Program Director, Social Inclusion

About the Foundation

The McConnell Foundation is a private Canadian foundation that strives for a resilient, inclusive and sustainable society that can successfully address its complex challenges.

Opportunity

The successful candidate will join a dynamic team that supports diverse and innovative approaches to community resilience, reconciliation and climate change. We do this through a variety of means: financial contributions and investment, capacity building, consultation and collaboration with the public, private and non‑profit sectors.

Applications close at 5pm, on January 16, 2026

Location

Toronto

Mode

Hybrid – Must reside within Canada

Employment type

Full‑Time, Permanent

Supervisor

Chief Program Officer

Department and Team

Programs

Hiring Salary Range (90-95%)

$133,916 to $140,964

Statement on Salary Negotiation

During hiring, employees are placed only at the top of the offered range if they demonstrate most or all asset qualifications. The stated salary includes a 5% adjustment for cost of living in Toronto.

Position summary

The Program Director, Social Inclusion, under the leadership of the Chief Program Officer, develops and executes strategies advancing social inclusion and equity through strategic leadership, partnerships, and excellence in grants management. They oversee budgets, risk, evaluation, and performance, represent the Foundation with integrity, foster collaboration, mentor staff, and contribute to an inclusive, learning‑oriented organizational culture aligned with the Foundation’s values.

Responsibilities

Main responsibilities

Portfolio Leadership (50%)

- Leads strategy development for our portfolio in social inclusion, in alignment with the Foundation’s overall strategic direction and commitment to support the path for greater equity and justice for equity‑denied groups.

- Contributes to our other portfolios, partnerships and to special projects.

- Ensures operational excellence in due diligence, grants management, contracting, evaluation, reporting and ensuring internal processes run smoothly.

- Plays a lead role in budgeting and risk management.

- Leads complex, innovative and multi‑stakeholder partnerships.

- Designs and deploys the annual work plan to meet strategic objectives.

- Ensures key performance indicators for the portfolio are met and drives results to meet internal and external granting targets.

- Monitors portfolio data, interprets and analyzes results in order to inform future strategic work.

- Collaborates with the Public Affairs and Investment team on relevant issues.

- Supports preparation of materials for Board meetings.

Collaboration and Representation (25%)

- Represents the Foundation and communicates with discretion, respect and humility.

- Builds relationships with stakeholders, partners and others.

- Participates in ‘office hours’, sharing information with potential partners.

- Provides information to Board members, senior management and committees.

- Supports staff learning related to the focus area.

Organizational and People Responsibilities (25%)

- Leads strategic knowledge sharing with staff on the Foundation’s focus area strategies and theories of change, with support from the Chief Program Officer and Program Directors.

- Liaises with Investments for social finance and impact investing initiatives.
Contributes to a culture of strong communication, collaboration, and cohesion across the Programs Team.
Provides functional ad‑hoc supervision of Programs staff (such as Program Officers, Fellows or interns) and external consultants.
Coordinates and assigns work to department employees related to projects and mandates and ensures quality of results.

Position requirements

- 6‑10+ years’ experience in strategic program development and management.

- Post‑secondary degree in a relevant field.

- Expertise working in one or more of these social issues: anti‑racism, mental health, social inclusion, gender equity.

- Functional bilingualism (C2 in English and French on the Global Scale).

- In‑depth understanding of social issues in Canada.

- Experience in people and budget management.

- Knowledge of monitoring, evaluation and learning frameworks.

- Experience in the non‑profit sector.

- Commitment to upholding dignity, equality, and non‑discrimination, with a track record of promoting and protecting the rights of marginalized or equity‑deserving groups across dimensions such as gender, age, disability, ethnicity, migration status, and socioeconomic background.

- Availability and willingness to travel.

Assets

- Knowledge of the philanthropic sector.

- Demonstrated ability to design and implement strategies that strengthen individuals’ capacities through education, skills development, or health improvement, enabling fuller participation in social and economic life.

- Proven experience facilitating fair access to employment, essential services, public spaces, and institutions, ensuring that opportunities for participation are tangible and inclusive.

- Experience facilitating and coordinating groups.

