Position Available: Me to We, Director of Leadership
Are you a person who enjoys challenges and making a difference in the world?
Me to We is Me to We is a new kind of social enterprise for people who want to help change the world with their daily choices. Through our media, products and leadership experiences, we support Free The Children‘s work with youth creating global change. Every trip, t-shirt, song, book, speech, thought, smile and choice adds up to a lifestyle that’s part of the worldwide movement of we.
Me to We Leadership programs use a youth-centered approach to character education, service learning and fostering global citizenship. Elementary, Junior and High school students actively listen to motivational speeches and participate in workshops to become leadership ambassadors, acquiring the skills and knowledge to engage their peers and communities with making the world a better place.
Me to We seeks a Director of Leadership. This individual will play an important role in the strategic planning, staffing, and daily operations of the Me to We Leadership department, the development and quality of programs and Me to We Leadership experiences, as well as engagement and relationship management with high level stakeholders including senior school board representatives. Me to We Leadership serves as a fulfillment department, responsible for delivering and developing Me to We programs and experiences including speaking tours, social- issues and leadership skill-focused training and workshops, such as annual school-based programs and customized leadership training, summer camp programs, and international volunteer trips.
The position is based out of Me to We Offices in Toronto (225 Carlton Street). A minimum two-year commitment is expected. Salary is to be negotiated. There is a six (6) month probationary period, upon reaching the three (3) month period, all staff members are offered a health plan including dental and Employee Assistant Program.
Please e-mail your resume and cover letter to rann@freethechildren.com
Please quote “Director of Leadership” in the subject line.
While resumes are important, we want to know what makes you a great fit for our team and culture. We will consider resumes on a rolling basis and would like the right person to join us as soon as possible.
Responsibilities:
• Reports to, and consult with, Me to We’s Chief Operations Officer and Executive Directors
• Represents the Leadership team and participates on the Directors team, by attending meetings, and adding to the development of organizational strategy
• Strategic Planning
o Provides vision and strategy for the growth of the leadership team connected to revenue
generation, programmatic priorities, staffing, coordination and departmental time
management
o Creation and implementation of an annual strategic plan with quarterly deliverables which
promotes enhanced quality of programming, Me to We’s engagement goals, conversion
and retention of stakeholders, and a strong and stable leadership team culture
o Ongoing needs assessment and analysis of trends (content-wise and financial) in fields
of education, positive youth development and stakeholder goals (ie. Ministry of
Education, school boards, camps, parents., etc) with the goal of ensuring and creating
cutting edge social issues and leadership focused youth programming
o Continuous development of evaluation tools and strategies to measure outcomes,
impacts and value of leadership programming
o Drives a strategy for staff retention and career development within the leadership team
and organization
o Liaises with other departments, specifically the School and Youth Engagement team and
Free The Children Development team, to advise on programming and pitches and
understand fulfillment needs
o Defines departmental needs and structure based on fulfillment goals
o Defines the vision for leadership staff`s allocation of time
o Strategic planning, in connection with the engagement team, regarding matrix goals and
quality referrals from front-line experiences
• Program and Experiences
o An interest and passion in making positive social change through youth programs is the
over arching theme of this role. More specifically, the successful candidate must have an
on-going interest, knowledge and expertise in:
• 1. Social Issues at the local, regional, national and international level
• 2. Leadership Skills training – of self, partnerships, groups, teams and
organizations
• 3. Acton Planning and Goal Setting Skill
o Oversees strategies and expectations for new Leadership Program Development (for
international, national and local leadership programming – on trips, at camps, for
conferences, customised leadership training and school programs)
o Drives and oversees all summer Take Action Academy (summer camp) programming
and strategic planning for North American growth, quality programming and retention of
youth year to year
o Drives and oversees the Take Action Academy (summer camp) risk management
planning for all North American programming and training of staff
o Oversees the portfolio of the research and development of all leadership programming
connected to overall strategic planning for programs year round
o Responsible for quality of programming, including final approval over all leadership
experiences, speeches, workshops and key messaging
o Responsible for final approval over all reports to stakeholders
o Ensure strategic program coordination for all leadership programming with a goal to
achieve stakeholder goals and Me to We’s engagement goals
• Engagement and Relationship Management
o Formulates and oversees an annual engagement and outreach strategy specifically for
Me to We leadership programs
o Proactive and reactive outreach to high level stakeholder – mainly school board and
district partners (including Directors of Education, Superintendents, etc.) – to engage
stakeholders in Me to We leadership programming and other products and experiences
o Liaises with other departments, specifically the Free The Children Programming and
Partnerships and School and Youth Engagement teams, to ensure that opportunities are
maximized and stakeholders are honored
o Regular communication, through reports, emails and meetings, with stakeholders, to
communicate program highlights and progress
o Creation of program proposals and budgets
o Consistent evaluation of program financials and return on investment
o Consistent evaluation of stakeholders’ needs and financials with the aim of creating new
and responsive products and opportunities
o Focus on vertical integration
o Regular use of Salesforce and other applicable software to report on and analyze
opportunities and trends
• HR and Team Management
o Manage and oversee a large and growing department, including Associate Directors,
Managers, facilitation and speaking staff, coordinators and interns
o Interviews, hiring and dismissals for leadership team staff
o Oversees and approves financial decisions and expense reports relating to leadership
business and team
o Approves vacation requests for leadership team
o Oversees staff check-ins and actively participates in evaluations and exit interviews, as
appropriate
o Strategic program staffing and allocation of roles
o Oversee HR issues as escalated by Associate Directors
o Runs leadership team management meetings to ensure departmental goals are met and
management team is consistently supported
o Oversees departmental meetings, retreats and communication of information to staff, as
applicable
o Oversees Leadership department operations & policies
Skills and Qualifications:
• Possess a Masters degree, preferably in Recreation Management/Leisure Studies, Education,
Teaching or Training, Social Work, Political Science, International Development/Studies, or other
relevant education or work experience (likely 4 + years of experience in a career previously)
• Strong engagement skills and ability to speak passionately about all of Me to We’s products and experiences for further engagement in Me to We opportunities
• Ability to develop new and creative leadership experiences and offerings, in an Entrepreneurial spirit
• Ability to balance “big” picture thinking while concentrating on details
• Demonstrated experience and/or ability to evaluate impact and report out on several programs
happening simultaneously throughout the term
• Experience in and knowledge of Me to We Leadership, and Me to We generally
• Experience in and knowledge of Youth focused programs – including camp, afterschool,
mentorship, sports, and leadership focused programming
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills
• Excellent team leadership and managerial skills with an ability to inspire a large team of young
professionals (especially with regards to providing feedback for professional growth of staff)
• Highly self-motivated, independent and strategic thinker
• Ability to work well under pressure and to meet deadlines