Specialist, Industrial AI & Digital Skills (2026-0200)

The Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) is seeking a Specialist, Industrial AI & Digital Skills to serve as the organization's embedded Applied AI Subject Matter Expert within its learning and workforce development team.

This role combines hands-on AI expertise with learner-centered facilitation. The successful candidate is both a practitioner and an educator: someone who builds, evaluates, and demonstrates AI-powered solutions while helping learners, employers, and workforce-development partners understand and apply them in real-world contexts.

Reporting to the Manager, Digital Training & Industry Transformation, the Senior Specialist will play a critical role in ensuring that ICTC's AI and digital-skills programming is technically accurate, current, practical, and aligned to labour market demand. The role is responsible for validating AI-related learning content and credentials, facilitating learner cohorts, coaching participants through applied projects, and acting as a trusted internal resource on emerging AI tools, technologies, and workplace applications.

The ideal candidate combines strong facilitation and curriculum expertise with demonstrated experience building or implementing AI-enabled workflows, automations, copilots, agents, or other AI-powered solutions in organizational environments. They are equally comfortable evaluating technical training content, mentoring learners, facilitating workshops, and translating complex technologies into practical business value.

Key Responsibilities

Applied AI Leadership & Technical Expertise

• Serve as ICTC's primary internal Applied AI Subject Matter Expert across workforce development and digital skills initiatives.
• Build, test, evaluate, and demonstrate practical AI-enabled workflows, automations, agents, and productivity solutions that can be used in learning environments and employer-facing engagements.
• Evaluate emerging industrial AI tools, platforms, and technologies to assess their relevance for workforce development, digital skills training, and employer adoption.
• Develop practical demonstrations, use cases, project templates, and hands-on exercises that help learners understand how AI can be applied in workplace settings.
• Provide technical guidance and coaching to learners undertaking AI-related projects, workplace placements, and implementation activities.
• Advise internal teams on AI trends, opportunities, limitations, responsible use considerations, and adoption approaches.
• Maintain current knowledge of developments in generative AI, automation, workflow integration, prompt engineering, data analytics, and productivity technologies.

Learning Facilitation & Learner Success

• Facilitate live, virtual, and hybrid learning experiences for learners participating in AI and digital skills programs.
• Deliver engaging workshops, webinars, office hours, project reviews, and coaching sessions that support learner success.
• Help learners translate theoretical concepts into practical implementation through hands-on projects and applied learning activities.
• Foster inclusive and supportive learning environments encourage participation, collaboration, experimentation, and continuous learning.
• Monitor learner engagement and progress throughout the program lifecycle and identify risks to completion or participation.
• Provide individualized guidance, coaching, and interventions to support learner achievement.
• Collaborate with program teams to integrate applied learning opportunities throughout the learner journey.

AI & Digital Skills Content Validation, and Platform Management

• Evaluate, curate and validate AI, automation, data analytics, and digital-skills content sourced from third-party providers and industry partners.
• Assess learning content for technical accuracy, industry relevance, practical use case, pedagogical quality, accessibility, instructional quality, alignment with labour-market needs and ICTC objectives, maintaining an updated library of approved courses and credentials
• Review and recommend learning pathways, certifications, micro credentials, and training resources that align with program objectives.
• Identify outdated, obsolete, or low-value content and recommend replacements or enhancements.
• Ensure curriculum remains relevant as AI technologies, workplace practices, and employer needs evolve.
• Establish and maintain relationships with third-party training vendors and content partners; coordinate access, enrollment, licensing, or partnership agreements as required.

Digital Readiness Assessment & Skills Mapping

• Administer learner assessments to evaluate digital literacy, technical readiness, and learning needs.
• Develop and maintain learner skills profiles and pathway recommendations.
• Match learners to appropriate learning journeys, training options, and credential opportunities.
• Identify recurring skills gaps and learning challenges within learner cohorts.
• Use assessment insights to improve curriculum sequencing, learner support, and program outcomes.

Participant Onboarding, Progress Monitoring & Engagement

• Schedule, onboard, and orient learners to the platform and program expectations.
• Monitor each learner's progress, proactively identify those at risk of falling behind or disengaging, and escalate concerns with recommended interventions.
• Design and lead learning-engagement strategies discussion groups, manage learning-community spaces, webinars, and applied challenges and recruit and coordinate industry practitioners, AI experts, and sector leaders as guest speakers.
• Collaborate closely with program teams to integrate live, applied AI facilitation touchpoints throughout the learner journey.

Program Planning, Quality Assurance & Reporting

• Support program planning, scheduling, and delivery activities.
• Track learner participation, progression, completion, and outcome metrics.
• Establish and monitor learning-quality indicators and program KPIs.
• Contribute to program evaluation, reporting, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Produce insights and recommendations based on learner outcomes, participant feedback, and performance data.
• Identify risks to learner success, program targets, or deliverables and recommend corrective actions.
• Ensure program delivery aligns with funder requirements, internal standards, and quality-assurance practices.

