PeaceBridge Institute

PeaceBridge Institute, a new initiative based at Menno Hall in Vancouver, invites applications for its inaugural Executive Director ("ED"). This is a rare opportunity to shape, lead, and grow a Centre dedicated to enhancing the capacity of MCC BC and like-minded aid and development organizations to further their capacity to meet basic human needs, advance development, and promote peace building. The ED will serve as PeaceBridge's founding leader visionary, builder, fundraiser, communicator, and administrator charged with launching a vibrant, faith-informed, practitioner-focused, and academically engaged hub for peace and development.

The successful candidate should bring a hybrid profile: grounded in applied field experience (e.g., NGO work, social entrepreneurship, humanitarian response), knowledgeable of scholarship or research (e.g., peace building, development studies, social sciences), and capable of building cross-sector bridges among academics, practitioners, churches, and community groups. This position uniquely bridges the academic and NGO sectors, helping to advance applied scholarship while remaining deeply rooted in field-based realities. The ED will be a mission-driven founder with an entrepreneurial mindset who can operationalize a strategic vision, build sustainable programs, and lead with integrity in an Anabaptist faith-oriented setting.

Key Responsibilities
:

Vision & Strategy

• Develop long-term strategic and sustainability plans, including earned revenue, donor engagement, and efficient operational models;
• Identify, build, and incubate scalable programs, partnerships, and business models aligned with PeaceBridge's mission; and
• Network with academic and practitioner organizations and individuals in order to build partnerships, ideas, expertise and capacity.

Public Engagement & Representation

• Identify relevant issues and approaches to engage target audiences;
  • Act as the primary public spokesperson and ambassador of PeaceBridge; and
• Represent the Centre in academic, non-profit, and church-related forums. Fundraising & Development
  • Build a diversified revenue portfolio, including social enterprise approaches, program sponsorships, and strategic grants; and
• Build and sustain a network of institutional and individual supporters. Research & Thoughtful Leadership
  • Advance, manage, and support research, publications, and programmatic reflection within peace and development studies; and
• Identify emerging trends and shape PeaceBridge's intellectual direction. Education & Programming
• Design and deliver educational offerings (conferences, lectures, workshops, residencies); and
• Mentor students, practitioners, and early-career researchers aligned with PeaceBridge's mission. Administration, Governance & People Leadership
• Apply financial oversight and budget planning to ensure responsible use of resources;
• Establish internal systems with an eye toward scalability, an engaged culture, and operational excellence;
  • Report to the Board of the Menno Hall Peace and Development Program; and
• Work alongside the Menno Hall leadership to ensure alignment and reporting.