Vice President, Capital and Asset Management

The Opportunity

The YMCA is more than 150 years strong in Guelph-Wellington, Stratford-Perth, and Waterloo Region. At the same time, the YMCA of Three Rivers as an organization will be celebrating our 5-year anniversary in October 2025, following our unification. We are the unification of the YMCAs of Cambridge & Kitchener Waterloo, Guelph, Stratford and St. Mary’s, joined together with intention – to even better serve our growing regions.

The YMCA of Three Rivers is seeking a Vice President of Capital & Asset Management with a passion and deep commitment for building connecting, thriving and shining communities in the regions we serve.

At our YMCA of Three Rivers, we are building more than just spaces – we are shaping vibrant communities where everyone belongs. As we continue to grow and invest in the future of our region, we are seeking a visionary and strategic leader who will execute on our Strategic Plan – Places pillar to create inclusive, diverse, accountable and sustainable spaces to uplift experiences that increase belonging and connection. This unique opportunity to lead transformative capital projects, steward our physical assets and ensure our facilities reflect the excellence and care we bring to every program and service. If you are passionate about community impact, infrastructure innovation and sustainable development, we invite you to build the future – one space at a time.

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, this roll will be a part of a dynamic Senior Leadership Team (SLT), driving the execution of our newly developed strategic plan. With a people-first lens, strong focus on financial viability and sustainability, and a deep commitment to JAIDE (Justice, Access, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity) and Well-being, this role will lead and collaborate with a dynamic team of operational leaders to elevate inclusive, connected, and sustainable spaces across our Y. The Vice President will oversee a multi-site capital projects and asset management plans to ensure that we not only meet operational excellence standards, but align to create our environmental sustainability goals. By partnering to deeply understand our service fundamentals and evaluating our environmental impact, this leader will partner to create spaces that foster belonging and connection, while exploring innovative approaches to deliver programs, partnerships and practices beyond traditional ways in collaboration with our operational leadership teams.

A key area of partnership and focus in this role will be providing thought partnership and leadership to infrastructure development, asset management planning, financial oversight and risk management for capital investments, while navigating careholder management and consultation required to see our capital asset plans to success. As we scale new projects and continue working on existing capital initiatives, this leader will embody an approach that is able to bring both visionary thinking and hands-on execution to the table. The successful leader in this role will be energized by the opportunity to build and innovate, while driving delivery for sustainable growth and momentum in our capital projects.

About the YMCA of Three Rivers

The YMCA of Three Rivers is one of the community’s largest non-profit organizations. We are dedicated to the enrichment of our communities through the development of people and families. Through our work, we foster belonging and well-being, and dedicate ourselves to building a connected, thriving and shining community every day.

For more than 150 years, we've demonstrated our commitment to our communities by showing up and delivering the programs, outreach, and services to our people who need us. This is the good stuff that we’re all about. And in unifying, we’re equipped with a re-commitment and a bold, new shared vision and purpose.

Our goal? Keep showing up for our communities - where, when, and how they need us most.

Our Mission

Our purpose as a charity is to make our diverse communities healthier and more vibrant. With dignity and respect, our programs and services inspire individuals to reach their full potential.

Our Vision

We aspire to build connected and resilient communities. We are working to be a leader in challenging systemic bias and barriers by creating and providing equitable access to individuals and communities to support their emotional, mental and physical health, and overall well-being.

Guiding Principles

We are STRONG - strengthened by the diversity of our teams, we are committed to building communities where there is no place for stigmatization and intolerance.

We are SAFE - through a strengthened sense of community, we encourage personal growth through a commitment to listening, learning and continually working to create a safe and inclusive environment.

We are CONNECTED- through outreach we put our people and community first by listening, responding and adapting to their needs.

Our Values

Equity- we recognize that everyone has different experiences and needs and will work to provide the appropriate resources and/or support.

Inclusiveness - through a strengthened sense of community, we foster a safer environment in which we respect, encourage, and engage individuals of diverse perspectives and backgrounds. We appreciate the beauty that diversity brings to the YMCA of Three Rivers and our communities.

Advocacy- we stand up, speak out and defend individuals' and communities' rights to have their voices heard, in order to effect change to create a more equitable society.

Health & Wellness - we are committed to fostering the holistic health and well-being of all people at all ages and stages of life. We nurture people's ability to attain better emotional, mental and physical health, and well-being, fostering personal growth and bringing enthusiasm and vitality to everyday life.

Accountability- we exhibit integrity, fairness and sincerity in both our words and actions. We are responsive to our communities through the relevance of our choices and the quality of our actions, commitments, and services.

Empathy- we treat all individuals with compassion and dignity.

Respect - we acknowledge our shared humanity and the inherent value and dignity of all individuals. We show respect by actively listening, hearing, and responding to individuals as they are. We take a people­ first approach, wherein all individuals are respected as they are and for who they are.

Programs and Services

The YMCA of Three Rivers employs nearly 2,000 employees and volunteers and operates a diverse array of programming across our communities including licensed Child Care, before-and-after-school programs, Youth programs, Health & Wellness centres, Employment Services, Immigrant Services, Student Nutrition programs, data-driven employee well-being programs, EarlyON programs, summer day camps, and the largest YMCA overnight camping program in the country.