Core Competencies and Desired Attributes

- Alignment with the Foundation’s values and mission.

- Demonstrates commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion.

- Collaborates, building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.

- Instills trust, gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.

- Focuses on stakeholders, anticipating and balancing the needs of multiple viewpoints and groups.

- Drives results, consistently achieving desired outcomes, even under tough circumstances.

- Demonstrates a strategic mindset, seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies.

Role‑Specific Competencies

- Communicates effectively, developing and delivering multi‑mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.

- Effectively builds formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization.
Values difference, recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization.
Directs work, providing direction, delegating, and removing obstacles to get work done.

Benefits

- Generous, fully paid benefits and a health spending account.

- Simplified pension employer matching (6%).

- Holiday granting and charitable donation allowances.

- Employee Assistance and Virtual Medicine programs.
Hybrid working conditions and home office allowance.
Immediate vacation access and paid holiday time off.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The McConnell Foundation is working towards strengthening our culture of inclusion and strives to build a team that reflects our mission for a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable society. We welcome and encourage applications from Indigenous people, Black people, racialized people, women, non‑binary and gender‑nonconforming people, people from the 2SLGBTQQIA community, people with disabilities (visible and invisible) and newcomers to Canada.

Our recruitment team will consider equity status throughout the recruitment process, so we invite members from equity‑deserving groups to self‑identify in their application.

Our work environment and hiring process is inclusive and accessible to anyone with unique needs in terms of accessibility and accommodations. We will support you throughout the life cycle of your employment with us. We ask that all applicants identify their accommodation needs by sending an email to accessibility @mcconnellfoundation.ca so that we can create the necessary conditions so that you can participate fully in the hiring process. All information received in relation to equity status and accommodation will remain confidential.

Privacy

By applying for this position, you freely and knowingly consent to the inclusion of all information you have provided to the McConnell Foundation in a file created in connection with your application for this or any other position. You acknowledge that the file created on your application will be accessible only to those company personnel involved in the hiring process. It will then be stored in the Foundation’s candidate database in accordance with the Foundation’s Privacy Policy for a period of five years, unless you request its destruction in writing. You also authorize the McConnell Foundation to contact the persons named as references in order to obtain evaluations of your performance and opinions on your work during former employment experiences.

À propos de la Fondation

La Fondation McConnell est une fondation canadienne privée qui aspire à créer une société plus résiliente, inclusive et durable, en mesure de surmonter ses enjeux complexes.

Possibilité d’emploi

La candidate retenue ou le candidat retenu se joindra à une équipe dynamique qui soutient des approches diverses et innovantes en matière de résilience des communautés, de réconciliation et de changements climatiques. Nous utilisons plusieurs moyens pour y arriver: les contributions financières et l’investissement, le renforcement des capacités, la concertation et la collaboration avec les secteurs publics, privé et non lucratif.

Postulez jusqu'au 16 janvier 2026.

Lieu de travail

Toronto

Mode de travail

Hybride; vous devez résider au Canada

Type d’emploi

Permanent à temps plein

Sous la supervision de :

Cheffe des programmes

Département et équipe

Programmes

Échelle salariale à l’embauche (90-95 %)

133 916 à 140 964 $

Déclaration relative aux négociations salariales

Au moment de l’embauche, une personne ne peut être placée au sommet de l’échelle salariale que si elle prouve qu’elle possède l’ensemble ou la plupart des qualifications et des atouts. Le salaire offert est augmenté de 5 % pour ajuster au coût de la vie à Toronto.

Résumé du poste

La directrice ou le directeur de programme, Inclusion sociale, sous la direction du ou de l’acheffe des programmes, élabore et met en œuvre des stratégies favorisant l’inclusion sociale et l’équité grâce à un leadership stratégique, à des partenariats solides et à une gestion exemplaire des subventions. La personne titulaire du poste supervise les budgets, les risques, l’évaluation et la performance, représente la Fondation avec intégrité, encourage la collaboration, encadre le personnel et contribue à une culture organisationnelle inclusive et axée sur l’apprentissage, en cohérence avec les valeurs de la Fondation.

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