Vice President, YMCA WorkWell

Buzzwords. Are we right? They’re everywhere, and they often come with a series of should’s and comparisons. Are you doing it? Have you got it? And yet, they miss out on defining the elusive "it,” while demanding a one size fits all approach.

But not us.

For us, workplace well-being isn’t a buzzword. It stands at the very centre of all that we do. In fact, we’re bold enough to claim that it is the only thing worth doing. That’s right, well-being is everything.

Where do we get off making this claim? It's in how we approach and deliver on workplace well-being. For many, workplace well-being is a destination. It’s something to achieve. It’s a box to be checked. But, we can all agree that people — an organization’s greatest asset — are more complex than that. And so, it only makes sense that the definition of workplace well-being address this.

Work-place well-be-ing (verb)

“Creating and fostering the optimal conditions for individuals and teams to learn, grow, and develop. Building a better place to go to work, each and every day.”

While there are many community insights and trends to inform our work — including our own annual Insights to Impact Community Well-Being and Special Issue Reports — what sets us apart is our tailored approach to supporting teams. Our focus is on helping leaders establish a clear and accurate understanding of where their teams are thriving and the most impactful barriers and stressors they’re experiencing. Most importantly, we take these insights and break them down into small, concrete, actionable steps that leaders can start taking today to improve workplace well-being. Then, we walk with leaders and their teams as they start to put these insights into action. We care about our clients and their teams, and so we prioritize helping managers and leaders capture small, but meaningful wins and accelerate impact.

You could be our next trusted partner and leader in workplace well-being.

We are looking for a people-first leader, someone who leads with humility and approaches their work with openness, passion, curiosity and imagination, inspiring and motivating others to do the same. This strategic leader dreams big, charts a course, and is able to execute with the whole team while prioritizing building connections and community. If this sounds like you, please keep reading!

The challenge: To build stronger, healthier, thriving organizations through well-being strategy development and delivery of ongoing results that make an impact on the people we serve, the lives we change, and the sense of belonging we build in our communities.

What You’ll Do

People & Culture — Through a people-first lens, you will provide leadership guidance and coaching to the YMCA WorkWell team on a wide range of areas related to talent management and resource planning, talent acquisition and onboarding, and training and development of the team, while continuing to grow and foster healthy team culture within YMCA WorkWell and across the YMCA of Three Rivers.

Strategy & Vision — You will develop and lead the execution of YMCA WorkWell’s long-term strategic roadmap, aligned to the mission, vision, and values of both the YMCA of Three Rivers and YMCA WorkWell. You will lead the planning, implementation, and achievement of YMCA WorkWell’s strategic outcomes. This will involve bringing insight into factors affecting workplaces and our communities at large, and leveraging the intersectionality of current services to grow offerings and increase impact. You will provide leadership to the product roadmap to ensure long-term strategic alignment, while exploring potential revenue stream opportunities, third party service assessment, and overall profitability and capacity management.

Operational & Financial Leadership — You will provide both operational and financial leadership to the team. This includes leading an operational, capacity and resource strategy for the team and the work. You will also be responsible for profitability management and ensuring that revenue recognition targets are achieved. You will lead the annual budgeting process, regular forecasting and reporting internally and as required for external partnerships, community funders, and donors.

Client Relations & Revenue Generation — You will support client relations and build relationships to ensure success of major contracts and partnerships within Canada and the United States across the non-profit, government, and corporate sectors. You will support revenue generation activities by identifying major parternship and business development opportunities. This also involves partnering with the team to deliver on business development plans and actively contribute to revenue generation.

Community Partnership & Relationship Management — As an active community and connection partner, you will work alongside YMCA of Three Rivers’ senior leaders, partners, Board of Directors, and government and community partners to increase understanding of the challenges and factors impacting our community and service systems, advocating for funding and partnerships to improve collective impact.

What You Bring

You have a minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience in complex, multi-site organizaitons, and a post-secondary education in a related field, or a comparable combination of experience and education. Exposure to the fields of business, human resources, psychology, and statistical analysis and/or qualitative analysis will be important considerations. Entrepreneurial experience including starting up and/or scaling up a new business area is a value-add.

As a strong communicator, you courageously lean into challenging conversations with curiosity and humility — even when it’s hard. You embody what it means to be a people leader at the YMCA of Three Rivers through your actions, and you walk the talk when it comes to living out our organization’s values, as well as our Justice, Access, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (JAIDE) work.

As a bridge builder, you are always looking to collaborate and build strong relationships and partnerships to foster community and connection. You are a team player and have demonstrated the ability to use sound judgement, integrity, and a high degree of tact in dealing with sensitive and confidential matters. Problem solving and change management are key skills you rely on in your day-to-day work. You are a continuous learner who aims to stay up to date on industry trends.

You possess the willingness to roll up your sleeves and help your team get the work done. This could look a little different each day, but you will find ways to individually contribute to the overall success of both YMCA WorkWell and our clients.

What’s Needed for Success

Additional training and/or certification (or in progress) in one or more of the following would be beneficial: human resources (CHRL/CHRE), learning and development (e.g., CTDP/CTP, adult education), coaching (ICF ACC or PCC), and/or consulting (e.g., PMP).

