Executive Director

Executive Director

Regular
Full-Time Exempt Position (Approx. 40hours/week) Occasional evenings/weekends
required

Salary: Starting at $130,000 (commensurate with experience and
qualifications)

Location: South Okanagan (preferred local: Penticton / Summerland /
Naramata)

SOWINS
(South Okanagan Women in Need Society) respectfully acknowledges that our work
takes place on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territories of the
Syilx/Okanagan peoples.

The Opportunity

SOWINS
is seeking a compassionate, emotionally intelligent, and strategic Executive
Director to lead the organization with clarity, integrity, and impact in the
South Okanagan. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director is
accountable for organizational strategy and performance, financial
sustainability, people leadership, and community/funder relationships -
advancing safety, stability, and lasting change for women, youth, and children.

This
is a senior leadership role in an essential-services environment, requiring a
steady leader who can navigate complexity, support high-performing teams, and
build strong partnerships across funders, stakeholders, and the broader
community.

About SOWINS

Vision

A community without violence and abuse.

Mission

SOWINS provides safe, accessible, person-centered support and preventative
interventions to individuals who have experienced or are at risk of
experiencing violence and abuse. SOWINS also provides community education to
strengthen the safety net for our community.

Founded
in 1981, SOWINS has evolved from a volunteer-led initiative into an
essential-services organization supporting women, children, and youth across
the South Okanagan.

SOWINS delivers services grounded in a values-based, trauma-informed,
culturally safe, and harm reduction approach, including crisis response,
housing, counselling, outreach, and prevention.

Scale

SOWINS is governed by a volunteer Board of up to 11 directors, and the
Executive Director oversees a team of approximately 50 staff across multiple
locations in the South Okanagan–Similkameen.

Impact

In 2024, SOWINS provided 3,418 overnight stays at the Transition House (1,638
child/youth nights and 1,780 women's nights), answered more than 2,000 crisis
calls, and delivered 1,552 counselling sessions for women and children.

Who You Are

You
are a trauma-informed, values-driven leader who:

●      
Leads with empathy and
accountability and develops strong
teams through change and complexity

●      
Brings credibility with government
funders, contracts, reporting, and compliance expectations

●      
Demonstrates a track record of
stewarding key relationships and representing an organization with confidence
and professionalism

●      
Balances relational leadership
with strong operational and financial discipline

●      
Partners effectively with the Board and supports committee work with clear reporting and
recommendations

●      
Leads with a commitment to equity,
inclusion, reconciliation, and culturally safe practice

Executive-Level Accountabilities

Leadership & Strategy

●      
Lead strategic planning and
organizational execution aligned with mission, values, and community needs

●      
Provide leadership to the
SOWINS team and ensure integrated, high-quality
service delivery

●      
Advance organizational
sustainability and readiness planning to meet evolving community demand

●      
Lead organizational growth and
capacity planning in collaboration with the Board and senior leadership

Governance & Board Partnership

●      
Partner with the Board on
strategy, policy, risk, and organizational performance

●      
Provide timely, clear reporting
and support Board and committee materials and follow-up

Financial Sustainability, Reporting & Risk

●      
Lead annual budgeting and
financial planning; interpret financial statements and provide clear reporting
to the Board and committees 

●      
Demonstrate financial prudence and
disciplined budget management; ensure resources are
allocated responsibly and aligned with strategic
priorities

●      
Ensure responsible stewardship,
risk mitigation, and strong internal controls in partnership with Finance
leadership

●      
Oversee contracts, compliance, and
reporting requirements tied to government funding and other revenue streams

Fund Development & Funder Relations

●      
Provide strategic leadership for
SOWINS' diversified revenue model (government, grants, philanthropy, community)

●      
Manage key funder
relationships with strong financial and organizational credibility, including
the ability to speak confidently to budgets, impact, and sustainability

●      
Provide strategic leadership to
fund development in partnership with a dedicated Fund Development lead and the
Board

●       Work
with the Board, community funders and other possible collaborators to promote
sustainable fundraising and growth.

People & Culture

●      
Lead a healthy, inclusive
workplace by partnering closely with the Director of HR to support leadership
development, performance management, retention, and succession planning

●      
Experience leading in a unionized
collective agreement and exempt environment is
required

Community & Stakeholder Relations

●      
Serve as a trusted ambassador with
community partners, stakeholders, Indigenous communities, and service providers

●      
Support public communications in
alignment with organizational communications and governance protocols

Qualifications

●      
Post-secondary degree in Business
Administration or a related human/social services field; additional education
in leadership/business/non-profit management is an asset

●      
7+ years in senior leadership
(ideally in non-profit housing/social services and government-funded
environments)

●      
5+ years overseeing funding,
budgeting, program planning, policy development, and labour/employee relations

●      
Experience leading in
both unionized and exempt environment including
managing within a collective agreement context

●      
Strong communication, both written
and oral, facilitation, and relationship-building skills with diverse
stakeholders

●      
Proficiency with technology,
including Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint) and
databases/CRM systems (e.g., donor or client information systems)

●      
Experience leading multi-site
operations and facilities and oversight in a
complex service environment

●       Equivalent
combination of education and experience may be considered

Requirements

●      
Local presence: This role requires
a leader based in the South Okanagan (Penticton / Summerland / Naramata) with
regular on-site presence across SOWINS locations

●      
Valid BC driver's license and
access to a vehicle (travel between sites and meetings across the region)

●      
Successful completion of a
vulnerable sector criminal record check

●      
Flexible schedule with
evenings/weekends as needed (Board meetings, committee
meetings, etc.).

●       After-hours availability
(low frequency, but the ED carries the phone), and

●       Backup operational coverage
when needed (e.g., during vacancies or manager/supervisor absences) in collaboration with the management team.

Compensation & Benefits

SOWINS
offers a comprehensive benefits package (extended health, dental, life
insurance, and long-term disability) and Municipal pension eligibility, along
with vacation and statutory holidays. Benefit details will be shared with
qualified candidates during the recruitment process.

 How to Apply

For
best consideration, please apply by February 2, 2026. The posting will remain
open until this position is filled.

SOWINS
is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We welcome
applicants from Indigenous communities, racialized communities, people with
disabilities, and individuals with lived/living experience relevant to our
work. Accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process—please
email your request if support is required.

Please visit our careers page to see more job opportunities