Business Advisor, BDC Advisory Services (Ops Efficiency & Strategy)

Business Development Bank of Canada · Toronto

We are banking at another level.

Choosing BDC as your employer means working in a healthy, inclusive, and skilled workplace that puts forward the best conditions to bring together unique teams where employees are empowered to act. It also means being at the centre of ambitious economic and financial projects to see further and to do things differently, to fuel the success of Canadian entrepreneurs.

Choosing BDC as your employer also means:

Flexible and competitive benefits, including an Employee Savings and Investment Plan where BDC matches part of your voluntary contributions, a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, a $750 wellness and health care spending account, to name a few
In addition to paid vacation each year, five personal days, sick days as necessary, and our offices are closed from December 25 to January 1
A hybrid work model that truly balances work and personal life
Opportunities for learning, training and development, and much more...

Explore the BDC Way in our Culture Book

POSITION OVERVIEW

As a Business Advisor, Operations within BDC Advisory Services, you act as a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs and leadership teams seeking to improve operational performance, accelerate growth, and strengthen organizational capabilities.

This position resides within Advisory Services and serves Canadian small and medium-sized businesses through advisory mandates.

The successful candidate combines deep operational expertise with strong knowledge of the technologies that enable modern manufacturing, distribution, logistics, and service operations. They understand how business processes, management systems, operational technologies, data, automation, and artificial intelligence work together to improve productivity, scalability, decision-making, and business performance.

The Business Advisor delivers both standard and customized consulting mandates, manages end-to-end project delivery, acts as a subject matter expert, supports solution development, and contributes to business development activities.

The successful candidate understands the technologies driving modern operational performance, including ERP and operational management systems, industrial automation, robotics, smart manufacturing, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence. They can help entrepreneurs evaluate where these technologies create business value and develop practical roadmaps for adoption within SME environments.

CHALLENGES TO BE MET

Deliver operational excellence and business transformation mandates focused on:

Business process optimization
Operational performance improvement
Manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, and service operations
Digital transformation, automation and technology adoption
Data-driven decision making
Process automation and artificial intelligence
Organizational scalability and operational maturity

Design and implement pragmatic, technology-enabled solutions adapted to SME environments, including:

Optimization of operational and management systems (ERP, MES, WMS, CRM, APS, CMMS/EAM, BI platforms)
Assessment and improvement of operational workflows, information flows, and decision-making processes
Identification of high-value opportunities for automation, analytics, and AI
Development of operational roadmaps and technology adoption plans
Support for technology selection, implementation, optimization, and change management initiatives

Manage end-to-end project delivery:

Define project scope, objectives, work plans, and deliverables
Manage budgets, timelines, risks, stakeholder expectations, and project quality
Ensure measurable client impact and achievement of business outcomes
Lead client workshops, interviews, assessments, and executive presentations
Maintain high standards of professionalism and advisory excellence

Act as a subject matter expert in operations and technology-enabled business performance:

Stay current on emerging technologies, management systems, automation, analytics, and AI trends
Contribute to the development of methodologies, tools, intellectual property, and service offerings
Support internal capability building and knowledge sharing

Contribute to business development activities:

Support client diagnostics and operational assessments
Assist in solution design and proposal development
Participate in client discussions focused on operational transformation and technology adoption
Help position BDC's advisory solutions with entrepreneurs and leadership teams

Collaborate with internal partners and consultants:

Share expertise and best practices across Advisory Services
Co-deliver complex mandates
Contribute to the development of internal capabilities in digital operational excellence

Build market visibility and thought leadership:

Develop operational excellence, technology, and AI-related content
Present at internal and external events
Promote BDC's expertise and advisory offerings

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, Information Systems, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field

Experience

Minimum 10 years of consulting, advisory, operational leadership, or transformation experience
Demonstrated success delivering operational improvement and business transformation initiatives
Proven experience leading consulting or advisory mandates from diagnosis through implementation
Experience working directly with executive teams, business owners, and senior operational leaders
Experience managing project scope, budgets, timelines, risks, and stakeholder expectations

Operations Expertise

The successful candidate must possess strong operational knowledge and practical experience in one or more of the following environments:

Manufacturing and production operations
Supply chain, logistics, and distribution operations
Field service and service operations
Asset-intensive operations
Multi-site or operationally complex organizations

The candidate must be able to connect operational challenges to measurable business outcomes, including:

Productivity improvement
Throughput and capacity optimization
Inventory and working capital performance
Quality and process reliability
Customer experience and service levels
Cost reduction and profitability
Management effectiveness and decision quality

Technology Expertise

The successful candidate must possess strong knowledge of the technologies used to manage and optimize business operations and understand how these technologies support operational performance.

This includes experience with several of the following categories:

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems (Dynamics 365, SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, etc.)
Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems
Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) tools
Field Service Management platforms
Business Intelligence and analytics platforms
Workflow automation and process orchestration tools
Data platforms and AI-enabled business applications

Digital Transformation & AI

Experience assessing, selecting, implementing, optimizing, or advising on business technologies
Experience identifying opportunities to leverage automation, analytics, and artificial intelligence
Ability to translate business requirements into practical operational and technology recommendations
Experience working with internal IT teams, software vendors, implementation partners, or digital specialists
Understanding of change management principles related to technology adoption and organizational transformation

Advisory & Communication Skills

Strong business analysis and problem-solving capabilities
Ability to engage credibly with executives, operational leaders, and technical stakeholders
Excellent facilitation, communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills
Ability to translate complex operational and technical concepts into practical business language
Strong executive communication and report-writing skills

Other Requirements

Professional proficiency in English, spoken and written.
Willingness to travel within a designated region and occasionally across Canada

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

MBA, Master's degree, or relevant professional designation
Professional certifications (Lean, Six Sigma, PMP, or equivalent)
Experience supporting technology selection, implementation, or optimization projects
Experience leading business transformation initiatives enabled by data, automation, or AI
Direct experience in manufacturing, industrial services, supply chain, logistics, distribution, or technology-enabled service organizations
Experience working with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
Experience contributing to business development activities, including proposals, diagnostics, solution design, and client presentations

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is not simply knowledgeable about business processes or technology independently. They have demonstrated experience integrating operational practices, management systems, data, automation, and AI to improve business performance within manufacturing, distribution, logistics, or service organizations. They can move comfortably between the executive boardroom, the shop floor, the warehouse, and the operational management team, helping entrepreneurs translate strategy into measurable results.

Proudly one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible environment where all employees can thrive and feel empowered to bring their whole selves to work. If you require an accommodation to complete your application, please do not hesitate to contact us at accessibility@bdc.ca.

While we appreciate all applications, we advise that only the candidates selected to participate in the recruitment process will be contacted.

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