Director, Program Operations

About this position

POSITION TITLE: Director of Program Operations
LOCATION: Toronto - 54 Wolseley
APPLICATION CLOSING DATE: March 7, 2025 by 4:00p.m.

ABOUT STELLA’S PLACE: 
Mission: Partnering young adults and professionals to provide a collaborative, innovative model of mental health services.
Vision: Healthy, resilient young adults living the lives they choose.
Values: At Stella’s Place, we fundamentally value the capabilities and contributions of young adults, as we seek breakthrough innovations that benefit our community and society as a whole.

JOB DESCRIPTION: 
Join the Executive Leadership Team at Stella’s Place, an innovative mental health service provider for young adults (16-29 years), where your leadership will have a visible impact.  We are at a critical and exciting stage in our growth.  We have built the foundation and infrastructure for and are now delivering a menu of innovative, and impactful services within an integrated model of mental health care.  We have developed a strong profile amongst young adults in Toronto and beyond, and our evaluation and feedback data indicate that we are changing lives. We have earned a reputation within the health sector - more than 70% of our participants have been referred by health care professionals.  We have built a strong network of service delivery and research partners and continue to evaluate and adapt services to ensure quality, responsiveness and impact. Co-designed with young adults, our delivery model ensures access to integrated peer and clinical support, signature evidence-based interventions and training programs, and holistic wellness services.

Reporting to the Executive Director, as a key member of the leadership team and working closely with the Board of Directors, the Director of Program Operations (DPO) will be responsible for leadership, program development and evaluation, oversight of the clinical and recovery programming and financial management, program staff development and supervision, team building, and stakeholder relations. Day-to-day, you will lead a staff team of 25 exceptionally competent and committed practitioners, and coach program leaders, ensuring effective and inclusive services. Stella’s Place embraces an anti-oppression and trauma-informed framework and values-based practice.

As a thoughtful change leader, you plan strategically for sustainable program growth and continuous quality improvement. The Director of Program Operations will build on Stella’s Place strong clinical evidence-based approaches and adapt practice to better serve young adults, ensuring inclusion, accessibility, and equity-enhancing organizational practices.  You will play a key role in managing integration across program areas and engaging stakeholders through effective collaboration and communication.  You will participate in developing relationships with potential funders, contributing to program grant applications and monitoring quality and impacts. Stella’s Place has always envisioned our model being widely available, and this role would play a key part in continuing to consolidate the model (through delivery and evaluation) and developing and implementing a strategy for scaling.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES: 
Clinical and recovery program operations oversight:

• Ensure all programs/services are inclusive, values-based, and delivered through a trauma-informed lens within an anti-oppression framework
• Provide oversight to ensure clarity of program vision and delivery against key imperatives including integration of clinical, expressive art therapy, peer supports, and codesign
• Lead implementation of quality improvement initiatives including accreditation, evaluation, analytics review, feedback from staff and participants
• Lead participant information management practice to ensure effective decision-making according to best practices and evidence-informed practice; develop and monitor infrastructures for data gathering, safe-keeping and analysis of participant-related clinical, art therapy, peer and evaluation data in compliance with privacy and security regulations
• Ensure services are planned, delivered and evaluated in accordance with professional standards, best practice guidelines and legislative and funder requirements. Make recommendations regarding expansion, quality improvement, consolidation, and discontinuation of programs using  business intelligence and evaluation outputs
• Ensure program development is based on input, feedback and needs of young adults, as well as collaborative input from program team members, evaluation data, and evidence-based approaches
• Set strategic goals/plans for annual delivery 

Lead, coach and grow a learning-focused staff team and culture

• Coach/manage program leads (6) regarding program management, staff development and performance monitoring
• Ensure program staff have access to resources, supervision, support, ongoing Develop and operationalize budgets for each program area in collaboration with program managers
• Ensure financial targets associated with clinical, recovery and peer program operations and delivery are met; monitor budget allocations 
• Lead grant and government operating fund reporting

SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES:
In collaboration with other Leadership Team members, you will share responsibility for: 
Partnership development and management:

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with Toronto-based service developmental feedback, continuing professional development

Financial management and accountability: 

• partners and identified key stakeholders
• Identify and develop partnership agreements with key collaborators in program development, service delivery and evaluation

Executive Leadership Team participation:  

• Participate in organizational planning, strategic planning, growth management and implementation 
• Lead collaboration across Stella’s Place teams and support clear cross-team communication around transparent decision making
• Provide leadership in development of policy framework and implementation of anti-oppressive practices across the organization

 Other organizational leadership functions:

• Annual organizational budget development and review
• Strategic planning and stakeholder engagement
• Organizational development initiatives (e.g. Anti-oppressive practice, trauma informed practice, people development)

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:
To be considered for this position, you must have a Master’s degree in a health discipline (including membership in a professional college) or equivalent depth of leadership experience and demonstrated exemplary clinical skills with knowledge of best practice guidelines and evidence-based approaches.  

You will have held progressively-responsible clinical positions (from front-line to management) in a mental health and/or addictions, health, or community organization.  In addition, you will have:

• A commitment to, and experience with, building and leading an organizational culture that practices from an anti-oppression approach that embeds trauma-informed practice
• Proven abilities in program development, management, change management and organizational growth and capacity building
• Experience providing clinical services to young adults (16 – 29 years of age), including management-level contribution to a service delivery environment
• Interest in collaborative policy development and implementation of equity-enhancing practices across the organization
• A well-developed and broad network within the community of mental health/addictions, health, and community service providers
• A demonstrated commitment to peer support and recovery-oriented practice, and  a program development and evaluation orientation that is founded on principles of co-design and youth engagement 
• Demonstrated understanding/working knowledge of information management and data reporting requirements of health funders
• Proven experience with Client Information Management Systems, Personal Health Record management and Health Information Custodian requirements
• Strong technology skills and an interest in developing and delivering innovative online services to address the preferences of young adults
• Proven experience with program financial management, forecasting, budgeting, and reporting, and with grant and government operating fund reporting
• Experience with human resources planning and oversight 
• Demonstrated skill and experience operating in a level headed and calm way during crises and high pressure periods while supporting the staff team 

SALARY & BENEFITS:
Stella’s Place offers a competitive annual salary commensurate with experience and total rewards package; including comprehensive medical, dental and vision health benefits. 

HOURS & REPORTING:
Reporting to the Executive Director, this role will be in regular communication with the ED and leadership team. The DPO will meet regularly with the Executive Director for mentoring, professional development, and evaluation. 

• This is a full-time position, working 40 hours/week, starting as soon as possible. 
• Some evening and weekend work to support staff and stakeholders might be required occasionally. 

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND ACCOMMODATION:
Stella’s Place is committed to having a workforce that is reflective of the diversity of the City of Toronto in general and of our participants in particular. We strongly encourage applications from racialized persons, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression and all those who can provide and contribute to diversification of perspective at Stella’s Place.

Stella’s Place is committed to hiring practices that are inclusive and barrier free. Stella’s Place will provide reasonable and appropriate accommodation during all stages of the hiring process in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code in order to ensure the equal and fair assessment of all job applicants. Applicants are asked to make any accommodation request in advance.

YOUR APPLICATION:
Interested and qualified candidates are invited to submit their cover letter outlining your interest in working with Stella’s Place along with a detailed CV by March 7, 2025 at 4:00p.m. Please use this link to submit your application: https://stellasplace.applytojobs.ca/clinical/35525

We thank all candidates for their interest. We regret that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.