Who We Are: Located on the traditional territories of the Lkwungen People, Surrounded by Cedar Child & Family Services’ (SCCFS) vision is to support the empowerment of the urban Indigenous community to continue the reclamation of traditional systems of caring for and protecting children so no child or youth will be placed into care. As an urban Delegated Indigenous Agency, SCCFS is committed to providing child and family services strongly rooted in Indigenous cultural values and world views while ensuring urban Indigenous children and youth grow up connected to family, community, and culture. Cultural ways of knowing, being, and doing are woven throughout all the work we do for our children, families, and community.

SCCFS strives to be a culturally safe employer, with a keen focus on Indigenous recruitment and retention. While working at the agency, employees will be involved in various cultural knowledge sharing opportunities, activities, and ceremonies, while being actively engaged in urban Indigenous community events.

Surrounded by Cedar receives its delegation through the Provincial Director of Child Welfare, who gives the agency the authority to undertake administration of parts of the Child, Family and Community Service Act (CFCSA). Under its current delegation agreement, Surrounded by Cedar administers C3 (Voluntary Services) and C4 services (Guardianship).

In support of our Vision and Mission, we embody an agency culture that is supportive, team-oriented, caring, genuine/authentic, respectful, and fun (with laughter). Most importantly, we work from the heart to support our belief that: Children are the most sacred gift that will ever be given by the Creator.

The Opportunity: Join a team that values your contributions while utilizing your unique skills, creativity and passion for making a meaningful difference in the lives of urban Indigenous children, youth and families. In the role of Executive Director, you will have the opportunity to:

• Lead a C4 urban Indigenous Child & Family Service Agency, including a multi-disciplinary team of professionals.
• Mentor the agency’s vision, mission and Core Values, ensuring practice and operations remain deeply rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing and being.
• Support a strong and dynamic leadership team while promoting a healthy and holistic workplace culture.
• Ensure service delivery to urban Indigenous children, youth, young adults and families is respectful, compassionate, strength-based and culturally centered.
• Nurture existing relationships with community partners, sister agencies, stakeholders, Nations, and the urban Indigenous community while continuously seeking out opportunities to build and strengthen new relationships and partnerships.
• Oversee the agency’s existing contracts and deliverables, find opportunities to seek out new and additional funding opportunities while managing a multi-million-dollar budget.
• Work collaboratively with the agency’s Board of Directors.

Position Summary:
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director plays a pivotal role in advancing the agency’s vision and mission on behalf of urban Indigenous children, youth, young adults and families. Providing visionary leadership, the Executive Director leads the implementation of immediate and longer-term goals across all program areas while developing and enhancing culturally rooted services for the urban Indigenous community. The Executive Director is responsible for service delivery leadership in alignment with the agency’s Core Values as well as all relevant legislation, policies, standards and guidelines. Rooted in Indigenous ways of caring for others, the Executive Director provides supervision, coaching, vision, direction and guidance to the agency’s Leadership Team while maintaining overall responsibility for all employees, contracted resources, financial and physical resources. The Executive Director also establishes and maintains strong professional relationships with protocol partners, community agencies, key stakeholders, the urban Indigenous community, the Métis community, local First Nations and First Nations across Canada. As the senior representative of the organization, the Executive Director acts as primary spokesperson for all matters related to the business of the agency, protecting the integrity and reputation of the organization at all times.

Primary Responsibilities

Leadership and Vision:

• Develops and communicates a clear strategic vision that aligns with the agency’s vision, mission and Core Values.
• Develops, implements and monitors a strategic plan for the organization along with clear goals, objectives and timelines.
• Mentors the vision, mission and mandate of the agency, supporting employees to understand how each individual role within the organization is integral to the overall functioning of the agency.

Community Collaboration and Relationships

• Establishes and nurtures partnerships with the local urban Indigenous community, the Métis community, local First Nations and Indigenous communities across Turtle Island, particularly in the planning and decision making related to their children, youth and families.
• Promotes community involvement in decisions that affect services received by clients, and actively engages in community development activities.
• Cultivates and maintains strong working relationships with stakeholders, government agencies and other partners.

Board Relations

• Works closely with the agency’s Board of Directors, attending all scheduled board meetings to provide regular updates, strategic recommendations and support in governance matters.

