About The Career Foundation: The Career Foundation is a dynamic non-profit organization that offers job seekers a wide range of employment and training services. Since its inception in 1988, The Career Foundation has steadily expanded its services. Operating from multiple locations across the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area, we now help thousands of people each year successfully accomplish their employment goals. Our team of dedicated professionals describe The Career Foundation as caring, compassionate, innovative, and team oriented. For more information about us and our services, please visit our website at CareerFoundation.com.

Some of the benefits and features available to our employees include: 

• Competitive compensation
• A comprehensive Health Benefits plan that includes massage therapy, naturopath services, travel coverage, and much more
• A comprehensive Dental Insurance plan
• An RRSP Matching benefit
• An Employee & Family Assistance program
• Employee wellness initiatives
• Paid days off for religious observance purposes

Program & Role Description:

Conveniently located in Etobicoke, North York, Downtown Toronto, York, and Scarborough, The Career Foundation’s five (5) full-suite Employment Centres provide job seekers with a full range of services, including exploring career options, improving their résumés, preparing for interviews, and much more. Employers that share our commitment to community hiring can also receive a range of services, including direct access to job seekers of diverse backgrounds and skills, support with coordinating and hosting community hiring events to meet our job seeker clients, advice on how to best coach and work with their new hires to help achieve job retention, and more.

The Career Foundation is seeking a results-driven professional to join our team in the position of Area Manager, Employment and Placement Services for our Lawrence Allen Employment Centre. The successful candidate will possess demonstrated program management experience and exceptional team-building and communication skills. The Area Manager, Employment and Placement Services is responsible for managing the staff complement and overseeing all aspects of client service delivery to ensure that The Career Foundation’s Lawrence Allen Employment Centre meets and exceeds all performance management indicators.

• Position type: Full-time (37.5 hours per week)
• Location: This opportunity is based with The Career Foundation’s Lawrence Allen Employment Centre located at Lawrence Ave. W. and Allen Rd. in North York, ON. The successful candidate must be willing to work on-site from the office to provide effective leadership to the team in all areas of program delivery. The position also currently permits some work-from-home days on rotation based on operational needs and performance. Company laptop, cell phone, and other equipment provided.
• Start: As soon as possible
• Reporting to: Senior Manager, Employment Services

Responsibilities include:

Monitoring Service & Quality Control

• Ensures that the team consistently provides relevant support to clients and meets or exceeds performance targets while adhering to business plan deliverables.
• Provides leadership and expertise to the team in areas of customer service, career exploration, assessment, case management, information and referral services, job search, job matching, placement and retention, and other areas of client service.
• Takes a proactive approach when any target is not on track.
• Monitors quality control to ensure that each assisted client receives a personalized service plan addressing their individual barriers, outlining steps to their short-term and long-term goals.
• Prepares funder reports, business plans, and other communications for review by the senior leadership team.
• Oversees the quality of client files and service records to ensure that documentation is kept up-to-date and meets file audit requirements.
• Monitors the delivery of workshops and information sessions periodically to ensure consistency and quality of service.
• Audits Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) applications and reviews findings with team members.
• Ensures that job seekers are appropriately referred to services in the community that meet their needs.
• Participates in developing and implementing effective outreach strategies to help ensure a steady flow of client intakes and represents The Career Foundation at community partner meetings related to the program.
• Creates and enhances relationships with community partners and funders.
• Mediates conflicts or concerns between staff and clients when required.
• Demonstrates outstanding customer service skills with the ability to handle client complaints effectively.
• Oversees the quality of the program, ensuring 100% service satisfaction of all stakeholders while meeting and exceeding overall effectiveness, customer service, and efficiency targets.
• Other relevant duties as assigned.

