The Developing Leaders Program (DLP) is a leadership development program for new and early-career managers, aimed at building their capacity to lead with greater confidence and effectiveness.
The program is designed to equip newer leaders with the knowledge, skills, and practices necessary to lead, succeed, and grow in their leadership roles at UBC. Over a five-month period, leaders from across the university come together in the program to share experiences and learn best practices on topics related to leading self, others, and within UBC.
Aligned with UBC’s leadership framework and competencies, this program is designed for people-leaders who are currently in management roles and have been leading staff for three years or less (either in or outside of UBC).
Key dates
| Application deadline | Friday, September 12 |
| Program runs | October 23, 2025 – March 12, 2026 |
How to apply
- Review the details: check the eligibility criteria, program schedule, requirements and benefits to ensure the program aligns with your learning goals.
- Complete the application form: Fill out the application form by September 12.
- Ensure Sponsor Form is also submitted: Make sure that your manager’s Sponsor Form is also submitted by September 12.
Applicants will be notified of their application status by email within two weeks of the deadline.
Who's eligible
The Developing Leaders Program is open to the following staff:
- Management & Professional (M&P) staff only
- Currently in a management role, with direct staff report(s). (Note: Staff who manage work learn/student appointments are not eligible)
- Has been in a management role for three years or less (in or outside of UBC)
- Demonstrates willingness and commitment to their own learning and development
- Has support from their manager for full participation in the program
What's in it for you?
Driven by industry-standard and UBC-specific leadership insights, the Developing Leaders Program strives to make learning more relevant, agile and meaningful to leaders. The program also contributes to furthering authentic conversations for colleagues to hold each other accountable for inclusive and impactful leadership across the university.
DLP supports the Focus on People 2025 framework through fostering professional and personal growth – in particular, it meets the following two targets: Catalyst 2: I can grow my career and Catalyst 4: I am inspired by diverse leaders who live UBC’s values.
"The program exposed me to other UBC staff managing in other departments, which was a great opportunity to network, but also gave me exposure to the breadth of UBC’s vast organization.”
Through the program, you will be able to:
What to expect in the Fall 2025 program
The Fall cohort will be open only to participants from the Vancouver campus. The program will run October 2025 – March 2026, with sessions held virtually, except for the in-person event to conclude the program on the Vancouver campus in April 2026.
What you'll be required to do
To earn a certificate of completion, participants are expected to:
- Attend all workshops, the Coaching Immersion Lab and the in-person event
- Participate in two Leadership Triad sessions
- Complete all Canvas learning modules
- Complete the End-of-Program Evaluation Survey
Schedule
Workshops will take place virtually on Thursdays from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm (3 hours), except for the Coaching Immersion Lab, which is scheduled for 90 minutes. Workshop 5 is divided into Part 1 and Part 2, held on two separate dates. The in-person event concluding the program will be 2.5 hours in duration.
Fall 2025 session dates
- October 23, 2025
- November 13, 2025
- December 4, 2025
- January 15, 2026 (Coaching Immersion Lab)
- February 12, 2026
- March 5, 2026
- March 12, 2026
- TBD (In-person event)
Total time commitment of approximately 30 hours over five months, including Canvas pre-work and post-work, as well as Leadership Triad sessions (self-managed).
What you will explore
The themes you will meaningfully engage, learn and experiment with cover topics across Leading Self, Leading Others, and Leading within UBC. Topics include:
- Introduction to UBC’s leadership philosophy and competencies
- A coach-approach to leading others
- Strength-based leadership
- Navigating conflict
- Developing others
- Leading difficult conversations
- Performance enablement
Program fees
The program is fully funded by VP Human Resources at UBC.
How program participants are selected
To ensure that all qualified applicants are fairly considered, a pool system may be implemented as part of the selection process. Priority may be given to managers in their third year, or those who have applied but were waitlisted in previous years.
Applicants will be notified of their program status by email by the end of September. We thank all applicants for their interest in the program.
Ready to apply? apply
You've read all the program details and are ready to apply to the Fall 2025 DLP cohort? Get started on your application, below.
Questions?
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact leadership@hr.ubc.ca.