A world free of the effects of diabetes is our vision. That’s why we’re working together to improve the quality of life of people living with diabetes. We’re sharing knowledge and creating connections for individuals and the health-care professionals who care for them; advocating through public policy; and funding research to improve treatments and find a cure to end diabetes.

Join our dedicated, talented Diabetes Canada team and together, #LetsEndDiabetes!

Role Overview

This new role, Executive Director, Change The Conversation (CTC) will lead Diabetes Canada’s strategic initiative to transform societal perceptions of diabetes. Through this initiative, Diabetes Canada (DC) wants to change the values, beliefs and language about diabetes in Canada to positively impact the quality of life of the over four million people diagnosed with diabetes. To do so, this role involves creating, curating and communicating the knowledge needed to address the stigma, misinformation and apathy that people living with diabetes in Canada currently experience.  This role reports to the SVP, Marketing and Communications.

While this role does not currently include direct reports, strong leadership is essential for managing cross-functional teams.

Location: 1000 – 170 University Ave. Toronto, Ontario. A flexible work agreement policy in place allowing employees to work on a hybrid schedule, working remotely, and with the expectation of being on-site for meetings.

We are accepting applications across Canada.

This role includes, but not limited to:

Strategy & Planning

• Leads and continuously refines the multi-year CTC Strategy to align with DC's evolving priorities.
• Aligns the CTC Strategy with DC’s broader strategic and business priorities, ensuring seamless integration with the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan.
• Develops and leads a five-year Implementation Plan, leveraging a test-and-learn approach to drive impact and innovation.
• Collaborates with the SVP, Marketing & Communications to refine governance structures, ensuring effective oversight of strategy execution.
• Identifies and advises on strategic risks related to the multi-year CTC initiative, proactively addressing challenges and with agility taking advantage of emerging opportunities.

Annual Business Planning & Budgeting

• Lead the annual planning process for CTC, ensuring timely approval of the Business Plan and Budget while meeting all deadlines.
• Support SVP, Marketing and Communications in developing an overall annual Marketing & Communications Business Plan and Budget.
• Drive the creation, curation, and strategic dissemination of knowledge using qualitative and quantitative research, ensuring impactful messaging and integration across DC’s initiatives:

• • Creation of knowledge – use qualitative & quantitative methods to uncover and understand how diabetes is viewed both in Canada and internationally
  • Curation of knowledge – lead and design processes into products or programs into leading standalone CTC interventions but also supporting other DC leaders in integrating the knowledge into their products or programs and work
  • Communication of knowledge – support dissemination of the knowledge through a variety of internal and external channels, including helping to “package” the initiative for corporate partners and donors to expand CTC engagement and impact
• Lead the development of reports, presentations, and strategic insights, ensuring clarity and impact for internal and external audiences.

Evaluation

• Define and track KPIs to measure strategic and operational impact, leveraging data-driven insights to guide decision-making. Ensure seamless integration of KPIs into DC’s dashboards and evaluation tools, including the Mission Impact Evaluation Framework.
• Collaborate within developmental evaluation approach to drive innovation; applying complexity concepts to enhance evaluation methods. Use insights to inform strategic and tactical adaptations for continuous improvement.

Subject Matter Expertise

• Act as the primary subject matter expert on CTC-related knowledge and findings, driving innovation and impact through interdisciplinary collaboration and external partnerships.
• Be the internal research lead and expert as needed in the accumulation of either primary or secondary related information gathering, analysis, insight development; and proactively sharing these findings for use and integration into other’s work and planning.
• Represent DC as an expert spokesperson in external engagements, including media appearances, industry discussions, and thought leadership opportunities.

Partner & Supplier Relationship Management

• Manage, or support the management of, relationships with vendors, partners and suppliers to ensure service and cost-effectiveness.

The ideal candidate possesses:

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive senior leadership experience in strategic roles.
• Post-secondary degree in a health-related discipline is an asset but not required.
• Expertise in systems thinking, complexity, developmental evaluation, health-sector innovation, and/or knowledge mobilization.
• Demonstrated knowledge, understanding, and experience in research methods, systematic reviews, research appraisals, development and application of assessments, evidence-based, and study design.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills and strategy development.
• A curious and inclusive leader who fosters collaboration and strong relationships.
• Demonstrated comfort with operating under uncertainty and with emerging information and stepping in to leadership postures in those circumstances.
• Ability to synthesize information and input from various sources and communicate it clearly.
• Proven ability to lead, strategize, and manage complex, high-impact projects at an organizational level.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and creative communication skills, with the ability to inspire and influence cross-functional teams, executives, and board members.
• Acumen measuring, tracking and reporting performance and ongoing improvement.

What Diabetes Canada Can Offer You

• A meaningful role, making a difference every day for people living with or at risk of diabetes.
• An entrepreneurial environment, working for a national organization where you feel valued, recognized, and rewarded.
• A high-performing, collaborative team environment and a commitment to building a healthy and engaged work culture.
• A flexible work agreement policy in place allows employees to work regularly remote and/or hybrid schedule.
• Competitive compensation and comprehensive group benefits plan, includes health/dental, life insurance, disability coverage, Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) and company-match Pension/RRSP.
• Most group benefits start on Day 1 when you join DC (health and dental coverage, life insurance and EFAP).
• Access to a mental wellness app offering guided mediation and self-guided learning on a wide range of topics.
• Generous paid time-off benefits include additional paid holidays beyond the recognized provincial statutory holidays, and an end-of-year holiday office closure.
• A work culture committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace that celebrates differences and provides equal opportunities for all.

Our Core Values:

ACE-IT: Agility, Collaboration, Excellence, Integrity, Taking Initiative

Must be legally eligible to work in Canada and, where applicable, must have a valid work permit or study permit that allows the candidate to fulfill the requirements of the role.

Diabetes Canada welcomes applications from all qualified candidates, including people of all genders, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities.  We value a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. 

We are committed to accommodating people with disabilities as part of our hiring process.  If you require accommodations, please advise us during the recruitment process.

We thank all interested applicants; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.