Progressive experience in the fields of consulting, project management, coaching, content development and delivery, public speaking, relationship building and management, and applied research capabilities.

Business acumen including consulting experience with a focus on operations and strategic management, while balancing project advisory capacity and being nimble with a focus on developing creative solutions that address the needs at hand.

Relationship building, demonstrating experience and comfort working with all levels of an organization, from frontline employees to senior leadership and CEOs.

Proficiency in Microsoft suite of products (e.g. Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.)

Acceptable Police Vulnerable Sector Check is required.

What You’ll Gain

You will be an integral part of a senior leadership team that is committed to providing meaningful connections and high-quality services across Guelph-Wellington, Stratford-Perth, and Waterloo Region. Overall, you will join a diverse and dynamic team and an organization that has a massive impact across our community. You will be part of a local organization, but you will also be joining a global movement. Your work will have impact and the community we call home will be a little better every day because of you.

Our Justice, Access, Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity (JAIDE) Commitment

Our JAIDE Journey is about how we take action to make our diverse communities healthier and more vibrant. With dignity and respect, our programs and services inspire individuals to reach their full potential.

In 2020, we began the intentional work of dismantling systemic barriers to help deliver on this commitment. To that end, we are currently invested in intentional JAIDE work. JAIDE stands for Justice, Access, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity. Through the lens of this work, we will be reviewing our policies, procedures, programs, and services in order to ensure we are fostering safe, welcoming, inclusive, and supportive spaces for all. To learn more about our JAIDE Action Plan, click here.

We embrace diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace, welcoming applications from all qualified persons. We encourage Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, gender diverse people, people with diverse abilities, members of ethnic minorities and faith groups, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. Applicants will not be discriminated against based on race, colour, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, ability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected group.

Don’t meet every single requirement?

Studies have shown that women and people of diverse backgrounds are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification in the posting. We are committed to creating an environment where we eliminate barriers and promote inclusion of equity groups. We strongly encourage applications even if you don’t believe you meet all the requirements outlined. We will do our best to respond.

In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, accommodation will be provided at any point throughout the hiring process, provided the candidate makes their accommodation need known to the YMCA of Three Rivers.

To learn more about the YMCA WorkWell, please visit our website.

The YMCA of Three Rivers complies with the Employment Standards Act, Pay Equity Legislation and privacy laws. In keeping with privacy laws, we are committed to protecting personal information by following responsible information handling practices. For more information on the YMCA of Three Rivers’ commitment to privacy, please visit our website. Only candidates under consideration will be contacted.

Who We Are

YMCA WorkWell: Your trusted partner in workplace well-being.

At YMCA WorkWell, we look to science and insights to drive a clearer understanding of workplace health and well-being.

While there are many community insights and trends to inform our work – including our own annual Insights to Impact Community Well-Being and Special Issue Reports – what sets us apart is our tailored approach to your team.

Our focus is on helping you establish a clear and accurate understanding of where your team is thriving, the most impactful barriers and stressors they’re experiencing.

Most importantly, we take these insights and break them down into small, concrete, actionable steps that you and your leaders can start taking today to improve workplace well-being. Then, we walk with you and your team as you start to put these insights into action. We care about our clients and their teams, and so we prioritize helping managers and leaders capture small, but meaningful wins and accelerate impact. Learn more.

The YMCA of Three Rivers: We’re here for you. We’re here for good. For more than 150 years, the YMCAs of Cambridge and Kitchener-Waterloo, the YMCA-YWCA of Guelph, and the YMCA of Stratford-Perth have proudly served our communities. In 2020, we officially unified, allowing us to continue showing up for our communities where and how they’ve needed us most.

We’ll boldly claim it: the Y, your Y, has something for everyone in our community. We’re a leading provider of not-for-profit Child Care, playing a role in research-based program development and community engagement. Through our Day and Overnight camps we help children and youth develop new skills and build lifelong friendships. Our youth programs are geared developed with youth for youth — helping them learn, grow, and explore in safe, welcoming, supportive, and inclusive spaces. Through our Immigrant Services, we welcome newcomers to Canada, providing supports and connections as they transition to their new home. At Employment Services, we walk alongside job seekers as they upskill or are matched to employers in our communities. YMCA WorkWell, our newest service offering, works with organizations to build healthy and thriving workplaces, which in turn, benefits the health and well-being of our communities. And, of course, we are proud to be home to six Health and Wellness locations where members from all ages and stages of life find connection and programming to put their health and wellness first. The Y means something different to everyone. And that’s a good thing.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please submit a letter expressing your interest and a current resume. As part of our application process, we will be asking candidates to complete a voluntary self-identification survey. Self-identification questions will include gender, community and ethnic representation, with the option to select out of answering any question. In our JAIDE commitment, anti-racism, and truth and reconciliation processes, we recognize that it’s vitally important for our applicants to represent the communities we aim to serve. As such, we are intentionally seeking to recruit candidates who are members of communities that are currently under-represented: Indigenous, Black and other Racially Diverse People; 2SLGBTQIA+ People; and People with Diverse Abilities (disabled persons/persons with disabilities). We will also be considering diverse representation across the regional and geographical areas that the YMCA of Three Rivers serves our communities.