance across participating colleges.

PLAR Policy, Standards, and Quality Assurance

• Draw on deep practitioner knowledge to guide the development of shared assessment tools, rubrics, and standards for the pilot programs.

• Provide leadership on the design of a centralized assessor pool model, including quality assurance, calibration, and moderation processes aligned with Canadian Association for Prior Learning Assessment (CAPLA) standards.

• Contribute to strategies that expand PLAR awareness and uptake among adult learners, with particular attention to Indigenous learners, newcomers, and other equity-deserving groups.

• Identify and promote promising practices in PLAR across the province.

Pilot Oversight and Accountability

• Oversee the identification and onboarding of the 4–5 common, high-demand pilot programs (e.g., early childhood education, personal support worker, business).

• Ensure the initiative is monitored against defined outcomes, including reductions in PLAR processing time, increases in PLAR participation and credits awarded, learner satisfaction, and operational savings.

• Provide senior oversight of contractual obligations with participating colleges and OntarioLearn, ensuring compliance with agreed deliverables.

Reporting and Knowledge Mobilization

• Prepare and present regular project briefings, progress reports, and recommendations to the President and CEO and, as required, to ONCAT’s Board and government funders.

• Contribute to the documentation and dissemination of lessons learned and key findings to support future platform development and provincial knowledge mobilization.

• Represent ONCAT and the initiative at conferences, sector events, and forums as appropriate.

Qualifications

Education

• A graduate or undergraduate degree in a relevant field (education, public administration, or a postsecondary-related discipline); graduate-level preparation is preferred.

• Project management training or certification (e.g., PMP) is an asset, though not required for candidates with equivalent demonstrated experience.

Experience

• Senior academic or administrative leadership experience within Ontario’s college system, typically as a dean, associate dean, or department chair, with a track record of institutional and inter-institutional leadership.

• Substantial, firsthand experience with PLAR, including policy development, assessment design, faculty engagement, and administration, within an Ontario college context.

• Demonstrated experience leading complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives, with evidence of successful delivery against project objectives.

• Familiarity with OntarioLearn’s operating model and inter-institutional course-sharing arrangements is a significant asset.

• Experience working with or within a government-funded or arms-length agency is an asset.

Knowledge and Skills

• A comprehensive understanding of Ontario’s college system, including academic governance, program approval processes, student services, and the regulatory environment established by MCURES.

• Familiarity with CAPLA standards, the provincial PLAR policy directive, and the landscape of PLAR practice across Ontario’s 24 publicly assisted colleges.

• Strong relationship-building and facilitation skills, with the ability to align diverse institutional interests around a shared agenda.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce compelling briefings, reports, and presentations for senior audiences.

• Sound judgement in managing competing priorities, ambiguity, and institutional sensitivities in a multi-partner environment.

• Fluency in French is an asset.

Personal Attributes

• A collegial, credible, and trusted presence within Ontario’s college community, with the professional standing to convene and lead across institutional boundaries.

• A strategic thinker who can hold the big picture while remaining attentive to the details that determine whether an initiative succeeds or stalls.

• A genuine commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and an appreciation of the barriers faced by Indigenous learners, adult learners, newcomers, and other equity-deserving groups in accessing postsecondary credentials.

• Comfortable working with considerable autonomy, while maintaining transparent and regular communication with the President and CEO.

• Discreet, professional, and sound in judgement when navigating sensitive institutional and government relationships.

Working Conditions

• This is a one-year contract position with the possibility of extension subject to project needs and funding availability.

• The role may require the occasional travel to participating colleges across Ontario and/or attendance at sector events and conferences.

How to Apply

Submit a cover letter outlining how your skills and experience align with this role. You must be legally authorized to work in Canada. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

ONCAT is committed to an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment process. If you require accommodations, please let us know.

Application review begins Wednesday, May 27th, 2026

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