Executive Director (Halton Children's Aid Society)

Executive Director (Halton Children's Aid Society)

Burlington, Ontario

ABOUT THE HALTON CHILDREN’S AID SOCIETY

Founded in 1914, the Halton Children's Aid Society’s mission is to “protect children and youth, strengthen their well-being and support lifelong, enduring relationships.” This is achieved through the Society’s community-based, child and youth-centred, family-focused model of service delivery. In addition to core child welfare services, the Society also provides case management support to youth who are homeless or are at risk of homelessness, through our Bridging the Gap program. The Society acts as the secretariat to the Our Kids Network (OKN), a regional partnership of organizations and agencies serving children and youth guided by research, the network collaborates to achieve alignment of services and supports to allow all children, youth and families to thrive. Halton Children’s Aid Society works in close partnership with the Children’s Aid Foundation of Halton (CAFH), a charity dedicated to helping children, youth and families receiving services from the Society. Governed by an 11-member Board of Directors, the Halton Children’s Aid Society is committed to its diversity, equity, inclusion and truth and reconciliation journey and contributes as a resilient, reliable, supportive community partner and leader. See haltoncas.ca for more information.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Board of Directors and supported by a six-member senior leadership team, the Executive Director will steward the vision, mission and guiding principles of the Halton Children’s Aid Society, providing leadership and oversight for 150 staff and a $23 million operating budget while upholding the Society’s values of wellness, empowerment, diversity and equity, integrity and accountability.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership and Management

• Leading the Society in accordance with the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, its regulations, standards, and guidelines and the policies, and directives of the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, and implementing new policies and programs in response to system demands.
• Overseeing daily operations while protecting and maintaining assets, monitoring expenditures and achievement of goals and objectives, applying enterprise risk management and continuous quality improvement practices, ensuring departmental integration, actively creating and encouraging an inclusive environment and utilization of equity practices and ensuring ongoing implementation of the strategic plan and service plan.
• Setting the overall direction of the Society, exemplifying and inspiring behaviours, actions and attitudes consistent with the Society’s mission, vision, values, goals, objectives and performance expectations.
• Providing strategic direction to the senior leadership team on service delivery and guiding them to assess future needs and priorities and prepare for the impact of emerging trends.
• Leading the Society through change as an enthusiastic champion, while guaranteeing organizational success, interdepartmental collaboration, goal achievement and client satisfaction.
• Promoting a fair, consistent, equitable, inclusive and respectful work environment that respects privacy – confidentiality and cultural sensitivity, encourages approachability, and staff participation, fosters a sense of belonging, teamwork and positive employee relations, provides mentorship for developing leaders, while managing client’s understanding and expectations of the services to be provided.
• Providing oversight to recruitment, onboarding, learning and development, performance evaluation, coaching, attendance, discipline and termination according to internal policies and guidelines and within the context of the collective agreement, the Employment Standards Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
• Ensuring effective distribution and utilization of staff in accordance with desired productivity levels, program goals and guidelines and conducting annual performance appraisals that support staff in establishing and attaining their goals.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB)

• Fostering an inclusive, accessible environment where all employees have a sense of belonging, and they along with service recipients and volunteers are valued and respected.
• Demonstrates strong knowledge, understanding and operational experience working within an anti-oppressive, anti-racism and equity lens and framework that is responsive to the knowledge and understanding of the culture, history and current oppressions experienced by racialized communities and individuals facing disabilities.
• Ensuring that all child welfare professionals are properly educated on the culture, history, impacts of residential schools and current oppressions experienced by Indigenous peoples.
• Championing the commitment to the implementation of the applicable Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the nine OACAS provincial commitments.
• Establishing as an important priority that placements of Indigenous children into care be culturally appropriate, and that all potential caregivers have the necessary cultural resources and tools prior to the placement of any children.
• Creating and leading the Society’s EDIB initiatives and policy improvements to foster belonging, ensure healthy and inclusive policy development and practice, enhance inclusion and encourage diverse perspectives and lived experiences while ensuring ethnic, spiritual, linguistic, neurodiverse, familial, cultural and ability-based differences are respected and acted upon in accordance with the Society's Code of Conduct and Confidentiality, Equal Opportunity, Anti-Oppression/Anti-Racism and Harassment & Discrimination policies.
• Consulting with key internal and external stakeholders to further the Society’s EDIB and anti-oppression objectives and to ensure responsiveness and accountability to diverse communities.

