CharityVillage

About The Career Foundation:
The Career Foundation is a dynamic non-profit organization that offers a wide range of employment, training, and HR services to job seekers and employers. Since its inception in 1988, The Career Foundation has steadily expanded its services. Operating out of multiple locations, we now help thousands of people each year successfully accomplish their employment goals. Our team of dedicated professionals has described The Career Foundation as caring, compassionate, innovative, and team-oriented. For more information about us and our services, please visit our website at CareerFoundation.com.

Some of the benefits and features available to our employees include: 

• Competitive compensation
• A comprehensive Health Benefits plan that includes massage therapy, naturopath services, travel coverage, and much more
• A comprehensive Dental Insurance plan
• An RRSP Matching benefit
• An Employee & Family Assistance program
• Employee wellness initiatives
• Paid days off for religious observance purposes
• Paid days off for personal wellness purposes

Program & Role Description: The Career Foundation’s ReSet program is designed to help income-support recipients prepare for and successfully transition into employment. This program consists of two phases. Phase one focuses on helping individuals recognize the barriers that prevent them from pursuing meaningful careers. Through employment readiness and life skills training and coaching, clients will develop a new outlook and a strong interest in pursuing employment. As a result of phase one, clients will successfully transition into the Integrated Employment Service. Phase two provides alumni support and coaching to ensure clients are equipped and motivated to strengthen their attachment to the labour market.

The Program Manager will be an essential part of this program, responsible for overseeing operations and service delivery, ensuring that each location offering the ReSet program through The Career Foundation meets and exceeds its targets. They will provide hands-on operational support, including coaching and performance management of team members, developing community and employer relationships, and supporting client outcomes to ensure the program's success.

Position type:

• Full-time (37.5 hours per week) contract until March 31, 2026

Location and Requirements:

• The Career Foundation’s ReSet program will primarily operate from our North York, Etobicoke, and York locations, with rotational delivery at our Scarborough and Toronto full-suite Employment Centres.  
• The Program Manager’s designated base location will be our North York office located at Lawrence Ave. W. and Allen Rd., with frequent local travel to our Etobicoke and York offices, as well as rotational on-site work at our Scarborough and Toronto locations.  
• The successful candidate must be willing to work on-site on a full-time basis to provide effective leadership to the program team in all areas of program delivery

Start date:

• April 1^st, 2025

Vulnerable Sector Check:

• An offer of employment for this opportunity will be contingent on a Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC).

Reporting to:

• Senior Manager, Employment Services

Responsibilities include:

Monitoring Service & Quality Control

• Conducts regular daily monitoring of service delivery to ensure quality training, coaching, and support to clients.
• Reviews staff schedules, wait times, client files, client service interventions, client referrals, client feedback/evaluations, progress towards target/goal achievement, workshops, and other areas of service delivery, ensuring that all requirements in The Career Foundation’s and funder's guidelines are met.
• Provides leadership and expertise to the team in areas of community and employer partnerships to achieve required client volumes, quality training and coaching, information and referral services, workplace exposure, client alumni support, and other key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Manages participant and stakeholder feedback, mediating issues as they arise.
• Addresses and effectively mediates conflicts or concerns between staff and clients when needed, exhibiting exceptional customer service skills, and seeks support from the Senior Manager as needed.
• Oversees the quality of the program, ensuring 100% service satisfaction of stakeholders while meeting and exceeding overall effectiveness, customer service, and efficiency targets.
• Ensures that the team utilizes and leverages technologies provided by The Career Foundation for efficiencies and to help lead clients to successful outcomes.
• Performs other relevant duties as needed.

