Executive Director Jobs

Do you have visionary leadership skills? Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit? Are you passionate about sustainability? Do you believe in working for an organisation with purpose?

We are looking for an Executive Director to take Sustainability Leadership into a new era.

The Executive Director sets the overall vision and direction for the organisation. She/he guides Sustainability Leadership’s (SL’s) strategy, leads staff and volunteers, oversees community resource development, supports program delivery and is SL’s primary external spokesperson.

The Executive Director is accountable & reports to the Board, dedicated to ensuring the organisation maximises its collective impacts towards its mission in a sustainable, transparent and ethical fashion.

This is a great opportunity to build a team and lead the organisation into the future.

• Works with Board Chair to set agenda for regular Board meetings & Annual General Meeting
• Provides liaison between Board, Staff and Volunteers
• Supports all Board subcommittees
• Provides onboarding and education of Board members
• Reports to the Board on bi-monthly financial progress
• Maintains relationships with current Board members
• Sits on Board subcommittees
• Requests Board input & approval on items as defined in the organisation's governance structure

• Cultivates relationships with potential partners; directs to appropriate staff person as needed
• Works with the Board, and solicits team input, to set and approve the organisation's Vision, Mission, overall strategic direction and plan
• Approves new partnerships, with Board input when high risk
• Measures and reports back on organisation’s performance against strategic direction, in the areas of impact, activity and capacity
• Conducts and oversees research on new initiatives

• SLP Program Management: maintains relationships with SLP members as-needed, provides direction and ensures continuous improvement of service offering
• HR: directs staff on a regular basis, ad-hoc check-ins with volunteers
• Green Economy Canada: maintains communications & relationship building with Corporate Partners, community affiliates, & other key supporters, helps set strategy
• Finance: with assistance of bookkeeper, oversees all aspects of the organisation’s finances: preparing monthly and/or quarterly cashflow, income and balance sheet reports; prepares annual audit; annual budget creation and approval
• Legal: Works with Legal Advisor to meet legal obligations of the organisation
• SLP Business Development: sets BD strategy, develops/oversees development of new prospects, delivers presentations and holds meetings with potential members
• Oversees creation of/regular reviews of Policies and Procedures and Code of Conduct
• Ensures there is communication across functional areas; helps to “connect the dots”
• Build and protect SL Brand, overseeing all messaging and ensuring it is consistent with brand

• Conduct weekly staff meetings & biweekly full team meetings
• Oversees professional development for all staff
• Ongoing 1:1s with all staff, all functional area managers and volunteer leads
• Manage process of identifying and filling staff & volunteer needs, overseeing hiring and orientation of new employees
• Participation & direction setting in ongoing meetings for each SL functional area

• Builds and maintains relationships with key supporters, political representatives, community organisations and other stakeholders
• Acts as a spokesperson for all media inquiries & interviews
• Attends select events where possible
• Speaks at community events (keynotes, panels, lectures) on a regular basis

• Other duties as assigned
• Builds the Sustainability Leadership brand with key recruitment groups (i.e. coop students)
• Oversees identification of funding opportunities and preparation/submission of grant applications.
• Maintains & foster relationships with grantors, corporate funders (i.e. coop sponsors), and other non-value-added funding sources

We recognize that potential candidates may not apply for a position if they don’t hit every single criteria included in the job description - particularly members of underrepresented groups. Even if your experience doesn’t necessarily check off all the boxes below, we still encourage you to apply and promise that your application will receive a review from our team. We also know that a resume can only show so much at this stage, so we encourage you to share more about yourself. For example, if you've made career transitions, you’re self taught in a new role or you have skills/experience you’d like to highlight, we want to hear more about what you could bring to this role and to our organisation.

• A strong interest or passion for sustainability and contributing to healthy, resilient and sustainable communities.
• Based in one of the areas we serve (Hamilton, Halton, Niagara, Peel, Brant, Brantford) with an understanding of the local business and community landscape - able to identify and bring key stakeholders to the table.
• Exceptional interpersonal and team management skills, with an ability to listen well and work collaboratively with team members to support a caring, productive, and positive work dynamic. You are comfortable working both independently and remotely, with an ability to form strong collaborative relationships with team members and external partners, and support direct reports to excel in their role.
• Ability to apply key business and strategic principles.
• Experience convening and facilitating conversations with groups, coaching one-on-one, and able to act as a trusted ambassador and spokesperson for Sustainability Leadership.
• Financial acumen with the ability to recognise financial implications of business decisions and strategy.
• Relevant work experience (5+ years) or formal education in business, sales, communications, marketing, sustainability or related field. Experience with a social enterprise / non-profit organisation is an asset.
• Strong project management and organisational skills, with demonstrated success in managing significant projects from conceptualisation through to implementation on time and on budget.
• Receptivity to feedback to learn from experiences and integrate those learnings in a thoughtful way to achieve stronger outcomes in the future.
• Critical and strategic thinking skills to identify opportunities to improve systems and processes and inform key decision-making. An ability to share perspectives candidly and diplomatically to generate better solutions, while also acting decisively to focus resources on the highest value activities.
• Conscientious and detail-oriented with an ability to effectively plan and manage multiple priorities, be proactive, and build trust that work is completed with quality and care.
• A learning and resourceful mindset to help find solutions to challenges while growing your knowledge and skills and Green Economy Canada’s capabilities. Strong comfort with navigating ambiguity.

Sustainability Leadership is a non-profit social enterprise, launched in 2011, dedicated to advancing the adoption of sustainable business practices in our business organisations for a healthier environment and thriving, prosperous communities. We aim to make sustainability the new business norm and contribute to a sustainable, low carbon economy.

Sustainability Leadership is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business needs through a lens of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility. Sustainability Leadership is a purpose-driven organisation, dedicated to providing a rewarding and mutually beneficial experience for our Staff and Volunteers.