Program Manager

**Objective**:
To plan, design, develop, implement, and evaluate a governance model for Friendship Centre IELCC program which ensures high-quality support. Oversight includes planning, implementing, and evaluating programs, initiatives, and finances to meet project requirements and staying compliant, while also enhancing and expanding existing IELCC programs and supporting self-determination initiatives within Friendship Centres. The contract duration for this position will run till March 31, 2027.

**Key Deliverables**:

- Develop a robust governance model to facilitate the transition of Friendship Centre IELCC programs from municipalities to the OFIFC.
- Establish a provincial framework for IELCC licensing that supports culturally responsive programming in Friendship Centres.
- Collaborate with the external partners to transfer funding and administration responsibilities of Friendship Centre IELCC programs to the OFIFC.
- Develop quality standards for IELCC programs to enhance access, affordability, and availability.
- Leverage existing OFIFC work on Autism and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) to develop standards of quality, guidelines, and tools for Friendship Centres to support children with diverse disabilities within their IELCC programs.
- Leverage existing OFIFC’s programs to develop and provide guidelines, tools to the FCs supporting Children with unique needs.
- Management of IELCC program/initiative/project budgets, deliverables and reporting as delegated by the Sr. Leadership and accountable for the results.

**Key Responsibilities**:

- Coordination and integration of all OFIFC sector-specific work including linking various internal and external stakeholders.
- Responsible for designing and developing new culture-based programs and policy positions to address sector-specific needs of Friendship Centres.
- Manage the strategic collection, analysis and communication of program data.
- Ensure programs within the area of specialization are evaluated and findings shared with relevant stakeholders.
- Drive sector-specific policy advocacy to address the needs of the Friendship Centres.
- Manages the development of work plans, project schedules and resource plans.
- Directs the development of proposals, research, needs assessments, sector-specific policy analysis, and publications.
- Responsible for sector-specific government contribution agreements, transfer payment agreements, and contracts.
- Identifies funding opportunities and options and acts on them as appropriate/directed.
- Oversees the development and completion of sector-specific program resource materials.
- Manage internal OFIFC budgets to support effective program design, development, resource development, and other initiatives as outlined in annual work plans.
- Manages the development of alternative policy approaches to influence public policy in a positive manner for Friendship Centres and urban Indigenous people.
- Bridges mainstream and Indigenous communities, concepts and practices in the context of policy development.

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- Executes strategic plans to advance and support OFIFC’s organizational strategic plan and meet the needs of the Friendship Centre movement.
- Builds and maintains positive supportive stakeholder and funder partnerships to ensure growth and development of OFIFC’s programs and initiatives.
- Acts as government liaison, chairperson, facilitator, and spokesperson in fora or meetings as directed.
- Identifies policy and program needs, gaps and priorities for development.
- Ensures communication functions with respect to sector-specific programming and Friendship Centres are maintained, timely and interactive.
- Build knowledge, awareness, and capacity across OFIFC and Friendship Centres of the policy landscape and key opportunities for strategic development.
- Represents OFIFC’s interests at public meetings and fora as applicable to the adoption and enactment of supportive public policy by local, provincial and federal government bodies and the general advancement of the OFIFC’s policy positions.
- Increases and maintains the OFIFC’s reputation and credibility in the area of policy and ensures these are respected and supported by Friendship Centres and policymakers at all levels of government.
- Provides strong and persuasive advocacy for Friendship Centres and their communities and the Friendship Centre movement as a whole.
- Conducts engagements with Friendship Centres, Indigenous and non-Indigenous ELCC service providers, First Nations, and different levels of government to inform the development of high-quality IELCC.
- Establishes a Friendship Centre technical table/Community of Practice to advise on the transition and development work.
- Completes literature reviews, jurisdictional scans, and environmental scans to inform the development of recommendations on a provincial framework for IELCC licensing.
- Adapts existing OFIFC program supports to Friendship Centre ELCC programs based on wise an