Program Coordinator

The Career Foundation is a dynamic non-profit organization that offers a wide range of employment, training, and HR services to job seekers and employers. Since its inception in 1988, The Career Foundation has steadily expanded its services. Operating out of multiple locations, we now help thousands of people each year successfully accomplish their employment goals. Our team of dedicated professionals has described The Career Foundation as caring, compassionate, innovative, and team-oriented. For more information about us and our services, please visit our website at CareerFoundation.com.

Some of the benefits and features available to our employees include:

• Competitive compensation
• A comprehensive health benefits plan that includes massage therapy, naturopath services, travel coverage, and much more
• A comprehensive dental insurance plan
• An RRSP Matching benefit
• An Employee & Family Assistance program
• Employee wellness initiatives
• Paid days off for religious observance purposes
• Paid days off for personal wellness purposes

Program and Role Description: The Career Foundation’s Youth Thrive program operates both regionally and nationally, offering youth a variety of activities such as professional skills workshops, a virtual retreat, and volunteer placements. These opportunities help youth participants gain valuable skills and experiences, engage in important community projects, and promote civic engagement and social inclusion. Our national Youth Thrive program is available to youth aged 16 to 30 living in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, or Nova Scotia, while our regional Youth Thrive program serves eligible youth living in Ontario. Both programs particularly focus on youth who identify as Indigenous or are underserved from equity-deserving groups.

This Program Coordinator opportunity is available with our regional Youth Thrive program based at our North York office. In this management-level role, you will be responsible for overseeing and directly managing the program team, maintaining accountability for the program’s budget, and ensuring financial resources are used effectively to support program goals. You will also track key performance indicators (KPIs), monitor progress toward objectives, and prepare detailed reports for the program’s funder. You will also fulfill a range of other essential responsibilities that contribute to the overall impact and sustainability of the program.

Position Type:

Full-time (37.5 hours per week) one-year contract with excellent potential for permanency.

Base Location, Travel, and Requirements:

This position is based with our Youth Thrive program office in North York, Ontario, located near Lawrence Ave. West and Allen Road.

The successful candidate will work onsite from the office on a full-time basis to provide effective leadership to the team in all areas of program delivery. A valid Ontario G licence and access to a vehicle are required for essential travel to stakeholder locations, including to remote areas that are not accessible by transit. The position is also currently structured under a hybrid-remote schedule that permits one work-from-home day per week. The hybrid schedule is based on individual and team performance as well as operational needs and requires a private work-from-home space with reliable, high-speed internet. A company laptop, cell phone, and other equipment are provided

Please note that the work schedule for this position requires flexibility and availability to work some evening hours and occasional weekends to meet the needs of the program.

Background Check:

An offer of employment for this opportunity will be contingent on the incumbent providing an acceptable Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC).

Start date:

As soon as possible

Reporting to:

Senior Manager

Responsibilities include:

Program Monitoring, Quality Control, and Stakeholder Relations

• Maintains the quality of the program’s structure, workflow, and partnerships in line with the approved funding proposal to support the success of youth participants and placement organizations.
• Regularly monitors quality control and team performance against program targets to achieve expected results in line with The Career Foundation’s standards and the funder’s requirements.
• Establishes and manages program targets, deliverables, and milestones, allocating appropriate targets to team members.
• Oversees the program’s quality to all stakeholders to ensure the team delivers exceptional customer service and achieves targets.
• Monitors and maintains the case management model and ensures staff adherence to protocols and standards.
• Develops materials for workshops designed to teach independent job search skills and life skills to youth, and supports the team in facilitating these workshops, including periodically monitoring sessions to ensure quality and consistency.
• Maintains regular communication with the Senior Manager regarding program status and team performance in relation to funder requirements.
• Handles participant and stakeholder feedback, mediating issues as they arise.
• Addresses and effectively mediates conflicts or concerns between staff and clients when needed, exhibiting exceptional customer service skills, and seeks support from the Senior Manager as needed.
• Represents The Career Foundation at community partner meetings and develops partnerships with community service providers in Ontario to generate a diverse pool of referrals to the program, focusing on priority groups identified by the program’s government funder, including Indigenous, Black, racialized, 2SLGBTQI+, and persons with disabilities.
• Fosters positive relationships with the program’s funder and community partners.
• Performs other relevant duties as needed.

