The Doorway is seeking a collaborative, community focused leader to be their next Executive Director (ED). The successful candidate will be an engaging, inclusive, approachable leader with good listening and communication skills. Grounded in the belief of a youth’s ability to self-determine and a passion for helping young people help themselves, the candidate will display values of empathy, compassion and a commitment to possibility and hope in their every interaction. A great team leader, the candidate will work well with others, respecting their views and supporting staff and volunteers to develop their skills. Positive and encouraging, the candidate will have an open and flexible style and commitment to nurturing a positive work culture. They will be good at problem solving and able to make sound decisions that generate unified support from diverse groups of stakeholders.
They will be a confident leader who can network and speak publicly about The Doorway in a business environment yet still be able to engage with participants on a meaningful level. An accomplished relationship builder, the candidate will be able to participate in positive ways in community initiatives to support youth and to develop partnerships that benefit The Doorway’s participants. They will have the skills to raise significant support to fund our mission and will strategically engage with the community for greater awareness and stronger partnerships to ensure The Doorway thrives into the future, reaching and serving more youth.
The candidate will have a post-secondary degree in sociology or complementary field as well as extensive knowledge and direct experience with vulnerable youth such as in social work, addictions, family services, mental health, or other similar work experience. The candidate focuses their practice within a participatory action research framework.
The successful candidate will have experience supporting and partnering with a nonprofit Board of Directors in its governance duties and working with an engaged, passionate workforce of staff and volunteers. The successful candidate will have a good understanding of non-profit finances, including project-based funding, grant applications, reporting and their implications.
Organization Overview
Since 1988, The Doorway has been dedicated to helping youth thrive by offering unconditional support, encouragement, and guidance as they choose to leave the streets for a better life.
We respect each young person’s autonomy and individuality and are committed to fostering an inclusive community where they feel valued, understood, and empowered.
We believe in building agency—helping youth recognize their strengths, make confident choices, and take meaningful action toward their goals. By nurturing their resilience, critical thinking, and adaptability, we empower them to overcome challenges, seize opportunities, and actively shape their future in a positive way.
Our Vision: An equitable world where young people have the tools to thrive.
Our Mission: Making change possible by empowering young people to take steps towards a better quality of life.
Our Values: Respect, Belonging, Care, Courage, Tenacity, Trust, Grace.
We support young adults, aged 17-30, who have found themselves living on the street. They face significant challenges—addiction, mental health issues, homelessness, job instability, food insecurity, limited access to education, and social isolation. At The Doorway, we not only offer hope but also practical skills and resources to help them overcome these challenges.
We recognize that homelessness is often just a symptom of deeper issues like isolation, low self-worth, and shame. Our focus is on supporting these young adults and helping them build confidence, connections, acceptance, and respect: the foundations needed to help them make meaningful progress toward their goals.
Through our proprietary MYPLAN program, we empower participants to set their own goals and create a plan to achieve them, while also providing access to clean, legal cash. Through MYPLAN they build confidence, agency, and resilience in a supportive environment that respects their individuality and autonomy. This process helps them develop essential skills like critical thinking and problem solving while taking ownership of their growth, and actively shaping their future, bringing them closer to the life they envision.
Our support for Making Changes is expanding through provision of learning opportunities requested by participants and collaborations with other agencies. Examples of these are employment and life skills. In the coming year, graduates of our MYPLAN process will have the opportunity to participate in our inaugural Alumni Peer Program.
Your Opportunity
The Doorway is at an exciting place for a new leader to join with the Board, staff and participants in creating new supports and connections to help them thrive. Based on a solid history of supporting Calgary youth experiencing homelessness and with continuing commitment to unlocking the potential of street youth, The Doorway is poised for growth in numbers of young people participating in MyPlan and in the kinds of learning and other opportunities that will support them reaching their goals. The impact of this work extends far beyond individual youth. As these young people thrive, their transformation ripples throughout the community, igniting a chain reaction of positive change. The Doorway is not just shaping futures, it is shaping communities.
This role is for someone with a passion for creating safe, non-judgmental spaces for vulnerable youth to make change in their lives at their own pace and focused on the things that matter to them. Through listening and collaborating with participants, staff, community members and other individuals, groups and agencies, you will support individual as well as systemic change. You have the ability to see potential in people and situations, to foster and implement strategies for adapting to the changing world as individuals, an organization and as a sector. You are excited to develop the relationships and programs that will bring the community together with street youth to build a better future for all.
Role Emphasis
The Executive Director (ED) is responsible for the successful leadership, management and operations at The Doorway (The Backdoor, Youth Employment Society). The ED, in partnership with the Board, will ensure that The Doorway has a long-range strategy for success and achieves consistent and timely progress on its goals. As the senior staff member of The Doorway, the ED clearly understands, demonstrates and practices the values and philosophy of the organization while leading and supporting a small, capable, engaged team of staff and community volunteers who support youth in their MyPlan journey. Other key responsibilities include resource development; optimal use of organizational finances, staff and resources; long range strategic, workforce and fiscal planning; operational oversight and support; building collaborative relationships with other agencies to support street youth; enhancing The Doorway’s role in the community and ensuring The Doorway’s programs evolve to meet the changing needs of the community.
The Executive Director works closely with the Board of Directors, and has several direct reports;
Key Accountabilities:
Leadership and Culture
Operations, Program, and People Management
Community Leadership and Advocacy
Financial Planning and Management
Fund Development
Governance and Board Relations
Competencies
Key competencies the candidate must demonstrate are:
Required Experience/Skills
Education
Post-secondary degree in sociology, community development, social work, education or a related discipline, supplemented by business experience.
Candidates with a different combination of relevant experience and education are welcome to apply.
impact8 Inc. thanks all candidates for their interest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted. The Doorway will not respond to inquiries concerning this posting. Please direct questions to .
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