Job Opportunity: Director, Sustain Ontario
Posted: April 10, 2015
Categories: GoodFoodBites / News from Sustain Ontario / Opportunities / Volunteer. Job and Writing Opportunities
Job Posting: Director, Sustain Ontario
About Sustain
Since its founding in 2008, Sustain Ontario has played a key role in bringing together many of Ontario’s diverse food and agricultural organizations to influence the direction of food system development in this province. For information please visit www.sustainontario.ca/about
Sustain Ontario, a project of Tides Canada Initiatives (TCI), is looking for an inspiring, experienced and dedicated individual to fill the position of Director. The successful candidate is someone who can articulate the long-term outcomes for healthy food and farming in Ontario, and move Sustain Ontario toward those long-term goals. They are passionate about the work and have a proven track record of leadership, including the ability to guide and motivate teams comprising people of diverse backgrounds and experience.
Sustain Ontario faces a turning point in its life cycle and is looking for a dynamic individual who can lead the organization through the changes. A planning exercise has developed a Three Year Strategic Plan and Sustain Ontario is looking for a person who can take this plan, find funding to carry it out, and continue to innovate and support actors within the food system in Ontario.
Candidate Profile
The Director is required to act as a leader, spokesperson for the organization and to oversee all aspects of the work of Sustain Ontario, from staffing, fundraising, strategic initiatives and campaigns to financial, and operational management, while supporting a diverse volunteer Steering Committee and engaging a broad membership that represents all actors in the food value chain as well as health, environmental and social justice organizations that are interested in food and farming.
Responsibilities
General Management and Administration
- Defining and evaluating long‐term mission and short‐term goals.
- Planning for successful achievement of Sustain Ontario goals and implementing work plans.
- Day‐to‐day operations and program delivery.
- Supervising staff and contractors.
- Fundraising to meet expenses.
- Ensuring compliance with all grant agreements.
- Ensuring that project activities comply with all policies and procedures.
- Providing regular activity reports to the Steering Committee and to the support team.
Financial Administration
- Ensuring financial health of the project.
- Preparing an annual budget to review with the Steering Committee and the TCI Support Team.
- Monitoring expenditures in relation to budget limits.
- Reviewing all invoices and expense reports and ensuring all necessary supporting documents and approvals accompany submissions.
- Ensuring invoices and expense claims are submitted in a timely manner, and per the schedule in contracts where applicable.
- Reviewing monthly financial statements with the Steering Committee.
Human Resources Management
- Communicating to project employees the goals, policies and principles of the project.
- Maintaining familiarity with human resources guidelines, policies and practices.
- Supervising all project staff.
- Advising Human Resources of any personnel issues as soon as they arise.
Leadership, Vision, and Management
- Establish and uphold a safe, open, productive and healthy work environment.
Fundraising
- Build and support the project’s fundraising capacity on an ongoing basis.
- Continually monitor, evaluate and report on fundraising against targets.
- Maintain excellent relationships with funders and donors and implement stewardship and recognition plans.
- Ensure the timely implementation of, and reporting on, funder deliverables.
Communications and Community Relations
- Act as the primary spokesperson for the project (e.g., with media, at speaking events).
- Oversee the development of public communication materials (e.g., annual report, website content, social media).
- Maintain excellent relationships with community partners and forge new relationships that advance Sustain Ontario’s mission.
Qualifications:
- Significant experience with results-oriented management in the charitable and not-for-profit sector.
- A strategic thinker who has the ability to maintain strategic focus in alignment with the Sustain Ontario’s mission, while possessing the skills required to identify new and emerging opportunities.
- Someone with the capacity to identify and collaboratively work with partners to support their needs.
- Experience working with a diverse range of players, including partnerships with academia, non profit organizations, charities, and industry organizations.
- Experience in Board and organizational management.
- Significant fundraising capacity and as well as a proven track record of success with managing diversified funding strategies and budgeting in a not-for-profit setting.
- Excellent communication, negotiation and diplomacy skills.
- Skilled in dealing with policy makers at various levels of government.
- Experience with the financial, administrative and human resource management necessary for a small not-for-profit.
- Capacity to manage a small staff team, various project consultants and volunteers.
Location
Preferably, the Director will be able to work in the Toronto office on a regular basis.
Travel around the province will be required.
Compensation
$65,000–$75,000 commensurate with experience, vacation, and potential benefits.
Desired Start Date
End of May 2015
How to Apply
Together with your resume, please forward a cover letter, which includes your responses to the following questions:
- What interests you most about this position?
- Based on the qualifications, why are you a strong candidate?
- What do you feel are the most significant priorities for the health of food and farming in Ontario?
Interested candidates are asked to forward their resume and cover letter to Attn: Melissa Watkins at sustainopportunities@gmail.com by Wednesday April 30 at 5 pm.
We thank all applicants; however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
As Sustain Ontario is a Project of Tides Canada Initiatives Society (TCI), the selected candidate will be an employee of TCI.