Staff Management

• Supervises program staff and takes a proactive approach when any target is not on track.
• Cultivates a positive and collaborative working environment, maintaining an open-door policy to provide team members with easy access to advice, feedback, and suggestions.
• Provides leadership, motivation, and expertise to the team in all areas of program delivery.
• Continuously monitors staff performance towards goals, meets with team members as necessary to discuss performance matters that may be affecting outcomes, and documents performance issues as necessary.
• Demonstrates patience, open-mindedness, and respect at all times when managing the team, ensuring that everyone feels heard, valued, and engaged and is operating at their highest potential for their best interest and that of fellow team members and clients.
• Leads weekly team meetings to case conference, share progress towards goals, and leads the team in troubleshooting/ brainstorming issues.
• Ensures that all team members adhere to The Career Foundation’s policies and procedures.
• Provides constructive feedback to team members to help them improve their performance when required and implements disciplinary actions, including terminations, when needed, through consultation with senior leadership.
• Prioritizes recruitment when a vacancy on the team must be filled, including actioning interviews in a timely manner when recommended by the HR department.
• Leads onboarding and training components with new team members and completes interim performance reviews during their first six months of employment.
• Conducts yearly performance appraisals with all team members, ensuring thorough documentation.
• Oversees and approves staff attendance, including approval of vacation days and other eligible paid days off.
• Other relevant duties as assigned.

Administration

• Ensures that all client data and case notes are properly documented by the team on mandatory data management systems.
• Manages policy sign-off requirements and other correspondence with the team in a timely manner when directed by HR.
• Collects and updates statistical information as needed.
• Coordinates the retrieval of client files for the Director of HR when a request is received in accordance with The Career Foundation’s Privacy Policy for access to personal information.
• Other relevant duties as assigned.

Budget Management

• Maintains, tracks, and administers the program’s budget with accurate and up-to-date data.
• Regularly reviews and reconciles budget expenditures with the Finance team.
• Assumes accountability for all related expenditures and budget outcomes.
• Oversees and approves staff expenses in accordance with related policies.
• Other relevant duties as assigned.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Qualifications/ Skills Required:

• A university degree in human services or a related field is highly preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• A minimum of 3 years project and staff management experience, including direct supervision of a team, program reporting, and demonstrated target achievement.
• Ability to effectively manage program budgets.
• Prior management experience in the EO pay-for-performance model is considered an asset.
• Candidates who meet all the above qualifications in addition to direct, hands-on experience in vocational counselling, job coaching, and/or job development within the Employment Services industry will be prioritized.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively lead a team and consistently meet targets.
• Experience communicating with funders to make inquiries, obtain approvals, negotiate terms, and disseminate information.
• Strong knowledge of community resources, support available to job seekers, and current labour market conditions.
• Demonstrated organizational skills, effective time management, and ability to multi-task to meet deadlines and achieve objectives.
• Ability to maintain sensitive information, exhibit tact, diplomacy, and good judgment, with high professionalism, ethics, and confidentiality standards.
• Capable of working under pressure and meeting deadlines.
• Excellent verbal and written English communication skills with the ability to clearly communicate information verbally and in writing. Bilingualism in French is considered an asset.
• A professional and courteous approach to client service with a high level of respect for the diversity of the people served.
• Exceptional customer service skills and ability to uphold the organization’s service standards, policies, and core values.
• Willingness to step in to assist team members when needed to ensure that program goals are achieved.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Outlook 365 applications, including Teams and SharePoint. Must possess aptitude and willingness to learn and work with new online systems and technologies.
• Flexibility to occasionally work outside of normal business hours during peak periods when needed.
• An encouraging team player with a positive attitude who leads by example and takes initiative when needed to ensure that objectives are achieved.

How to Apply:

Please visit the ‘Join Our Team’ page on our website at https://careerfoundation.com/join-our-team and select the position for which you would like to submit your application. You may complete the application form directly through our website. Qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview. No phone calls, please. Thank you for your interest in The Career Foundation.

The Career Foundation’s Commitment:

The Career Foundation is committed to diversity and inclusion and aims to create a healthy and rewarding environment for all. We welcome applications from qualified individuals who represent the diversity of the people we proudly serve, including, but not limited to, visible minorities, women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and individuals of all genders and sexual orientation. The Career Foundation, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), is also committed to accommodating applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. We will work with candidates requesting accommodation at any stage of the hiring process.