Director of Programs and Operations

Director of Programs & Operations

Permanent Full Time

Location: Hornby, Oakville, ON

Position Overview

Reporting directly to the CEO, the Director, Programs & Operations is a senior executive leadership position responsible for providing strategic direction, operational oversight, and organizational leadership across the organization’s programs and core operational functions.

The Director is accountable for ensuring the organization delivers safe, high-quality, client-centred addiction treatment and recovery services while maintaining operational effectiveness, regulatory compliance, financial sustainability, and alignment with the organization’s strategic priorities.

This position provides leadership across bed-based services, admissions, community programs, risk and compliance, quality and process improvement and marketing and communications, ensuring these functions operate as an integrated system rather than independently.

As a member of the senior leadership team, the Director contributes to organizational strategy, growth, financial planning, risk management, workforce planning, service development, and organizational performance. The Director is expected to translate strategic objectives into measurable operational outcomes and establish the structures, resources, accountability, and leadership capacity required to achieve them.

The position serves as a key advisor to the Executive Director/CEO and provides leadership to the management team responsible for the organization’s day-to-day programs and operations.

Key Accountabilities

Enterprise Strategy & Executive Leadership

• Serve as a member of the senior leadership team and contribute to the development and execution of the organization’s strategic plan.
• Translate strategic priorities into annual operational plans, departmental objectives, measurable outcomes, and implementation priorities.
• Provide executive leadership and oversight across programs and operational functions.
• Advise the CEO on organizational opportunities, operational challenges, emerging risks, resource requirements, and strategic decisions.
• Ensure organizational resources are aligned with strategic priorities and client/community needs.
• Identify opportunities for sustainable growth, program development, service expansion, partnerships, and innovation.
• Lead organizational initiatives that cross multiple departments or functions.
• Promote a unified organizational culture focused on client outcomes, accountability, collaboration, safety, quality, and continuous improvement.
• Act as a senior organizational representative with external stakeholders, partners, funders, community organizations, and other agencies as required.

Overall Program & Service Accountability

• Provide executive oversight of the organization’s addiction treatment, recovery, bed-based, admissions, and community programs.
• Ensure programs are designed, delivered, and evaluated in accordance with organizational strategy, evidence-informed practices, client needs, and applicable standards.
• Establish organizational expectations for quality, accessibility, client experience, service delivery, and outcomes.
• Monitor program capacity, utilization, referral patterns, admissions, discharges, waitlists, client flow, and service demand.
• Identify service gaps and opportunities to improve access, continuity of care, and client outcomes.
• Ensure appropriate integration between admissions, treatment, discharge planning, community programming, and ongoing supports.
• Evaluate new programs, services, partnerships, and operational models from strategic, financial, operational, and risk perspectives.
• Ensure program leaders have the resources, authority, and accountability necessary to achieve established objectives.

Executive Oversight of Operations

• Provide overall leadership for the organization’s operational infrastructure.
• Ensure effective systems are in place to support staffing, scheduling, facilities, supplies, technology, client flow, communications, and other operational requirements.
• Establish consistent operational standards across programs and departments.
• Identify inefficiencies, duplication, operational barriers, and systemic issues and ensure corrective action is taken.
• Lead operational planning associated with organizational growth, changes in service delivery, new programs, facility requirements, and organizational restructuring.
• Ensure business continuity and operational resilience.
• Establish clear decision-making authority and escalation processes across the management structure.

Leadership of the Management Team

• Directly lead, coach, and hold accountable the managers/leaders reporting to the position.
• Establish annual objectives and performance expectations for each direct report.
• Ensure managers understand their scope of authority, responsibilities, performance expectations, and organizational priorities.
• Develop management capacity and succession plans to support organizational sustainability.
• Create a culture in which managers are empowered to make decisions while maintaining appropriate accountability.
• Address performance, collaboration, communication, and organizational effectiveness issues at the management level.
• Facilitate regular leadership meetings and ensure cross-functional priorities are coordinated.
• Establish mechanisms to ensure decisions and strategic priorities are effectively communicated throughout the organization.
• Ensure appropriate workforce planning and leadership development across the organization.

Financial Leadership & Stewardship

• Provide executive oversight of financial planning and performance in partnership with Finance.
• Participate in the development of the annual organizational budget and long-term financial plan.
• Monitor organizational financial performance against approved budgets and forecasts.
• Ensure operational decisions consider financial sustainability and return on organizational resources.
• Review significant expenditures, staffing models, contracts, capital requirements, and operational investments.
• Identify opportunities for cost optimization without compromising client safety, service quality, or organizational values.
• Evaluate the financial implications of program expansion, new initiatives, staffing changes, and operational investments.
• Ensure managers are accountable for appropriate financial stewardship within their areas of responsibility.
• Support revenue diversification, funding opportunities, and sustainable program development.

