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Career Opportunity at COSTI

Opportunity

Career Opportunity at COSTI

Director of Refugee Services Apply Now

The Director of Refugee Services at COSTI manages strategic operations, serving as the primary liaison for stakeholder and government relations, and ensuring that services align with the organization's mission. This role is crucial in exploring new funding avenues and developing initiatives to enrich the immigrant community's support framework. Additionally, the Director ensures timely and accurate reporting, and responsive client support, while providing expert guidance on complex case management to achieve favorable positive outcomes.

BE A PART OF A DYNAMIC AND DIVERSE ORGANIZATION AS A DIRECTOR OF REFUGEE SERVICES

Duties:

Strategic Management and Leadership:

  • Participate in division management team meetings, organizational meetings, and external community commitments.
  • Develop and communicate strategic and operational goals, coordinating the planning, development, evaluation, and improvement of new and existing programs to optimize organizational performance. Establish systems to evaluate outcomes, adjust services based on outcome measurements, and monitor relevant KPIs.
  • Represent COSTI in community networking, public forums, and to the media to advocate on refugee, immigration, and resettlement issues.
  • Work with community groups and partners to incorporate their support for the benefit of refugee clients to support the organization's goals.
  • Represent COSTI in community networking. Maintain and strengthen relationships with funders, government partners, and community groups to support organizational goals.

Program and People Development:

  • Oversee, lead, coach and mentor 3 General Managers and a diverse team of over 250+ staff across multiple locations.
  • Provides guidance and support to program and service staff with comprehensive initial and ongoing supervision.  Promotes teamwork, monitors and coordinates direct service staff workload, delegates responsibilities, and holds staff accountable.
  • Provide leadership in identifying settlement/resettlement needs and developing corresponding services and programs. Coordinate proposal development and initiate funding opportunities with government partners
  • Provide supervision and support to staff, develop service standards, goals, and objectives, and oversee program quality assurance.
  • Hire, train, supervise, and develop staff to meet the goals and objectives of service delivery in compliance with contractual requirements, identifying staffing requirements and managing team development.
  • Effectively stewards resources to align them with priorities, creates processes that are inclusive, and delegates authority at appropriate levels. 
  • Coordinates initiatives with other COSTI programs to identify areas of potential services/program collaboration.

Compliance, and Advocacy:

  • Respond to and manage onsite crises or emergency situations as needed.
  • Ensure compliance with Toronto shelter standards, funder regulations, and internal policies, maintaining high standards of service delivery and monitoring compliance-related KPIs.
  • Remain current on systemic issues affecting refugees and develop policy and advocacy positions to address these challenges.
  • Recommend the development of new policies and guidelines and revisions to existing policies.
  • Demonstrates sensitivity to the cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of service populations, working effectively with diverse populations of all ages and backgrounds.
  • Recommends the development of new policies and guidelines and revisions to existing policies as needed.

Financial Oversight and Budget Management:

  • Oversee the planning, development, and implementation of multimillion-dollar budgets, ensuring they align with program goals and organizational guidelines.
  • Operate within approved budgets, completing duties within designated timelines, and regularly reviewing financial KPIs for efficiency and compliance.
  • Review and audit financial reports from General Managers to ensure accuracy and compliance with organizational standards.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in social work, sociology, psychology, counseling, (e.g., BSW, MSW or degree in Immigrant Services) or equivalent combination of education and experience will be accepted.
  • A minimum of 4 years of demonstrated track record of success and progressively responsible people leadership roles in a large complex, diverse and unionized environment that is related to community services.
  • Extensive experience in developing and administering human service programs. Has a deep understanding of the human service sector within a non-profit or community-based agency.
  • Minimum of four years’ experience in a Social Service environment, i.e. working with refugees, survivors of torture, persecution, war or abuse.
  • Knowledge of specific issues facing resettled refugees in general and the Resettlement Assistance Program more specifically.
  • Minimum 4 years of experience in direct engagement with funders, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the funding landscape and compliance set out in contribution agreements.
  • Strong financial management experience of government and community funding as well as development and management of budgets.
  • Strong leadership skills focused on providing standard and consistent service delivery aligned with contractual agreements and industry standards.
  • 4 years of experience in conducting service delivery analysis and implementing process improvements and best practices.
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently and to be effective at both leading and participating in a collaborative team setting.
  • Experience in writing successful funding proposals is an asset.
  • Collaborative and able to influence: able to form partnerships with colleagues, government and social service agencies; continually looks for effective ways to influence and seek buy-in; actively seeks and acts on ideas/concerns.
  • Embodies and models COSTI values, high ethical standards and personal integrity; is self-aware; values diversity; creates a culture, which is open, respectful, inclusive and diverse.
  • Must be able to maintain program/program participant/agency confidentiality and treat each program participant with dignity and respect.
  • A leader who is able to inspire others to embrace change.
  • Possesses advanced communication skills and political acuity, skilled at developing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders, including government and community partners.
  • Demonstrates collaborative abilities, influencing strategies, and actively seeks buy-in through forming effective partnerships and addressing ideas and concerns proactively.
  • Able to deal with ambiguity and solve problems in the absence of full information. 
  • Occasional travel is required to various COSTI locations for meetings.
  • Must be fully vaccinated or be exempt from vaccination on human rights grounds. COSTI reserves the right to require information establishing the validity of the exemption.

Location:

 Corvetti Education Centre, 760 College Street, Toronto

Duration of Position:

 December 2, 2024 to Open Ended

Starting Salary Range:

 $90, 989 to $96, 213 plus benefits

Posting Date:

2024-10-10

Closing Date:

2024-10-31

Notes:
Qualified candidates are invited to submit their resumes and cover letters as one file quoting reference #174-24 to the below link: https://creg.costi.ca/ui/hr/resume.aspx?refno=174-24&site=costi

"We thank all applicants for their interest in COSTI. However, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No telephone calls please."

COSTI encourages applications from individuals reflecting the diversity of our community. COSTI is committed to fair and accessible employment practices and when requested, will make reasonable effort to accommodate people with disabilities during the recruitment and assessment processes when filling positions.