Program Director

At House of Friendship, we believe in what we are doing. We get out of bed each day to make a difference in our community; to walk with and to serve. We are not happy with the status quo.  We get energy from ongoing learning and growth. We lead with passion and believe without a doubt that everyone deserves to belong and thrive. We live and breathe our values of Compassion, Inclusion, Justice, Dignity and Hope. And we have fun!

Sounds pretty great doesn’t it? It is! 

House of Friendship is a leading provider of solutions in the areas of housing, addiction services, food security and community development across Waterloo Region (www.houseoffriendship.org). Our 86-year history has built a legacy of innovation, adaptation and the continuous pursuit of better ways to meet the needs of individuals and families impacted by poverty and addiction. Our mission is at the centre of all we do as we pursue more integrated ways to walk with community members experiencing increasingly complex needs.

We are looking for an authentic, bold and creative individual to lead our housing and community services teams, spearheading system change, collaborative partnerships and service innovation.  This leader will champion the continued integration of housing and healthcare/addiction and the “More than Food” philosophy and approach to community services. In addition to being a known collaborator, this position calls for a person with exceptional people and program leadership skills, with proven results in coaching, inspiring and developing large teams across multiple programs to deliver operational excellence and maximum impact for participants. The ideal candidate will possess strong business acumen in driving resource efficiency, data-driven decision-making and a culture of evaluation. Adept at creating the conditions for healthy, high-functioning and unified teams, this experienced operational leader will passionately progress the integration and alignment of our programs across House of Friendship in close collaboration with the Clinical Director and Quality Director.  

As a member of the Organizational Leadership Team, this role has a shared responsibility to work effectively as a member of this team to develop and carry out House of Friendship’s Strategic Plan (Building Health, Building Belonging), annual plans and organizational commitments. Leading in an ever-evolving environment, this role also requires a leader who has a keen ability to build and maintain productive partnerships with funders and community agencies as well as to develop solutions to emerging, complex and integrated issues related to housing, addiction and community development. 

** This is a permanent, salaried, full-time (37.5 hours per week) position with paid sick time, personal days, vacation time; group health benefits and defined contribution pension plan.

Valid G class driver’s license and access to a personal vehicle are required for frequent travel throughout Waterloo Region. **

Key Responsibilities:

• Effectively lead, develop and support program managers and supervisors who lead programs region-wide, including inter-program planning.

• Responsible for the healthy and safe operation of the programs; ensuring a physically and psychologically healthy work environment for all team members.

• Create the conditions and approaches that enable a healthy, unified culture across programs.

• Collaborate and co-create service enhancements and solutions with the Clinical Director and the Quality Director to enhance participant experience and outcomes across all of House of Friendship’s programs.

• Champion operational excellence across and within programs, creating and implementing approaches and consistency across a large team that addresses complex issues.

• Enhance participant experience and outcomes by improving integration and alignment across House of Friendship’s programs.

• Embed organizational commitments to operational excellence across programs, including risk management, emergency preparedness, incident management, participant records, privacy and engagement, and policies and procedures.

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with donors, partners and agencies to increase opportunities for innovation and positive outcomes.

• Develop evidence-based strategies to achieve efficient and effective programs and service delivery aimed at providing housing and community development supports to those experiencing poverty across the Region.

• Act as a change agent; contributing to continuous improvement and the successful implementation of change initiatives.

• Take a lead role in community consultation and community leadership development initiatives.

• Collaborate with leaders across the organization and in the community to evolve our housing and community development strategies.

• Provide oversight to the development and management of program budgets including investigating potential new funding sources, cost efficiencies and partnership arrangements.

• Represent House of Friendship at applicable community/partner/funder meetings and forums; bringing relevant issues and solutions to the conversation.

• As a member of the Organizational Leadership team, contribute to the overall annual and strategic planning processes of House of Friendship.

• Embed data literacy and program measurement across the program teams, with a focus on excellence in data capture, active use of established tools and reports, and building a culture that pursues continuous improvement.

• Establish and monitor service targets.

• Support and promote the mission of House of Friendship and positively represent the agency to our constituencies and the community.
  

Job Specific Knowledge/Skills:

• Very strong leadership, team building and decision-making skills required, including demonstrated strength in coaching and developing leaders and large teams.

• An authentic, bold and creative leader with a passion for and proven results in creating vibrant, healthy team culture, including the ability to coach others through conflict.

• Strong track record of leading operational excellence and organizational alignment across multiple programs and large teams.

• Passion for working in poverty alleviation with good knowledge of community resources and the ability to connect and build relationships for the benefit of the community and House of Friendship’s programs.

• Proven skills in strategy, influence and negotiation, with a demonstrated ability to cultivate and maintain productive partner relations.

• Demonstrated skill in building and maintaining productive relationships (staff, community partners, funders).

• Proven skill in systems transformation, strategy, influence and negotiation with a demonstrated ability to cultivate and maintain productive partner relations.

• Working knowledge of housing and community development issues and services, and/or healthcare systems is an asset.

