Chief Operating Officer, Vancouver or Kamloops (CLOSED)
About Open Door Group
Established in 1976, Open Door Group started as a small group of volunteers in Vancouver offering woodworking and sewing workshops for individuals living with disabilities.
Open Door Group has now grown to be one of BC's largest independent not-for-profits in the employment services sector, providing employment and vocational rehabilitation services to over 4,000 individuals a year, including those facing significant barriers to employment. In 2023, the organization expanded nationally, adding Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario to its service footprint. Open Door Group operates with an annual budget of $25 million, 120 staff, and additional supervision of over 50 partner staff in 11 physical locations throughout the province.
Open Door Group’s vision is a world where all people have access to opportunities that give them purpose, prosperity, and belonging. The organization’s mission is to foster well-being for all by opening doors to sustainable and meaningful employment. This includes direct service delivery, contract management, and working with employers to access untapped pools of talent. Working in partnership with all levels of government, more than 20 service organizations, and hundreds of businesses, at their core, Open Door Group is about people and relationships.
As one of Canada’s Certified Great Places to Work, a Living Wage Employer, and a CARF-accredited organization, Open Door Group prides itself on modelling a culture of compassion for others.
Read more about Open Door Group’s Mission, Vision, and Values on their website.
The Opportunity
Chief Operating Officer
Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Chief Operating Officer (COO) is responsible for strategically leading and managing a comprehensive array of services and programs. This position will ideally be situated at Open Door Group’s main office in Vancouver, but may also be based out of their Kamloops operations.
The COO sets comprehensive goals for contract performance and, on an ongoing basis, reviews services being offered. The COO develops, or redevelops, new/existing programs as needs emerge with an eye for consistently elevating service delivery, internal operations, and reporting—all while protecting the organization’s positive culture. The COO is responsible for all activities pertaining to output and outcome performance, personnel, finance, and contracts.
The COO builds strong relationships and partners with leadership team members—the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief People Officer (CPO), Director of Quality and Risk Management, Director of Information Technology, and Corporate Communications—while also being responsible for all program evaluation, planning, organizing, operating, and staffing.
The COO is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing the program aspects (~$20M) of the annual budget in conjunction with the CFO and CEO. They are also responsible for ensuring that Open Door Group programs and services adhere to all federal, provincial, funding, and city regulations, certifications, and licensing requirements.
Finally, they are a key member of the proposal writing team for existing contracts.
The COO empowers the Operations Team of 25+ staff in all planning, coordination, staffing, and execution. Four positions report directly to the COO:
Director of Employment - Interior
Director of Employment – Lower Mainland
Regional Director of Employment & Disability Services
Manager of Centralized Administration
The COO’s main responsibilities include but are not limited to:
Overseeing the day-to-day operations of all programs and support services, and preparing and monitoring operating plans
Developing, supporting, guiding, coaching/mentoring, and leading/managing program and service directors to the next level, resulting in a high performing team
Facilitating program development, implementation, and evaluation, including staying abreast of labour market trends, key competitor developments, best practice programs and services, and service design theory and methodology, as well as utilizing evidence-based evaluation to identify program development areas that will improve client/candidate programs/services
Implementing and leading a continuous quality improvement process that focuses on ensuring programs and services are efficiently organized, and that systems/processes are consistently followed and always improving
Identifying and incorporating technology to improve efficiencies throughout operations and support transformation projects
Ensuring continued financial viability and program success through sound fiscal and program management
Establishing, monitoring, and reporting on the achievement of performance metrics in the areas of revenue generation, program output/outcome, service utilization, quality assurance standards, and measurements
Providing programmatic leadership and input for all strategic planning processes with the CEO and staff
Staying abreast and informing the CEO of funding opportunities from municipal, provincial, and federal government sources and support in the acquisition of economically viable or strategically focused government contracts
Essential Qualities and Experience
The ideal candidate is a proven leader with a track record of successfully managing within a prominent program or service-based organization. Executive leadership experience within a comparably large and complex organization with contracted regional/provincial program or service deliverables in human services including employment services or other areas such as housing, health services, disability, mental health, family, and immigration/settlement will be considered an asset.
Demonstrated leadership in operational excellence, innovation, inclusivity, transparency, and a passion for the mission will be keys to success in this role. The COO must be able to honour the organization’s mission and trajectory, while leveraging the collective strengths of the team and applicable technologies to continuously enhance organizational approaches, processes, culture, programs, partnerships, and profile.
Our client inclusively welcomes credibly experienced leaders to apply for the role, but will prioritize candidates who possess the following attributes:
Master’s Degree in a related field such as Business Administration, is preferred, or other applicable professional certificates in areas such as project management or change management.
Minimum of 10 years of experience with at least 5 years of upper level management experience preferably in comparably complex organizations delivering regional/provincial programs and services.
Ability to work with and influence multiple key stakeholders and peers in order to accomplish strategic objectives, and deliver programs and services.
Strong communication skills including ability to write clear and concise reports.
Analytical, planning, and organizational experience with attention to detail.
Demonstrated experience using and implementing computer applications, including CRM and Office 365 applications, and identifying technology solutions to enhance operations, address challenges, and improve service delivery.
Strong interpersonal skills including tact, diplomacy, and flexibility to work effectively with leadership, staff, government officials, and the public.
Unrestricted driver’s license and use of motor vehicle.
Search Process
This position is a strategic leadership role and the Open Door Group will pay competitively commensurate with comparable opportunities, with a salary budgeted between $145,000-$155,000, depending on experience, plus access to the Municipal Pension Plan and other benefits including a competitive vacation allowance starting with five weeks.
The search process may include conventional longlist, shortlist, and committee interview stages. We will request for finalists to offer comprehensive recent references and to complete a background check.
We expect to process our first review of applications by June 29, 2023.
Diversity is part of Open Door Group’s DNA. They are proud to offer equal employment opportunities, and actively encourages equity, diversity, and inclusion in its workplaces. They seek leaders who represent, at all job levels, the diversity of the people they serve and encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, individuals of all genders and sexual orientation, origin and ethnic affiliations, disability, age, and religion.
Accommodation will be provided by Open Door Group and Mosaic Executive Search throughout the recruitment, selection, and assessment process, upon request, to applicants with disabilities.
Applications (cover letter and curriculum vitae) or nominations for the COO opportunity with Open Door Group should be submitted in confidence to: info@mosaicsearch.ca
You are also welcome to email:
Dave Namkung (dave@mosaicsearch.ca) or
Beth Young (beth@mosaicsearch.ca) with any related questions.
