Current Opportunities

Chief Executive Officer | Spirit North

The Organization

Since 2017 Spirit North has used the transformative power of sport and play to spark inspiration and create opportunity for Indigenous children and youth across Canada – empowering them for life. As one of Canada’s leading sport for social development organizations, Spirit North helps youth find the courage to take on any challenge, develop leadership skills, improve their health and wellness, discover new talents, and unlock their limitless potential.

Currently working in over 90 Indigenous communities across Canada, Spirit North reaches over 10,000 Indigenous children and youth annually with year-round school and community-based sport and play programs designed to achieve development goals such as improved health, education, and community outcomes.

Based in Canmore (Alberta), Spirit North has strong partnerships provincially and nationally, and is a dynamic team – friendly, flexible, and deeply committed to reconciliation and social justice. Spirit North is proving that sport and play can be a powerful catalyst for social change.

For further information about Spirit North, please visit their website at: https://www.spiritnorthxc.ca/

 

The Opportunity

Reports to:	Board of Directors
Direct Reports:	5; Founder, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Program Officer, Director of Development, Director of Communications.
Location:	Canmore – ability to work remotely is also available

 

Mandate

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) serves as the leader of Spirit North’s management team, leading members in delivering Spirit North’s strategic objectives. This position is responsible for the development and implementation of the expansion strategy for Spirit North’s programs as well as ensuing alignment of operational activities with the Organization’s strategic plan. The CEO will lead the development of the fundraising strategy, and is responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with key funding partners and donors.  Additionally, the CEO is charged with providing for all staff a consistent day-to-day leadership presence and support for a collaborative working environment, consistent with the mission, vision, and values of Spirt North.

 

Key Accountabilities

 

Fundraising and Marketing

• Work with the Founder and the Board to develop and facilitate philanthropic relationships with individuals, businesses, corporations, organizations, and foundations.
• Develop and oversee Director of Development implementation of fundraising strategies, activities, and ventures, including setting annual plans and goals.
• Lead the Director of Development to support an integrated and long-range cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plan of current and prospective major donors.
• Seek opportunities and attend fundraising activities and speaking engagements to raise awareness of Spirit North.

 

Operations and Strategy

• In collaboration with the Board, Founder, CFO and CPO, lead the development, implementation and yearly refreshing of the strategic plan.
• Develop an Operating Plan to implement the strategic plan.
• Work with the CFO and CPO to develop and communicate comprehensive goals for organizational performance and growth.
• Lead the performance management process that sets goals and key deliverables and measures and evaluates progress against goals/key deliverables for the organization.
• Oversee the review and refinement of existing policies and development of new policies that promote the organization’s growth and culture.

 

Leadership and Human Resources

• Work closely with management team members to develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate performance goals.
• Ensure there is a succession plan developed and implemented.
• Conduct quarterly individual performance reviews with direct reports.
• Ensure staff set development plans.
• Motivate and encourage employees at all levels.

 

Governance and Risk Management

• Oversee the creation and monitoring of organizational risk management systems and report on these to Board.
• Report to the Board on a regular basis, including preparation of a report for each formal Board meeting.
• Stay abreast of government policy and regulatory trends affecting the Indigenous, charitable, social enterprise and child sport sectors.

 

Finance and Administration

• Work with the CFO to prepare an annual budget, forecasting and resource allocation.
• Review existing and develop new financial policies as required.
• Oversee financial results and adherence to budget, and overall cash and investment management strategies.

 

First Year Deliverables / Measures of Success

 

Success in the first year will be determined by the candidate’s ability to:

• Collaborative teaming with Founder on transitioning ownership of strategic plan, partner/funder/community relationships, and leadership of internal team.
• Maintain and build strong internal team relationships.
• Successfully build Development team and function.
• Execution of new programs in Ontario.

 

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will have the following:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.

 

Experience:

• Indigenous experience and/or knowledge of Indigenous history and acquaintance with TRC recommendations.
• Understanding of or experience with working with the Board the charity/non-profit sector.
• Experience and expertise in strategic planning and implementation/operational activity planning.
• Proven people and organizational leadership skills and abilities.
• Proven skills in communications, marketing, fundraising.
• Solid knowledge of ethical principles and best practices related to fundraising, prospect research, donor relations, and communications;
• Strong understanding of budgeting processes and data management;

 

Competencies and Attributes:

• A demonstrated personal and professional connection and commitment to the vision, mission, and values of Spirit North.
• Ability to build positive relationships with all Spirit North stakeholders (internally and externally) by demonstrating integrity, respect, courtesy, inclusivity, openness, and reliability.
• Strong cultural and historical awareness and sensitivity relating to Indigenous peoples.
• Strong visionary leadership. Ability to create and lead long-term strategic plan for high-growth organization.
• Ability to build and foster relationships as a trusted and respected leader with key funders, sponsors and partners.
• Ability to create and lead a high-performance culture with an emphasis on excellence, continuous improvement, motivation and teamwork to achieve high standards for the organization.
• Empowering leadership skills, able to build and manage teams, inspire others, as well as interact effectively with peers and senior leaders.
• Strong communication skills (written & verbal) with the ability to communicate in a clear and concise manner both internally and externally.
• Hold oneself and others ethically accountable as to how to behave and act in the best interest of donors, colleagues, and the organization.
• Ability to work cooperatively and effectively with others to realize the mission, vision, and strategic priorities of the organization.
• Cultural sensitivity and awareness – the ability to recognize, value, and effectively respond to cultural differences and needs in individuals and communities.
• Effectively plan and organize one’s work and activities to meet program and organization demands.
• Use a systematic approach to effectively solve problems and make sound decisions.
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills.
• Strong problem solving, organizing, planning, and analytical skills.
• Supportive team player and team builder.

 

Additional Requirements and Information

Spirit North is committed to the safety and protection of the children in their programs, therefore the successful candidate will be required to provide a satisfactory police record check as a condition of employment.

 

Equal Opportunity

Spirit North is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognizes that a diverse team benefits and is essential to service excellence. Spirit North welcomes applications from all qualified individuals and encourage women, members of racialized communities, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity to confidentially self-identify at time of application. In accordance with the provincial legislation, accommodation will be provided by Gallagher and Spirit North throughout the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process, upon request, to applicants with disabilities. Spirit North is a family-friendly organization that allows for flexible work arrangements to support staff diversity and ensure a healthy work-life balance. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

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How to Apply:

Please send your resume in Word or PDF format to: HRCCCanada.GBS.EdmontonPIES@ajg.com. Copy and Paste the following job title and code and place it in the subject line of your email so we can identify the job and confirm receipt of your application:
AVHR-753548 Chief Executive Officer | Spirit North - ABAB - Calgary and Area (OTIAPPLY)

Please note that only those candidates meeting the selection criteria, established by our client, will be contacted further. Although we may not contact you directly for this particular role, all applications will be reviewed as we would like to consider you for future opportunities that may be appropriate. We encourage you to continue to visit our website at optimumtalent.com as our opportunities are updated on a regular basis.