Evaluation Lead

Evaluation Lead – Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario This position is located in Toronto. Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO) is a network of 32 Integrated Youth Services hubs that provide walk‑in access to youth‑centered, community‑based mental health and wellness services for ages 12‑25. The hubs offer a range of evidence‑based services including mental health care, substance use health services, primary care, education, employment, housing, peer support, family support, and care navigation. Evaluation of outcomes across and within hubs focuses on positive wellness outcomes important to youth and their families. Position Description YWHO’s Provincial Office is seeking an experienced Evaluation Lead to play a critical part in evaluating initiatives across the YWHO network and enhancing the quality of care for young people across Ontario. The Evaluation Lead will report to the Manager of Evaluation and will collaborate closely with the YWHO PO to develop and oversee rigorous, equity‑driven evaluation projects. Key focus areas include building evaluation capacity, engaging project partners, and leading discussions with advisory committees and working groups to support high‑quality evaluation activities. Responsibilities Provide evaluation leadership by guiding the design, implementation, and oversight of evaluation activities, ensuring methodological rigor, equity‑focused approaches, and integration into the learning health system. Coordinate implementation activities, ensuring project teams meet accountabilities, timelines, and reporting requirements. Develop and prepare high‑quality evaluation reports and other knowledge products. Collaborate with the YWHO Network to support actions that strengthen equitable, anti‑racist, and anti‑oppressive practice. Build relationships across YWHO and other IYS partners to ensure projects are responsive to partners’ needs and grounded in best practices. Support regular and strategic communication with a range of partners to enable transparency and trust. Develop or adapt research and evaluation methods, tools (e.g., surveys, interview guides), and techniques based on best practices and innovations. Work with project leads and the management team to synthesize complex evaluation needs and develop scopes of work, work plans, timelines, and business cases. Promote continuous quality improvement as an essential component of evaluation practice and contribute to emerging evaluation evidence (e.g., peer‑reviewed articles, grant participation). Support high‑quality data governance and reporting. Engage relevant partners to understand existing challenges and opportunities for improvement. Build evaluation capacity across the YWHO Network through consultations, training, and knowledge‑exchange activities, fostering a shared understanding of evaluation practices. Job Requirements Master’s degree in Public Health, Social or Behavioral Sciences, Health Services, Research or a related field from a recognized institution. Minimum five (5) years’ experience supporting and leading large‑scale evaluation projects. Leadership experience in the mental health and substance use sector is considered an asset. Extensive expertise in evaluation theory and practice, qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, and equity‑focused evaluation approaches. Proven track record of applying project management principles and methodologies to support large‑scale projects. Experience designing logic models and theories of change, sourcing validated assessment tools, conducting interviews and focus groups, designing surveys, and identifying secondary data sources. Experience using primary or secondary qualitative and quantitative data sources to highlight equity gaps and identify solutions and strategies. Demonstrated experience leading project planning processes and overseeing day‑to‑day activities of complex projects. Experience leading equity analysis in large‑scale system change initiatives within the health system, including facilitation, problem solving, decision‑making, and conflict resolution. Excellent collaborator; effective at building strong internal/external relationships, networks and partnerships. Strategic and critical thinking skills to promote collaboration, change management, and embed equity practices. Demonstrated experience engaging youth and families with lived experience of racism and other intersecting forms of oppression in a mental health/substance use context (or equivalent experience). Excellent interpersonal, communication, coaching and mentoring skills, able to work independently and as part of a team. Credentialed Evaluator designation from the Canadian Evaluation Society is an asset. Bilingualism and/or proficiency in a second language is an asset. Seniority Level Mid‑Senior level Employment Type Full‑time Job Function Sales and Management Industry Hospitals and Health Care #J-18808-Ljbffr