• Experience with a data-driven decision support environment

• Ability to work collaboratively in cross-divisional, cross-departmental and multi-stakeholder teams.

Education/Experience:

• University degree with at least five (5) years of previous experience working in a leadership capacity, with at least two of those years as part of an organization’s senior leadership team

• Master's degree considered an asset

• A minimum of 3 years of experience leading a large team of 150+ staff across multiple programs and sites, preferably in a direct service context

• Education, training or experience working within a poverty-alleviation context, preferably within a non-profit or social services environment.

• Change management/project management experience preferred

Critical Skills:

• A passion for leadership with a demonstrated high level of skill in coaching people-leaders and creating a healthy team culture in large teams across multiple programs & sites;

• Proven expertise in leading large teams to achieve operational excellence in service execution;

• Proven skill in systems transformation, strategy, influence and negotiation with a demonstrated ability to cultivate and maintain productive partner relations;

• Ability to connect and synthesize information from various sources and to seek out opportunities to turn information into action;

• Exemplary emotional intelligence, resilience, communication, conflict management and problem-solving skills required;

• Outstanding interpersonal skills and the ability to inspire confidence and trust amongst all stakeholders, acting ethically and responsibly in all interactions;

• Demonstrated ability to create and maintain a positive work environment including the ability to navigate change in a positive and productive manner;

• Experience or strong interest in working with diverse populations including people from various cultural and faith backgrounds, income levels and disabilities, with sensitivity to their needs;

• Strong intercultural competency, with the ability to recognize and respect cultural diversity, and an ability to be diplomatic and sensitive to the dynamics of a culturally diverse workplace;

• Experience with and commitment to using an anti-racism, anti-oppressive and trauma-informed approach in consultation, program design, evaluation processes and service delivery;

• Respectful, supportive and engaging approach to persons with physical and/or cognitive disabilities, addictions, mental health and other life challenges;

• Commitment to understand and uphold the mission and values of House of Friendship is expected;

• Ability to work professionally as a team member with staff, participants and community members;

• Excellent project, timeline and deadline management skills including skills in logistics and planning and detailed record keeping;

• Able to model effective problem solving by recognizing the human, interpersonal and technical sides of a problem, show flexibility and explore possible solutions in an innovative and creative way.

Compensation:

At House of Friendship, we know that our team members are the key to the success of our organization and our ability to provide essential services to the community. In support of our mission and in alignment with our values, House of Friendship is committed to ensuring fair, market competitive, and rewarding compensation practices for all of our team members. We aspire to support our team members to create a great work environment where our team is able to thrive, succeed, and have positive work experience.

House of Friendship compensation practices, including our pay grid, have been developed using documented leading pay practices in the not-for-profit sector including Pathways to Decent Work (Ontario Nonprofit Network) and Ontario Living Wage Network. We value the experience that new team members bring to the organization and have a process in place to review previous related experience for placement on our pay grid.

We value the work that you do with fair pay and benefits:

• Time off includes five (5) weeks of vacation, 5 personal days and sick credits totaling approximately 12 days per year

• Full-time benefit plan including Extended Health Care (EHC), Dental, Group Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D), Long Term Disability (LTD), Flexible Spending Account and Employee & Family Assistance Program

• We believe strongly in supporting the mental health of our team members, including providing access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program, $2,000 for counselling services and our workplace Wellness and Psychological Health and Safety programs.

• We help you save for the future by providing a retirement plan that includes a matched Group Pension Plan as well as a Group RRSP and a Group Tax Free Savings Account

Rate of Pay:

At House of Friendship all compensation ranges are categorized under a series of “grades” and we base our payment structure on internal equity. When determining rate of pay, a candidate’s past related experience will be taken into consideration.

Grade: 7

Min: $47.65

Mid: $54.90

Max: $62.16

Working Conditions: 

• Travel throughout the Region of Waterloo; consistent access to a reliable vehicle and driver’s license required

• Encountering participants at program sites who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and/or experiencing symptoms of mental illness can be expected

• 37.5 hours per week, generally daytime, weekday hours with some flexibility for some evening and weekend hours to support the programs and attend community events

• Hybrid work environment; regular in-person and online meetings with the ability to perform some work from a home office

House of Friendship is open and inviting to qualified candidates with lived experience.

House of Friendship supports justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. We strive to be a workplace free of harassment and discrimination and we are committed to removing barriers and being an inclusive, work environment. House of Friendship is a place where each person can bring their true selves and feel that they belong. We aspire to be an organization that is anti-racist and anti-oppressive so that our team, and therefore our community, can truly belong and thrive.

We invite applications from all qualified candidates and actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to accessing employment including, but not limited to Indigenous Peoples, members of racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

If you require accommodations to be able to participate fully at any stage in the recruitment process, including applying for this position, please let us know so that we can discuss accommodation options.  Accommodations will be provided upon request.

If you are as passionate as we are about serving the community, and ready to make a huge impact,

let’s talk.

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter here:

https://house-of-friendship.hirehive.com/program-director-kitchener-on-7gB0QB

By end of day December 22, 2025.