David Bellerive is a bilingual public-sector strategist in Ottawa. He connects policy, finance, and procurement to delivery systems that serve institutions and people.
His goal is to build systems that earn trust — in infrastructure and institutions — by ensuring delivery that is both technically sound and publicly meaningful.
Professional Background
I work at the intersection of public purpose and operational complexity at one of Canada’s largest bilingual universities, managing a $100M portfolio across 20+ units. My responsibilities include financial planning cycles, audit readiness, policy implementation, and delegated procurement authority up to $100K. Using modern ERP platforms, I oversee 200+ requisitions, 200+ purchase orders, and 500+ supplier invoices each year.
My role connects executives, researchers, procurement officers, vendors, and auditors to keep complex operations aligned. Earlier, I coordinated 270+ staffing contracts and 200+ course sections annually, experience that sharpened my ability to balance compliance with real-world delivery.
Across all of this, I focus on the systems behind the transactions by developing tools that streamline processes, clarify responsibilities, and guide decisions that balance compliance with strategy.
What I Bring to the Table
Clarity in complexity
I help teams and leaders understand how financial, operational, and human factors intersect. I bring structure to problems that cross functions, policies, and personalities.
Credibility with stakeholders
I have worked across executive offices, academic leadership, public agencies, and creators. I build trust across silos by delivering well and communicating clearly.
Execution with perspective
From managing a $100M portfolio to supporting multi-stakeholder teams, I navigate constraints while keeping long-term goals in view.
A purpose beyond the task
I care about more than what gets built. I care about why it matters, who it affects, and how it will be remembered once the ribbon is cut.
Civic Engagement
Outside of formal roles, I contribute to Rail Fans Canada, where I help produce accessible, research-driven media about transit and passenger rail. I also publish essays that explore how infrastructure earns trust, and what happens when it does not.
This work is part of the same question that drives my professional path. How do systems earn trust? What makes delivery feel not just competent, but credible and worth investing in over time? I believe infrastructure is not just about concrete and timelines. It is about the civic fabric it shapes, and the story it tells about what we value together.
What I’m Building Toward
I am seeking opportunities to contribute to delivery that is bold, credible, and focused on public value. That could mean infrastructure, institutions, or civic platforms: work that matters, with real stakes.
My approach is grounded in a set of principles that shape how I work and lead. They ensure I not only support strong ideas, but help execute them with care, clarity, and long-term integrity.
Think long-term. Deliver what lasts.
Plans only matter if they can be delivered and sustained.
Work through people, not just systems.
Progress depends on trust, clarity, and collaboration.
Ask better questions. Deliver honest work.
Good decisions come from candour and accountability, not shortcuts.
Make the complex legible.
I simplify without oversimplifying, so solutions endure.
Let's build the systems that shape what's next.
Public infrastructure needs more than vision: it needs people who can connect delivery with meaning, and ambition with accountability. This is the work I am committed to.
I bring a mix of operational experience, civic insight, and creative strategy to complex systems. Whether you're leading a major project, designing a public platform, or scaling delivery capacity, I look forward to contributing to that effort.
If you’re hiring, collaborating, or building something that needs both delivery and trust, let’s talk.
Work With Me