Director, Programs

About the Belonging Network:

For almost 50 years, the Belonging Network has provided groundbreaking programs for families, children, and youth. We believe that everyone needs to belong. We’re working for a world where every child and youth has the love, stability, and support they need to reach their fullest potential.

The Belonging Network provides education, support and connection for BC’s permanency community. This includes adoptive families, kinship caregivers (relatives raising relatives), Indigenous customary caregivers, and families providing other forms of love and stability. We also support thousands of young people aging out of government care and navigating early adulthood.

About the role:

The Director, Programs is responsible for the leadership and day-to-day management of the Belonging Network’s programs, and the development of new programs and partnerships. An immediate focus for this role will be increasing our service to kinship caregivers (relatives raising relatives) and building relationships with other kinship-serving organizations.

Reporting to and supporting the Executive Director, the Director, Programs serves on the senior management team and supervises a small group of program managers and contractors.

This is a full-time salaried position based in the Lower Mainland, working 35-40 hours/week. The Director will work primarily from a home office, with regular attendance required at our Lower Mainland office in downtown Vancouver. A valid driver’s licence and access to a reliable vehicle is required to support travel in the Lower Mainland and across BC. Occasional travel to national and international meetings may be required.

Major duties and responsibilities:

Program development & delivery.

• Plan, organize, direct, control, and evaluate the delivery of the Belonging Network’s programs.
• Develop programs from a big-picture strategic perspective, to meet the needs of those we serve in a manner that builds organizational relevance and sustainability.
• Participate in multi-year strategic planning and annual operational planning.
• Meet program goals, commitments and deliverables on time, on budget.
• Shape and supervise the contributions of contractors to ensure timely delivery of quality work.
• Plan, administer, and control program budgets, in coordination with the Director, Operations.
• Develop and implement data collection and quality assurance processes to monitor program delivery, client demographics and satisfaction, and demonstrate the positive impact of Belonging Network programs.

People and organizational development

• Help build a positive, high-performing and aligned staff team.
• Role model professionalism, accountability and commitment to service excellence
• Hire and provide orientation and training for program staff.
• Set clear direction for staff, providing ongoing coaching and constructive feedback, and encouraging professional development.
• Increase the managerial competency, strategic understanding and independence of direct reports to support organizational resilience and succession planning.
• Ensure the organization’s smooth functioning and fair treatment of all staff and stakeholders by creating and implementing policies and procedures, upholding accreditation standards, managing risk and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Partnership development

• Enhance the Belonging Network’s reputation for service excellence in the adoption and permanency space.
• Working closely with the ED, develop positive relationships with funders, including the Provincial government, ensuring Belonging Network meets and exceeds expectations.
• Provide timely reports to funders and prepare funding proposals.
• Develop and maintain positive relationships and partnerships with individuals and organizations with shared priorities in the child and family welfare space, including Indigenous Child and Family Community Service Agencies, advocacy groups, and communities of practice.
• Monitor the competitive landscape and activities of other organizations serving permanency families and youth from care, to identify and respond to service gaps and opportunities for collaboration and partnership.

Qualifications & skills:

• Advanced degree in social work, child welfare or another related discipline plus senior management training/experience.
• Track record of excellence in service delivery and program development, with experience in digital/remote services an asset.
• 7+ years of management experience in a non-profit or public sector organization.
• Significant experience creating and implementing strategic and operational plans.
• Experience in government relations and delivering on government service contracts.
• Experience working with diverse communities, including Indigenous peoples.
• Superb people skills, role modelling professionalism, productivity, and accountability, with authenticity and sensitivity.
• Superb communications skills (written, verbal, and digital).
• Strong organizational and administrative skills, and attention to detail.
• Good working knowledge of MS Office suite, and ability to learn new software quickly.
• Ideally, lived experience or connection to the world of adoption, kinship and other forms of permanency, and/or foster and government care.

Compensation:

Compensation will be based on a full-time annual salary of $95,000 to $105,000 depending on qualifications. This role comes with four weeks of paid vacation, plus our annual December holiday break. The Belonging Network offers a comprehensive benefits package, an RRSP matching program, and support for ongoing professional development.

To apply:

Please email your cover letter and resume as a single PDF to Luciano@L2di.com, with the role and your surname in the subject line. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please note that only candidates being considered for the position will be contacted.

The Belonging Network is an equal-opportunity employer. We recruit, employ, train, compensate and promote regardless of race, religion, colour, place of origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, and any other protected ground under The BC Human Rights Code. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment.