Department
Strategy, Innovation & Transformation
Reports to
Group Head & EVP, Strategy, Innovation & Transformation
Job type
Full-Time, Permanent, Hybrid working 3-4 days per week
Location
Ontario Based
Posting period
Monday, September 1, 2025
The opportunity
Are you motivated by the chance to help ensure all young people in Canada can access mental health support and Feel Out Loud? Kids Help Phone (KHP) is Canada’s Unlock The Hope Youth Charity. We’re the first and only 24/7 e-mental health service in the country and a global leader in innovation for youth and their well-being.
Summary of role:
As Executive Director, Innovation & Product, you will provide transformative leadership and vision for Kids Help Phone’s innovation and product agenda. You will champion strategies that drive measurable impact, foster a culture of experimentation and continuous improvement, and reimagine how products and services are developed, launched, and optimized for the benefit of youth across Canada. You will work cross-functionally to align innovation priorities and strategy with KHP’s vision for the future, manage vendor and partner relationships and ensure financial sustainability through robust forecasting and planning. You will work in deep partnership with the Executive Director, Technology & Data to align innovation with technology infrastructure (including AI, game development, personalization) and with operational leaders across the organization to build on the legacy of clinical excellence. Identification and pursuit of new funding opportunities and revenue streams will be a key aspect of your role. Your role is essential to ensuring Kids Help Phone remains at the forefront of digital youth mental health care. If you’re interested in transforming e-mental health solutions with KHP, you can explore this opportunity today!
Key responsibilities
Strategy and Innovation Leadership
- Innovation and Product Strategy - Develop and lead the organization’s innovation and product strategy ensuring alignment with long-term vision, business objectives and enterprise-wide strategy. Guide the evolution of existing products and lead the visioning, development, and management of net new products, services and experiences. GenAI, gaming and clinical technology are key areas of exploration.
- Align Applied Research with Product and Innovation – Working closely with Executive Director, Applied Research, develop rapid implementation cycles and feedback loops to translate Applied Research to products, services and experiences in the hands of young people, anchored on evidence of safety and efficacy.
- Align Technology Architecture with Product and Innovation – Working closely with Executive Director, Data and Technology, align Innovation and Product roadmap with Data and Technology to ensure technical feasibility and timing to take products 0 to 1 followed by scaling and iteration to optimize product-market fit.
- Impact Framework - Support the development and implementation of KHP’s innovation impact measurement framework. Collaborate with data, evaluation, and operational partners to define, track, and communicate clear metrics, ensuring all innovation initiatives and products demonstrate measurable outcomes for young people and stakeholders.
- Thought Leadership and Storytelling - Represent the organization externally, building visibility and credibility for KHP’s innovation leadership through speaking engagements, panels, stakeholder engagement and internal communication.
Operational Excellence and Product Delivery
- Implement New Ways of Work - Champion the adoption of innovative methodologies, tools, and mindsets that foster a culture of experimentation, learning, and continuous improvement. Introduce agile, design thinking, and other iterative approaches to accelerate innovation cycles, empower cross-functional teams, and maximize impact with limited resources.
- Reimagine Product Operating Model - Lead cross-functional collaboration to redesign Kids Help Phone’s product operating model for the end-to-end product lifecycle. Oversee process improvements spanning ideation, design, launch, feature updates, versioning, performance optimization, and ongoing management—ensuring agility, responsiveness, and user-centered outcomes across all products and services.
- Operational Excellence - Deliver milestones, features, and prototypes on time and on budget, with a clear pathway to measurable impact. Drive operational discipline and continuous refinement in all processes related to product and innovation delivery.
- Contract Negotiations - Ensure compliance and successful outcomes in contract negotiations with research and technology partners, in close alignment with Technology & Data leadership.
People, Partnerships and Sustainability
- Partnership Development - Establish, steward, and champion new and existing partners, including those advancing acceleratorKHP, to enhance innovation capabilities and product offerings.
- Revenue Generation – Lead funding applications for existing funding sources (government, donors, etc..). Identify and secure new revenue streams for long term growth and sustainability of acceleratorKHP.
- Team Leadership - Inspire and mentor high-performing teams, cultivating talent and fostering a collaborative, forward-thinking environment. Instill a culture that values experimentation, user feedback, and cross-disciplinary partnership.
Preferred qualifications
- 7+ years of leadership experience
- Strong strategic thinking and execution capabilities, with progressive leadership experience in innovation, product management, impact measurement, and operational transformation.
- Experience with AI and/or game based product development is desired.
- Financial forecasting and business planning skills.
- Demonstrated leadership of cross-functional teams in complex stakeholder environments and resource-constrained contexts.
- Experience implementing agile, design thinking, or other modern innovation methodologies.
- Exceptional relationship-building, partnership, negotiation, and communication skills.
- Proven ability to deliver impactful products and measurable business or social outcomes.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a strong executive presence and ability to influence at all levels.
- Experience at a top consulting firm is considered an asset
Don’t meet every qualification listed? Studies often report equity-deserving people are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every requirement. KHP is dedicated to building a more diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role, but your experience doesn’t align with every qualification, we welcome you to apply anyway. You may have the qualifications / experience for this role or other opportunities at KHP!
The application process
To apply for this opportunity, you can tap the “Apply” button on this page and follow the on-screen instructions.
About KHP, Canada’s Unlock The Hope Youth Charity
KHP is Canada’s first and only free, multilingual and confidential e-mental health service that’s always open, offering youth from coast to coast to coast support and a non-judgmental space to Feel Out Loud. Since 1989, KHP has been the empowering, trusted changemaker that helps give young people’s feelings a place to go through unparalleled e-mental health solutions. With innovation in our DNA, KHP integrates data, technology, clinical expertise and more to help deliver a personalized well-being experience for all youth, so they can thrive in their world, no matter where life takes them. For more information and opportunities to help young people let their feelings out, you can visit KidsHelpPhone.ca.
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA)
KHP has a role to play in effecting social change and advancing equity. We will not waver on these commitments and will continue leading the way in making the workplace, and the world young people live in, more inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible.
As such, we always welcome applicants from equity-deserving communities (e.g. Indigenous Peoples, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women, 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, etc.). We strongly believe that alleviating the underrepresentation of equity-deserving groups will help create a stronger KHP and help us better support the needs of youth from coast to coast to coast.
To learn more about how we are committed to advancing IDEA, you can explore KHP’s IDEA 2023–2027 Strategy and Action Plan
Accommodations
KHP welcomes applications from people living with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request during any phase of the application / hiring process. If you’re contacted about an opportunity, you can reply and let us know if you require accommodations at any time.
Compensation and benefits
Salaries at KHP are determined by candidate experience, qualifications and specific skill sets, as well as market and operational considerations. Potential additional benefits at KHP include:
- Hybrid work model
- Comprehensive Employee Benefits Program
- Emergency Travel Assistance
- CAAT Pension Plan
- Wellness programs
- Recognition awards
- Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
Candidate verification
The successful candidate for this opportunity will be asked to complete a background screen, which may include criminal, credit, employment and educational checks. All offers of employment are conditional on the receipt of satisfactory results of any applicable check.
Privacy
KHP cares about your privacy! We’re required to save select information about opportunities, applications and interviews for set periods of time. To learn more, you can explore KHP’s Privacy Policy or contact us using our general form.
Message to agencies
KHP doesn’t accept unsolicited phone calls, referrals and / or resumes from any source other than directly from candidates. KHP won’t consider unsolicited phone calls, referrals and / or resumes from vendors including and without limitation, search firms, staffing agencies, fee-based referral services and recruiting agencies. The submission of unsolicited referrals and / or resumes by anyone other than a candidate directly to KHP is deemed gratuitous. KHP won’t be obligated or bound in any way to pay a referral or any other fee if a person referred to us from a source other than a direct candidate is subsequently hired.