Curriculum Design & Continuous Improvement

• Curate and assemble blended learning curricula; develop and validate learning outcomes, competency frameworks, and assessment criteria.
• Establish and monitor KPIs for course quality, learner progression, completion rates, and post-program outcomes.
• Support the creation and continuous improvement of AI and digital skills training programs.
• Conduct structured content reviews every 6–12 months (and scan continuously between them) to keep curriculum technically current, replacing deprecated tools and references with current alternatives.
• Engage employers and host organizations to gather insight on emerging skills needs and workplace AI-adoption trends, using this to keep training aligned with real-world employer expectations.
• Support the development and validation of digital credentials and micro-credentials and recognize prior learning where a learner can already demonstrate a target skill.

What We Are Looking For

Education

• Post-secondary degree in Instructional Design, Education Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field. Equivalent experience as an educator, trainer, or applied-AI practitioner will be considered.
• Graduate degree, and formal credentials in instructional design, e-learning, or digital pedagogy (e.g., CPLP or equivalent), are strong assets.
• Credentials or certifications in AI, machine learning, data analytics, automation, or digital transformation are strongly preferred.
• Candidates with a background in technology education (cloud computing, telecommunications, IoT, AI) will be prioritized.

Work Experience

• Demonstrated experience applying AI-powered tools, automation solutions, agents, data-driven workflows, or digital technologies to address real-world challenges in industrial environments.
• 5-7 years of relevant experience across applied AI, digital skills training, workforce development, learning facilitation, instructional design, technology enablement, or digital transformation. Equivalent combinations of education, industry experience, and applied AI expertise will be considered.
• Experience facilitating adult learning and coaching diverse learner groups.
• Demonstrated experience curating and evaluating third-party technical training content from major online platforms.
• Experience designing and administering digital-readiness or skills assessments and building corresponding learning pathways.
• Proven experience scheduling, onboarding, and monitoring learner cohorts, and establishing learning-outcome frameworks, KPIs, and quality-assurance processes.
• Experience with LMS and project-management tools (e.g., Wrike, Microsoft Project, or equivalent).
• Experience national program delivery is strongly preferred; non-profit, government-funded, or workforce-development experience is an asset.
• Familiarity with Canada's digital-skills ecosystem, AI education landscape, and WIL programs is an asset.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bilingual proficiency in English and French written and spoken is considered an asset.
• Applied AI fluency: proficiency in automation, prompt engineering, workflow integration, data analytics, AI agents build and low-code/no-code technologies - paired with the ability to teach these concepts accessibly.
• Deep expertise in instructional design, curriculum architecture, and e-learning best practices.
• Strong knowledge of major third-party technical training platforms and their content ecosystems.
• Proficiency with LMS, e-learning authoring/curation tools, and Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace.
• Strong analytical skills for defining and tracking learning KPIs and quality metrics.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-engagement skills; comfort explaining technical concepts in plain language to non-technical learners.
• Ability to work independently, lead with limited precedent, and manage multiple curricula and program streams in a fast-paced environment.

Are You?

• An applied AI practitioner and educator — Do you bring genuine, hands-on industrial AI experience and the ability to make that knowledge accessible to learners and employers?
• Curriculum architect — Do you design rigorous, engaging learning journeys matched to where learners are and where they need to go?
• A discerning course curator — Can you cut through hundreds of online courses to identify the ones that are technically excellent, current, and right for the learner?
• A digital-readiness expert— Can you assess where learners truly are and build skills maps that set them up for success?
• Analytically rigorous, ethical, dependable, collaborative, and a continuous learner committed to inclusive, equitable learning across Canada.

Why Join Us?

Be part of a dynamic, mission-driven, entrepreneurial organization advancing Canada's competitive advantage in the digital economy; lead high-impact programs that shape the future of Canadian businesses; and work in an agile, collaborative, forward-thinking environment.

Position Details

• Location: Remote
• Term: 12-month term contract with competitive salary, benefits, vacation and personal time

Additional notes:

• ICTC is committed to being an equal opportunity employer. If you require accommodation measures during any phase of the hiring process, please notify us as soon as possible. All information received in relation to accommodation requests will be kept confidential.

About ICTC

ICTC is a neutral, not-for-profit national centre of expertise with the mission of strengthening Canada's digital advantage in the global economy. For over 30 years, and with a team of 80+ experts, we have delivered forward-looking research, practical policy advice, and capacity building solutions for individuals and businesses. Our goal is to ensure that technology is utilized to drive economic growth and innovation, and that Canada's workforce remains competitive on a global scale.

ICTC respectfully acknowledges that ICTC headquarters is on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People.

Originally posted on Himalayas