• Youth Focused Programs

• Health & Wellness Programs

• Child Care

• EarlyON

• Overnight & Day Camps

• Employment Services

• Immigrant Services

• YMCA WorkWell

Within Health & Wellness communities, our amazing team of professionals serve participants throughout centers located in Guelph-Wellington; Stratford-Perth and Waterloo Region - and the impact is significant (2024 numbers):

• Serving 35,000+ Health and Wellness participants

• Engaging over 49,000+ youth touch points across targeted programs

• Supporting over 13,000 clients + in our Immigrant Services area

• Creating wonderful memories for over 5,000+ campers

• Preparing over 14M+ meals and snacks across multiple regions in Student Nutrition

JAIDE - Justice, Access, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity

Our purpose as a charity is to make our diverse communities healthier and more vibrant. With dignity and respect, our programs and services inspire individuals to reach their full potential.

Since 2020, our YMCA of Three Rivers have rooted ourselves in action of J A IDE -Justice, Access, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity as we work towards becoming an equity-advancing organization. It guides our actions, interactions, and decisions. When we started this work, we used the core values of Equity and Accountability to shape our way forward through these values and their importance to our JAIDE work. JAIDE is not a project; it's a way of being and becoming. One that we are practicing in our actions, interactions, and decision making.

Since the creation of our original JAIDE Action Plan in 2022, we have committed to an important enabler in our JAIDE Change Journey, to guide us through continuously listening, (un)learning, and engaging to inform how we act. We have gained new perspectives, broadened our thinking and embraced new constructs in areas that needed work. In building our JAIDE in Action Road Map, we leveraged the data collected from our JAIDE Survey (completed in November 2023), as well as the feedback and diverse experiences of our employees, participants, volunteers, and community members that have engaged with us over the last few years.

Our JAIDE work is about building a learning organization that embraces reflection and dialogue, while moving at the speed of trust and relationships on this JAIDE Change Journey. As future actions will be unknown and ambiguous - this means we will work in consultation to always define what commitments will look like, what resources will be required, and how long commitments will take. This way of working continues to break down Western and dominant frameworks, so we can embrace decolonizing and introducing inter-cultural adaptive frameworks to elevate (un)learning through engagement and consultation.

Additional Information:

YMCA of Three Rivers

2024 Annual Report

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Planning:

• Lead the development and execution of long-term capital and asset management strategies aligned with the YMCA’s mission and strategic plan.
• Provide executive oversight for capital planning, infrastructure investment, and real estate development initiatives.
• Collaborate with senior leadership to identify opportunities for growth, renewal, and optimization of YMCA facilities.
• Support the execution and alignment of the Strategic Plan and delivery of the operational milestones within the plan; assume accountability for the development, implementation and evaluation of the key priorities, include setting annual targets, shape the work environment, allocate resources, and oversee complex capital asset investment projects.
• In partnership with the CEO, report regularly to the Senior Leadership Team and Board of Directors regarding the strategic plan and operational capital asset management planning oversight for each service area.
• Oversee the capital and asset management requirements, including annual budgeting, maintaining service standards, participant and employee experiences impacts, and ensuring safety through audits and annual upgrades.
• Responsible for the budget development and management including revenue, expense and capital investment strategies related to existing priorities, assets and strategic projects and plan for future capital development strategies in alignment with our strategic plan.
• Oversee the annual budgeting, regular forecasting and reporting required to municipal, provincial, federal and community funders and donors, as required to support capital asset management initiatives.

Capital Projects & Infrastructure Development

• Oversee the planning, budgeting, and execution of capital projects, including new builds, renovations, and facility upgrades, along with balancing existing work already underway.
• Ensure all projects are delivered on time, within scope, and on budget, while meeting quality and sustainability standards.
• Manage relationships with architects, contractors, consultants, and municipal authorities.
• Build a strong equity and accountability framework to inspire, motivate and engage in building and progressing towards strengthening JAIDE practices to elevate Places Pillar in the strategic plan.
• Research trends and emerging areas to build out and improve environmental and sustainability impacts of our facilities, programs and services in partnership with our service area leaders.

Capital Asset Management & Stewardship

• Develop and implement a comprehensive asset management framework to ensure the long-term sustainability of YMCA properties that span multiple-site operations and facilities alongside operational leaders.
• Monitor the condition and performance of physical assets, ensuring compliance with safety, accessibility, and environmental / sustainability standards.
• Lead the development of preventative maintenance programs and lifecycle planning.
• Research trends and developments and formulate proactive strategies to achieve the YMCA vision, embracing and enabling the highest potential of both the Association and its people.

