Senior Director, Relief Services

Title: Senior Director, Relief Services

Employee Working Location: Partially Virtual / Hybrid

Employment Status: Permanent Full-time

The Canadian Red Cross (CRC) - an inspirational not for profit organization, helps people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and supports them in strengthening their resilience. As a Canada's Best Employers 2024, we are committed to having an accessible, diverse, inclusive, and barrier-free work environment.

Under the leadership of the Vice President, Relief, the Senior Director, Relief Services leads the development, quality standards and implementation of services that the Canadian Red Cross mobilizes during the immediate onset of an emergency operation in Canada. These services must be designed and implemented in consideration of the diverse nature of communities in Canada and in partnership with all levels of governments and authorities, inclusive of First Nation leadership.

In this role, you will:

• Provide vision, strategic direction, oversight, and management of programs, ensuring alignment with the organization's mission, vision, and strategic priorities.
• Develop and implement program strategies, including program design, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, ensuring adherence to organizational guidelines, and best practices.
• Establish performance metrics and accountability frameworks to assess outcomes. Review program performance and impact and use findings for program improvement, learning, and innovation.
• Maintain strategic partnerships with stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, donors, and local communities, at national and international levels, to ensure effective coordination, collaboration, and support for program activities.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, donor requirements, and accountability standards, and ensure appropriate risk management measures are in place for program implementation.
• Lead strategic change initiatives that drive program and service transformation.
• Provide leadership in emergency response and preparedness efforts, including providing technical expertise, and contributing to rapid assessments and decision-making and leadership to the field operations.

What we are looking for:

• Qualifications include a minimum of 12 years experience and a university degree in social sciences, public administration, program management, business administration, human services or a related field and/or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Requires advanced expertise in strategic leadership, business growth, and organizational initiatives, with broad knowledge of diverse business issues, and involves coordinating leadership to set and achieve long-term objectives.
• Leadership and senior management experience, with the ability to provide strategic direction, mentor and motivate a diverse team, and promote a culture of collaboration and innovation.
• Experience leading multiple programs, service areas, or functional teams in a complex organizational environment with the ability to identify and implement best practices, pilot new approaches, and leverage technology and data for program impact.
• Ability to develop, forecast and manage program budgets; implement, allocate and monitor expenditures; report on budget performance and variances to ensure financial accountability.
• Experience optimizing operational processes and program efficiency.
• Ability to address highly complex, abstract problems with visionary thinking, develop innovative solutions with long-term strategic impacts, and assess and mitigate risks.
• Communication, influence , persuasion and negotiation skills to promote complex and sensitive ideas, facilitate consensus and commitment with strategically important contacts or groups in sensitive, contentious, and political or controversial situations.
• Ability to establish and maintain strategic partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, donors, local communities, and to navigate complex political and cultural contexts.
• Proficiency in standard computer applications (Microsoft Office Suite), data analysis tools, etc.

Working Conditions:

• Ability to adapt to frequent and often urgent changes in priorities, and make decisions under pressure, work at an unpredictable pace.
• Potential for responding to disaster areas, as well as difficult and unstable conditions (environmental, physical, social, etc.) and uncomfortable conditions (noise, odors, smoke, humidity, vulnerable beneficiaries). These stressful rapidly changing environments with limited information to make decisions have the potential to affect the physical and psychological state of the responders on site.
• Will be required to work extended hours during peak periods on short notice.
• In a large scale emergency, provide direct operational leadership to field teams.
• As we work with and support people (managers, colleagues, beneficiaries/customers, volunteers, donors and external partners) and communities in Canada and around the world, applicants whose first language is not English may be required to perform the responsibilities of the role in English.
• Eligibility to work in Canada: At this time , we welcome applications from candidates eligible to work in Canada. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, we encourage you to carefully review your visa to find out whether you are eligible to work in the job you are considering applying for. Refer to our FAQ for more information.
• If you are selected for this role, you will be required to complete a successful pre-employment screening process which includes a satisfactory Enhanced Police Information Check (E-PIC).

This role will be posted until March 11th at midnight.