Service Delivery

• Ensures respectful, compassionate, strength-based and culturally safe service delivery while engaging urban Indigenous children, youth, young adults and families in all planning that relates to or directly impacts them.
• Maintains compliance with all applicable legislation, policies, standards, guidelines and ensures service delivery aligns with all contract deliverables.
• Develops a clear communication strategy, ensuring the community, partners and others remain aware of agency programming, services and events.

Human Resources

• Lead the development, deployment and monitoring of recruitment and retention strategies of all employees. Includes: determining staffing resources, succession planning, training and development needs, establishing wage grids for all positions within the agency and any amendments to these grids.
• Serves as senior leader to the agency’s Leadership Team, including the assignment of work, performance management, coaching and mentoring, approving leave, responding to grievances, conducting Workplace Incident Inquiries, and initiating progressive discipline processes as required.
• Oversees the agency’s processes for responding to concerns that may arise regarding employee conduct, including Workplace Incident Inquiries and any subsequent progressive discipline processes that may result.

Finance and Contract Management Oversight

• In collaboration with the agency’s Finance Department, develop and manage the agency’s annual budget, ensuring fiscal responsibility and sustainability.
• Manage operational budgets and expenditures within approved budgets; identify potential funding sources, prepare grant proposals, and cultivate relationships with community donors and funding partners.
• Manage all grant/funding applications submitted on behalf of the agency and oversees all contracts negotiated on behalf of the agency.

Our Ideal Candidate Profile:

• Demonstrated respect for Indigenous people and cultures, including cultural ways of knowing, being, and doing.
• Extensive knowledge of the history of Indigenous people within Canada and the resultant trauma, child welfare and institutional impacts on Indigenous families.
• In depth knowledge of culturally rooted child welfare practice and family support principles.
• Strong working knowledge of AOPSI, the Child Family and Community Service Act, Family Law Act and the Adoption Act.
• Knowledge of effective community supports and services available to urban Indigenous children, youth, young adults and families and how to access them.
• Knowledge of the judicial and criminal justice systems and their processes.
• Knowledge of current mental health and addiction related challenges, the opioid crisis within the urban Indigenous community, and how these challenges impact children, youth, young adults and families.
• Knowledge of child/youth health, development and support needs.
• Ability to manage and mentor a team of senior staff, while inspiring and motivating a multi-disciplinary team of practitioners with varying levels of knowledge and experience.
• Ability to think analytically at a strategic level while working well under pressure in fast-paced, high stress work environment where priorities change frequently.
• Continuously identify critical issues and establish realistic goals to address these issues.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a respectful and collaborative way with knowledge keepers, children/youth, extended family members, Nations, caregivers, government partners and various agencies within the community.
• Ability to mentor trauma informed practice approaches within multidisciplinary teams.
• Skilled at mediation with the ability to de-escalate challenging and sometimes volatile situations using both traditional and mainstream approaches.

What You Bring to the Role

• Master’s Degree preferred in Clinical Psychology, Educational Counselling Psychology, Social Work, Social Sciences or Child & Youth Care, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Ten (10) or more years of progressive experience in Indigenous child welfare which includes direct client service delivery, service delivery planning, evaluation, and change management.
• Five (5) or more years of experience leading, supervising and managing multi-disciplinary teams.
• Comprehensive understanding of the policies, standards, legislation and practice associated with C3 and C4 delegated authority.
• Candidates currently delegated to C4 will be given preference.
• Experience with contract negotiation, procurement, and management.
• Experience developing, managing and monitoring multi-million-dollar budgets and expenditures.
• Ability and willingness to travel, at times extensively, and to work evenings and weekends.
• Current B.C. Class 5 Driver’s license, satisfactory driver’s abstract, adequate vehicle insurance including business coverage and access to a safe reliable vehicle.
• Clear criminal records check.

Visit our website for more information about this position, the agency and to view the full job description.

Working Conditions

Work is performed in a variety of settings including the SCCFS office, client homes, and community settings. Regular travel, sometimes with short notice is required. Some evening and weekend work is also required.

Wage:  $119,600.00 – 152,599.97 annually, depending on experience.

Preference will be given to qualified applicants who self-identify as First Nations, Métis, or Inuit as per Section 41 of the BC Human Rights Code.

Application Procedures

Apply Online Now! Along with your CV, please submit a cover letter outlining why you are interested in this opportunity, what specific skills and experience you will bring, and how your qualifications and cultural experience and knowledge will make you successful in this role.