Board Governance

• Consulting with the Board on all governance matters relevant to the Society’s mandate and working with the Board’s sub-committees to ensure open communication, timely information transfer, effective governance and compliance with all policies and procedures.
• Presenting budgets as well as applicable business plans to the Board for their approval, providing input and oversight for the overall financial management and annual audit, and implementing systems to ensure accountability and transparency.
• Developing the Society’s strategic plan in partnership with the Board as well as goals, objectives, policies, plans and programs, incorporating equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging principles, and executing them in accordance with key performance indicators (KPIs) and community needs.
• Assisting in the recruitment, development and education of Board members, acting as their resource for policy development and providing leadership in collective bargaining within the Board’s set parameters.

Public Relations and Relationship Management

• Representing the Society as a spokesperson on controversial and sensitive matters involving a high degree of scrutiny to the media, public, other social services agencies, provincial ministries, and policymaking/funding bodies with a high level of confidence, sensitivity, clarity and political acuity.
• Representing the Society on provincial and joint CAS/community initiatives, demonstrating advanced political acuity to ensure successful representation and chairing committees as required.
• Establishing and maintaining effective relationships with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services and local and regional governments, funders, the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies (OACAS), community partners, the Indigenous community and others to represent the Board of Directors, collectively promote the interests of children and youth, identify organizational needs, develop strategic options and plans to capitalize on opportunities for the Society and share values and opportunities for collaboration while building rapport and establishing/developing credibility of the Society.
• Representing the Society in critical situations and crisis interventions, employing exceptional problem, issue, and conflict resolution and consensus-building skills to manage and direct divergent views and to ensure the most beneficial, collaborative outcomes.
• Developing and maintaining a positive relationship with staff and labour representatives, ensuring that organizational values and equity and inclusive principles are embedded within all programs and activities and fostering a supportive culture across all divisions and locations.
• Ensuring an ongoing productive and collaborative relationship with the Executive Director of the Children’s Aid Foundation of Halton and the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
• Maintaining an ongoing productive working relationship with the Executive Director of the Our Kids Network, the Champions Committee, and the contributing funders of the network. As the secretariat of the Our Kids Network, provide oversight to ensure effective financial, information technology, and human resources services are provided.

KNOWLEDGE, QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Strong knowledge, courage and commitment to truth and reconciliation, anti-oppression, anti-discrimination, anti-racism (including anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism), equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Master’s Degree in Social Work (preferred) with 15+ years of experience in progressively responsible social services leadership roles, preferably in child welfare or children’s mental health.
• Experience reporting to and working with a passionate, committed, involved Board, advising members on issues, trends, operations, and changing client needs. Understands Board governance and can build strong relationships and trust with Board members through transparency and communication.
• Strong financial and business acumen, with experience providing oversight to financial reporting, budgeting, internal audits and controls, and enterprise risk management.
• Results-oriented, but sets realistic accountability practices, policies, standards, tools, goals, objectives and measures at all levels.

HOW TO APPLY

To express interest in this exciting opportunity, email your cover letter and resume by September 30, 2024, to:
Patrick Rowan, Partner
Feldman Daxon Partners
416-515-3302 | prowan@feldmandaxon.com

Halton Children’s Aid Society is committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible environment where all employees and members of the public are respected. We are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. A diverse and inclusive workplace makes us stronger by using the collective strength of our lived experience, skills and viewpoints to deliver excellent service.

We are committed to a selection process and work environment that is inclusive and barrier-free. Accommodation will be provided in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code. Applicants need to make any accommodation requests for the interview or selection process known in advance. HR will work with you and the Interview Committee to arrange reasonable and appropriate accommodation for the selection process that will enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner.