Non-profit administration and governance, Organizational leadership

Job Posting: Senior Manager of Executive Operations
Organization: Birds Canada
Location: This role can be performed remotely from any location in Canada, or fully in-person at one of our physical locations (Port Rowan, ON preferred), or via a hybrid model.

Are you looking to channel your skills into meaningful, energizing work that will directly contribute to protecting our natural world?

Do you want to work with an exceptional group of passionate and caring colleagues?

Birds Canada is the country’s premier national organization dedicated to bird conservation. Every day, our thousands of caring donors, 100+ dedicated staff, and 70,000+ outstanding volunteers are taking action to help us better understand, appreciate, and conserve birds and their habitats. Together, we are Canada’s Voice for Birds – will you join us?

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Senior Manager of Executive Operations plays a critical leadership role in ensuring the seamless execution of high-level administrative, operational, and compliance functions within Birds Canada. This position serves as a strategic partner, providing executive-level support, managing organizational policies and procedures, ensuring legal and regulatory adherence, and managing information technology functions.

This role requires a highly organized, detail-oriented, and proactive professional with the ability to navigate complex operational challenges, drive process improvements, and engage effectively with executive leadership, Board members, and cross-functional teams and external service providers.

EMPLOYMENT DETAILS

This full-time role reports directly to the President & CEO and can be performed remotely from any location in Canada, fully in-person at one of our physical locations (Port Rowan, ON preferred), or via a hybrid model. Some periodic travel may be possible for offsite team meetings and other events. You must be legally entitled to work in Canada to be considered for this role. The anticipated start date is April, 2025.

TOTAL COMPENSATION

Birds Canada is proud to offer an exceptional Total Compensation Package, including a competitive starting salary and 5% RRSP matching after 12 months of service. In addition, staff enjoy a primarily employer-paid extended benefits package designed to support your well-being, including health and dental coverage, Basic Group Life Insurance, Group out-of-province travel insurance, Vision, ADD&D and short- and long-term disability coverage. We offer all staff 4 weeks’ vacation per year to start along with 12 personal health days and additional paid vacation days between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Financial support for candidates who wish to relocate within driving distance of our Head Office in Port Rowan, ON may be available.

STARTING SALARY: The starting salary for this role is $83,846 commensurate with your previous experience.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Executive Operations: Provide High-Level Support for the President & CEO and Board of Directors:

• Given Board and President & CEO priorities for the year, orchestrate and facilitate the annual cycle of full Board, Board Committee, and Leadership Team meetings.
• Support the President & CEO in advancing and implementing decision-making: prepare memos and slide presentations, execute follow-ups arising from Board and Leadership Team meetings, work directly with Leadership Team members to operationalize directions provided by the Board and/or President & CEO, etc.
• Coordinate and facilitate the periodic review of Board policies.
• Coordinate large cross-departmental special projects. For example, given a RACI framework to support the development of the organization’s new Strategic Plan, ensure that various stakeholder groups are meeting and advancing their products in a timely and effective manner.
• Supervise an Executive Assistant who provides administrative support to the Board and President & CEO.
• Ensure staff are consulted on key operational decisions. Promptly communicate decisions and their rationale to the team, and field any questions or concerns.

Oversight and Review of Operational Policies and Procedures:

• Identify bottlenecks and optimize workflows to improve operational processes and overall organizational efficiency.
• Coordinate and manage the periodic review and update of staff-facing Operational Policies and Procedures: determine priority policies and procedures to update, collect feedback from Management Team and other staff stakeholders about existing and new policies.
• Lead effective policy implementation and associated change management.
• Manage and implement updates to the Operations Manual.

Ensure organizational adherence to legal and regulatory requirements

• Chair the staff Compliance Committee activities and quarterly meetings to review compliance requirements and address any emerging issues.
• Coordinate and manage the organization’s annual cycle of Risk Management and Mitigation: assessing risks through staff consultations and analysis, identifying and implementing mitigation pathways, reporting to the Board.
• Manage organizational physical and liability Insurance policies.
• Ensure capital projects comply with relevant regulations (accessibility, grant requirements).
• Hold responsibility for filings such as Lobbying Act, provincial registrations, etc.
• Liaise with legal counsel on non-HR related matters and the development and maintenance of various legal contracts and related templates on a proactive and as-needed basis. Respond to staff inquiries that require legal intervention or opinion, consulting with the Leadership Team when required.

Information Technology

• Manage the external service provider for IT support and manage special IT-related initiatives.
• As part of duties related to Operational policies and procedures, manage relevant IT guidance and change management (e.g. cybersecurity policy, document-sharing guidelines, etc.).

Budget Management

• Eventually as part of this role, the candidate could inherit certain administrative budget management responsibilities.

REQUIRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• A Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field (for example Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, etc) or equivalent. Other relevant educational options (or equivalent) may be considered.
• Minimum 5 years’ progressive experience in a governance, operational coordination or high-level executive assistant role, ideally with at least 2 years of experience providing operational support to a board or senior executive. Experience with organizational-level compliance is critical.
• Extensive experience with organizational policy development and implementation.
• Possession of a resourceful self-starter mindset, taking initiative to identify challenges, propose solutions, and drive improvements without waiting for direction. Proactively anticipate organizational needs, take ownership of projects, and ensure tasks are completed effectively and on time.
• Ability to draft/edit sensitive, confidential and technically complex materials, including board memoranda, minutes and resolutions.
• Superior administrative, project management (non-technical) and computer skills, and excellent communication abilities, including verbal, writing and presentation preparation skills.
• Experience building positive, strategic and collaborative relationships with peers, management, board members and a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate effectively with people from diverse backgrounds, and proven commitment to truth and reconciliation, inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and tact, with high professionalism when dealing with sensitive issues and information.

TO APPLY

Please submit your resume along with a covering letter outlining how your experience makes you the perfect candidate for this role via the Birds Canada Online Job Portal by 5pm EST on March 21st, 2025.

Please mention you saw this at GoodWork.ca.

Birds Canada will provide accommodation throughout the recruitment, selection, and/or assessment process to applicants with disabilities.

At Birds Canada, we are committed to fostering a culture that values Indigenous Engagement and Reconciliation, and Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility, as integral approaches that shape all that we do in our organization and for nature (read our full commitment to inclusion at this LINK). We oppose prejudice, bigotry, and discrimination, and aim to ensure that people of all backgrounds, identities, abilities, and experiences feel a sense of belonging and can participate in protecting wild birds and their habitats.

We are actively seeking to improve our ability to reach all candidates with our job postings. Applicants belonging to racialized groups, who identify as Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIA+, and/or who have a disability, are therefore welcome to mention this in their cover letter, if they feel comfortable, although this is not a requirement.