Risk, Compliance & Organizational Governance

• Provide executive oversight of organizational risk management and compliance.
• Ensure systems are established to identify, assess, monitor, mitigate, and report organizational risks.
• Ensure compliance with applicable legislation, regulations, accreditation standards, funding requirements, contractual obligations, privacy requirements, occupational health and safety requirements, and organizational policies.
• Receive and review significant incidents, complaints, investigations, compliance concerns, and risk matters.
• Ensure appropriate corrective and preventive actions are implemented and monitored.
• Ensure significant risks are escalated appropriately to the CEO.
• Support emergency preparedness, critical incident response, business continuity, and crisis management.
• Promote an organizational culture in which risk, safety, compliance, and ethical concerns are identified and addressed proactively.

Quality, Outcomes & Continuous Improvement

• Provide executive leadership for quality improvement and organizational performance.
• Provide strategic oversight to ensure the successful achievement of accreditation standards and outcomes.
• Establish organizational KPIs and performance measures in collaboration with senior leadership.
• Ensure reliable reporting mechanisms are in place for program, operational, financial, quality, risk, and client outcome data.
• Review organizational performance regularly and identify trends requiring intervention.
• Sponsor major quality improvement and process optimization initiatives.
• Ensure policies, procedures, workflows, and systems are periodically reviewed and improved.
• Promote evidence-informed decision-making and measurable outcomes.
• Ensure quality improvement initiatives result in sustainable operational change rather than short-term corrective action.

Client Experience & Outcomes

• Champion a client-centred, trauma-informed, recovery-oriented approach throughout the organization.
• Ensure organizational systems support dignity, safety, accessibility, responsiveness, and respect for clients and families.
• Monitor client feedback, complaints, satisfaction, engagement, retention, transitions, and outcomes.
• Ensure client experience is considered in operational, programmatic, financial, and strategic decisions.
• Identify systemic barriers affecting client access or experience and ensure appropriate solutions are developed.
• Promote continuous learning from client feedback, incidents, outcomes, and service data.

Admissions, Community & Strategic Partnerships

• Provide executive oversight of admissions and community programming.
• Ensure effective referral and intake pathways are maintained.
• Strengthen relationships and strategic partnerships with healthcare providers, community organizations, treatment partners, funders, referral sources, and other stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities for strategic partnerships that enhance access, service integration, and client outcomes.
• Represent the organization externally when appropriate.
• Support community engagement and organizational reputation.
• Ensure marketing and communications strategies are aligned with organizational strategy and program capacity.

Marketing & Communications

• Provide strategic oversight of Marketing & Communications.
• Ensure external communications support organizational strategy, reputation, program awareness, community relationships, and appropriate service demand.
• Ensure public-facing information accurately reflects available programs, services, eligibility, and organizational priorities.
• Support organizational communications during significant operational changes, incidents, or strategic initiatives.
• Ensure communications are consistent with organizational values, privacy requirements, and applicable regulatory obligations.

Organizational Change & Transformation

• Lead or sponsor significant organizational change initiatives.
• Develop change strategies that consider people, processes, technology, financial implications, risk, and client impact.
• Ensure organizational changes are effectively communicated and implemented.
• Monitor adoption and effectiveness of major changes.
• Identify resistance, implementation barriers, and unintended consequences and take appropriate action.
• Build organizational capacity to adapt to changing client needs, funding environments, regulations, and sector trends.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in health administration, business administration, social services, addictions, psychology, nursing, public administration, or a related discipline.
• Master’s degree in a relevant discipline is an asset

Experience

• Minimum 8–10 years of progressive leadership experience, preferably within addictions, mental health, healthcare, social services, or a related not-for-profit environment.
• Demonstrated experience in senior operational leadership.
• Experience leading multiple departments and managing managers.
• Experience with organizational strategy, budgeting, risk management, quality improvement, and change management.
• Experience developing and implementing organizational policies, systems, processes, and performance measures.
• Experience working with regulatory, accreditation, funding, or external oversight bodies.
• Experience leading organizational growth, transformation, or significant operational change is an asset.
• Proficiency with office technology and administrative systems.
• Demonstrated commitment to customer service excellence and quality assurance.

Required Qualifications

• Satisfactory Police Record Check.
• Valid Ontario Class G Driver's Licence, reliable transportation, and proof of current automobile insurance in accordance with organizational requirements.

Working Conditions

• Ability to work independently within established policies, procedures, and deadlines.
• Frequent use of computer systems and standard office equipment.
• Regular periods of sitting and keyboard work.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and time-sensitive responsibilities.
• Occasional attendance at Board meetings, strategic planning sessions, and organizational events outside regular business hours.
• Occasional travel within the community may be required.
• Exposure to confidential and sensitive organizational, employee, and financial information.
• Occasional contact with soiled surfaces, objects, and biohazards
• Infrequent exposure to hazardous conditions and materials

What We Offer

• Group RRSP program
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits
• Paid vacation, paid statutory holidays, and additional paid time off
• Supportive and collaborative work environment
• Opportunities for professional growth and development
• The expected annual compensation will be $85,000- $115,000 per year. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, skills and internal equity

Accessibility & Equity Statement

Hope Place Centres is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible workplace. In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process upon request.

Hope Place Centres is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to recruiting and retaining a qualified workforce and is committed to hiring practices that are fair and equitable. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, experience, and organizational needs. Protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code will never be a factor in employment-related decisions.

This posting is for a new position within the organization. We do not use AI to screen applications or make employment decisions; members of our hiring team review all applications.