Staff Management

• Cultivates a positive and collaborative working environment, maintaining an open-door policy to provide team members with easy access to advice, feedback, and suggestions.
• Provides leadership, motivation, and expertise to the team in all areas of program delivery.
• Coordinates staff training, including leading and overseeing onboarding and training for all new team members.
• Regularly reviews role-specific training curriculum and makes updates in collaboration with the Senior Manager and HR as needed.
• Conducts quality performance management daily, including: providing constructive feedback, coaching, and direction to staff members who are not meeting performance expectations to help them improve; recognizing staff members performing well and providing opportunities for further growth and development, wherever possible; documenting regular performance discussions and ensuring formal performance reviews are completed at required intervals; and implementing disciplinary actions, including terminations, when needed through consultation with senior leadership.
• Demonstrates patience, open-mindedness, and respect at all times when managing the team, ensuring that everyone feels heard, valued, and engaged and is operating at their highest potential for their best interest and that of fellow team members and clients.
• Leads weekly team meetings to case conference, share progress towards goals, and leads the team in troubleshooting/brainstorming issues.
• Ensures that all team members adhere to The Career Foundation’s Policies and Procedures Employee Handbook.
• Prioritizes recruitment when a vacancy on the team must be filled, including actioning interviews in a timely manner when recommended by the HR department.
• Oversees and approves staff attendance, including approval of vacation days and other eligible paid days off.
• Performs other relevant duties as needed.

Reporting & Administration

• Oversees the quality of documentation maintained by the team of participant files and service records in mandatory data management systems.
• Regularly communicates and provides weekly reports to senior leadership regarding the team’s progress towards goals, compliance with the funder’s guidelines, and The Career Foundation’s internal standards of practice.
• Prepares funder reports, business plans, and other communications required for the program for review by senior management.
• Responds promptly to funder requests for information and support.
• Manages policy sign-off requirements and other correspondence with the team in a timely manner when directed by HR.
• Collects and updates statistical information as needed.
• Coordinates the retrieval of client files for the Director of HR when a request is received in accordance with The Career Foundation’s Privacy Policy for access to personal information.
• Performs other relevant duties as needed.

Budget Management

• Maintains, tracks, and administers the program’s budget with accurate and up-to-date data.
• Regularly reviews and reconciles budget expenditures with the Finance team.
• Assumes accountability for all related expenditures and budget outcomes.
• Oversees and approves staff expenses in accordance with related policies.
• Performs other relevant duties as needed.

Outreach, and Partner and Funder Relations

• Develops and implements various effective outreach strategies for the team to ensure a steady flow of client intakes.
• Represents The Career Foundation at community partner meetings.
• Builds and maintains relationships with community partners to facilitate client referrals and enhance services and supports to meet clients’ needs.
• Works with the team and other site managers to support the development of relationships with employers to facilitate job placements.
• Performs other relevant duties as needed.

Qualifications/ Skills Required:

• A leader with at least 3 years of direct management experience supervising a team, including prior management experience within the Employment Services industry, where daily monitoring and proactive performance management were required to meet standards and achieve targets.
• Prior direct experience in community outreach, client engagement, group facilitation, life skills coaching, employment counselling, or job coaching is required.
• Life Skills Coaching Certification is considered an asset.
• Knowledge of community resources, support available to job seekers, and current labour market conditions.
• Exceptional relationship development skills and the ability to develop rapport with people in all stakeholder groups, including team members, community partners, funders, program participants, and employers.
• Demonstrated experience supervising staff and providing quality feedback and coaching, leading to improved outcomes.
• Experience managing program budgets effectively.
• Must be results-driven in nature with a demonstrated ability to achieve targets.
• Demonstrated organizational skills, effective time management, and ability to multi-task to meet deadlines and achieve objectives.
• Skilled at identifying systems and practices for operational effectiveness and efficiency.
• Excellent verbal and written English communication skills with experience writing high-quality reports. Bilingualism in French or other languages is considered an asset.
• A university degree is preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• Exceptional customer service skills and the ability to uphold the organization’s service standards, policies, and core values.
• A professional and courteous approach to client service with a high level of respect for the diversity of the people served.
• High ethics with a proven ability to maintain sensitive information, uphold confidentiality standards, and exhibit tact, diplomacy, and good judgment.
• Capable of working under pressure and meeting deadlines.
• Willingness to step in to assist team members when needed to ensure that program goals are achieved.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Outlook 365 applications, including Teams and SharePoint.
• Must possess the aptitude and willingness to learn and work with new online systems and technologies.
• Willingness and flexibility to occasionally work outside regular business hours when required to ensure the team meets all objectives
• An encouraging team player with a positive attitude who leads by example and takes initiative when needed to ensure that objectives are achieved.