Capital Investment & Financial Oversight

• Prepare and manage multi-million-dollar capital budgets related to asset management.
• Identify and mitigate risks associated with capital investments strategic plan.
• Support fundraising and grant applications related to capital projects in partnership and stewardship with our Philanthropy leadership team.
• Oversee the capital projects, develop and manage YMCA’s capital budgets, including ongoing capital forecasting, in partnership with our Finance leadership team.
• Collaborate operational teams to guide YMCA’s capital investment strategy, offering leadership around service area budgets related to investments, providing expert input to ensure alignment with long-term asset management goals and organizational sustainability.

Care-holder Engagement & Reporting

• Serve as the primary liaison with diverse care-holders, including the Board of Directors, senior and operational leadership team on capital and asset matters.
• Cultivate strong, trust-based relationships with operational service area leaders to deliver on the capital and asset management mandate. Ensuring open communication, shared accountability and alignment of priorities to ensure successful partnership on execution of infrastructure and investment strategies across our association.
• Provide regular updates and reports on project progress, asset performance, and strategic initiatives.
• Foster strong relationships with community partners, donors, and government agencies in partnership with Philanthropy leadership team.
• Work alongside government and community partners to increase understanding of challenges and factors impacting our community and asset management capabilities, advocating for funding and partnerships to improve collective impact.

Operational Alignment and Leadership Enablement

• Work closely with Facilities Management to ensure consistency in procurement, supplier and service agreements, and leveraging scale for operational efficiency and alignment.
• Collaborate closely with operational leaders across service areas to align infrastructure, asset management and capital investment strategies with the newly formed Strategic Plan, enabling activation and engagement.
• Contribute to the design and refinement of systems and process that embed JAIDE commitments into sustainable action planning and operational decision-making.
• Promote a culture of collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement working across functions on strategic priorities and operational excellence.
• Position the role to evolve into a leadership capacity over time with potential to build and lead resources as capital initiatives and organizational needs scale and evolve.

What you need to succeed:

• Commitment to the YMCA’s Mission, Vision and Values and Strategic Plan
• Build a culture of accountability rooted in the health, safety and well-being of all children, youth, and vulnerable people in YMCA programs including understanding legal and moral obligations related to reporting suspected child abuse to Child Protection Services
• Required to travel between our regional sites and provide daily in-person presence at all operational locations to support capital asset management oversight and facilities delivery, program and leadership oversights
• Regular engagement and interaction with our community to develop relations internally and externally through a people-first, JAIDE and Well-being lens
• Collaborate with senior and operations leaders to ensure a coordinated and strategic approach with the YMCA’s various careholders
• Collaborate closely with these leaders and our People Team to align our people practices across the regions we serve
• Models appropriate behaviours to our people in line with the YMCA Mission, Vision and Values
• Establishes rapport and maintains effective relationship-building behaviours with employees, participants, and members, and represents our YMCA values, culture of JAIDE and Well-being

Qualifications & Key Competencies

• Advanced post-secondary academic education or equivalent experiences with an ongoing commitment to learning & development and critical skills in capital and financial/budget asset management, project and change management.
• Blend of technical expertise in capital planning, with exceptional communication and relationship-building skills to foster collaboration in leading significant infrastructure renewal and capital redevelopment initiatives.
• Significant experience in capital asset management, developing and planning new programs, negotiating agreements and achieving outcomes expected within anticipated timeframes, knowledge of funding structures and impact of changing government priorities for program delivery.
• Progressive leadership experience managing large scale development projects ideally with capital planning and project execution experience with ability to manage large projects, keep careholders involved (e.g. from front-line employees to Board of Directors) and meet key milestones and deadlines.
• Leadership experiences in a complex, multi-site operations focused on delivering community programs and services in innovative, creative and sustainable pathways (within the non-profit or charitable sector would be an asset).
• Deep commitment to our JAIDE (Justice, Access, Inclusion, Diversity & Equity) and Well-being work.
• Leadership motivating, inspiring, coaching, and empowering dedicated, high impacting teams with ability and willingness to be hands-on and always keeping a people-first approach.
• Strong change management and project management skills with the ability to work effectively in building a collaborative and healthy team culture.
• Demonstrated ability to resolve conflicts creatively with multiple partners and care-holders.
• Ability to use sound judgement and a high degree understanding when dealing with sensitive and confidential matters.
• A proven leader, facilitator, project manager, and relationship builder able to operate comfortably at all levels.
• Demonstrated strong analytical, planning and conceptual skills, especially within complex, matrixed organizations.
• Attracted to an environment in which leaders leverage a data-informed lens to problem-solving, using critical thinking, research and analytical skills – thinks beyond the obvious using strong analytical and conceptual skills, while applying emotional and cultural intelligence to co-create solutions
• Well-developed interpersonal, and relationship building skills; ability to establish rapport and excellent communication with employees, members, participants, and volunteers
• Capable decision maker with a strong orientation towards impact and measurement and respects and invites others’ in reaching commitments together
• Commitment to JAIDE and Well-being with experience as an ally, learning and acting to implement equity-focused initiatives that address systemic barriers

Please note: As an organization we are committed to the safety and well-being of children, youth and other vulnerable populations, we prioritize the protection of those under our care. All employees must meet specific requirements, including obtaining a clear Police Vulnerable Sector Check and providing three work-related relevant and objective references.