Staff Management

• Cultivates a positive and collaborative working environment, maintaining an open-door policy to provide team members with easy access to advice, feedback, and suggestions.
• Provides leadership, motivation, and expertise to the team in all areas of program delivery.
• Coordinates staff training, including leading and overseeing onboarding and training for all new team members.
• Regularly reviews role-specific training curriculum and makes updates in collaboration with the Senior Manager and HR as needed.
• Conducts quality performance management daily, including: providing constructive feedback, coaching, and direction to staff members who are not meeting performance expectations to help them improve; recognizing staff members performing well and providing opportunities for further growth and development, wherever possible; documenting regular performance discussions and ensuring formal performance reviews are completed at required intervals; and implementing disciplinary actions, including terminations, when needed through consultation with senior leadership.
• Demonstrates patience, open-mindedness, and respect at all times when managing the team, ensuring that everyone feels heard, valued, and engaged and is operating at their highest potential for their best interest and that of fellow team members and clients.
• Leads weekly team meetings to case conference, share progress towards goals, and leads the team in troubleshooting/ brainstorming issues.
• Prioritizes recruitment when a vacancy on the team must be filled, including conducting interviews in a timely manner when recommended by the HR department.
• Ensures that all team members adhere to The Career Foundation’s Policies and Procedures Employee Handbook.
• Oversees staff attendance, including review and approval of vacation and other absence requests.
• Performs other relevant duties as needed.

Reporting & Administration

• Oversees the quality of documentation maintained by the team of participant files and service records in mandatory data management systems.
• Regularly communicates and provides reports when requested to the Senior Manager and Director regarding the team’s progress towards goals, compliance with the funder’s guidelines, and The Career Foundation’s internal standards of practice.
• Prepares funder reports, business plans, and other communications required for the program for review by senior management.
• Responds promptly to funder requests in collaboration with the Senior Manager.
• Manages policy sign-off requirements and other correspondence with the team in a timely manner when requested by HR.
• Collects and updates statistical information as needed.
• Coordinates the retrieval of client files for the Director of HR when a request is received in accordance with The Career Foundation’s Privacy Policy for access to personal information.
• Performs other relevant duties as needed.

Budget Management

• Maintains, tracks, and administers the program’s budget with accurate and up-to-date data.
• Regularly reviews and reconciles budget expenditures with the Finance team.
• Assumes accountability for all related expenditures and budget outcomes.
• Oversees and approves staff expenses in accordance with related policies.
• Performs other relevant duties as needed.

Qualifications/ Skills Required:

• Three or more years’ managerial experience, including managing a staff complement of ten or more people, program and budget reporting, and demonstrated success in achieving targets.
• University degree relevant to the responsibilities of the position is highly preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• Prior experience working with youth in job coaching, job development, employment counselling, workshop facilitation, and/or community outreach is highly desired.
• Prior experience in government-funded projects, preferably in youth programming, and serving those who identify as Indigenous and/or are from underserved, equity-deserving groups, is considered an asset.
• Knowledge of Indigenous cultural, educational, political, and economic contexts is considered an asset.
• Must be willing to work from The Career Foundation’s North York location on a full-time basis.
• Valid Ontario G driver’s licence and reliable access to a vehicle to conduct essential travel to meet key deliverables, including to locations not accessible by transit.
• Proven track record in a results-driven environment with experience meeting assigned targets.
• Exceptional relationship development skills and the ability to develop rapport with people in all stakeholder groups, including team members, community partners, funders, program participants, and employers.
• Skilled at identifying systems and practices for operational effectiveness and efficiency.
• Excellent verbal and written English communication skills with experience writing high-quality reports. Bilingualism in French or other languages is considered an asset.
• Demonstrated organizational skills, effective time management, and ability to multi-task to meet deadlines and achieve objectives.
• Ability to maintain sensitive information, exhibit tact, diplomacy, and good judgment, with high professionalism, ethics, and confidentiality standards.
• A professional and courteous approach to client service with a high level of respect for the diversity of the people served.
• Exceptional customer service skills and the ability to uphold the organization’s service standards, policies, and core values.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), and Office 365 applications, including Teams and SharePoint. Must possess the aptitude and willingness to learn and work with new online systems and technologies.
• Flexible and available to work some evening hours and occasional weekends to meet the needs of the program.
• Demonstrated ability to remain flexible and resilient, adapting quickly to changing priorities while maintaining trust and positive working relationships.
• An encouraging team player with a positive attitude who leads by example and takes initiative when needed to ensure that objectives are achieved.

The Career Foundation’s Commitment:

The Career Foundation is committed to diversity and inclusion and aims to create a healthy and rewarding environment for all. We welcome applications from qualified individuals who represent the diversity of the people we proudly serve, including, but not limited to, visible minorities, women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and individuals of all genders and sexual orientation. The Career Foundation, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), is also committed to accommodating applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. We will work with candidates requesting accommodation at any stage of the hiring process.