Chief Impact Officer

We don’t have a mold for you to fit. We have a mission for you to join! 
Most jobs want you to button up and blend in. At Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU), we want the opposite. We want the unique perspectives, the diverse talents, and the personal story that make you who you are. Why? Because the youth we serve are not one size fits all, and the people who support them shouldn’t be either! 
At YOU, we believe meaningful impact is built collectively, and that every role contributes to something bigger than itself. We value your ability to bring fresh ideas to the table and innovate new ways for young people to thrive. In this role you will help to design and strengthen systems that empower our community, working within a team that walks alongside youth every step of the way! 

Build a community where youth are embraced, empowered, and thrive. Be bold. Be authentic. Be YOU. 
Reporting to and working in close partnership with the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Impact Officer (CIO) builds the systems and processes that support our sustainable growth. In this role, you are responsible for the structural integrity of our impact, ensuring that our programs consistently meet the needs of young people and the communities we serve. 
Your focus is to align business goals with high quality, evidence informed, and ethically grounded youth programming across YOU’s service delivery model. You ensure our work produces measurable outcomes in financial sustainability, social equity, and community and interest holder engagement. Working alongside and supporting the executive leadership team, you bring a program centered and practice informed lens to decision making, ensuring our strategic initiatives and program quality always point toward maximum impact.

Responsibilities: 

• Champion Youth-Centred Programming: Evaluate program viability through an impact lens to balance social outcomes with long term sustainability, while acting as an internal champion for our mission ensuring every initiative is driven by the well being of the youth we serve. 

• Master the Metrics: Identify key impact priorities and set the targets that measure how effectively our service model supports youth development and success. 

• Bridge Strategy and Service: Lead the impact frameworks that ensure our high-level strategy translates directly into meaningful, safe, and effective youth programming. 

• Uphold Programmatic Integrity: Ensure all youth practices are trauma informed, evidence informed, and rooted in a foundational commitment to wellness, safety, and a do no harm philosophy. 

• Embed the Mission: Weave the values of YOU into the DNA of our program design and evaluation, ensuring our daily work stays grounded in research and sound practice. 

• Nurture Sustainable Programs: Integrate sustainable practices into our programs so we have the ability to serve the community for the long term.

Experience and Expertise: 

• Academic Foundation: A master’s level degree in Social Work, Social Sciences, Child and Youth Studies, Education, or a related field. 

• Leadership Tenure: Minimum 10 years of progressive leadership experience, with at least 5 years spent in a senior leadership role within a mission driven, human serving, or impact focused environment.

• Strategic Integration: A proven ability to blend corporate sector rigor, including scalability, efficiency, and systems thinking, with the nuances of social sector delivery. 

• Program Oversight: Demonstrated experience overseeing programs with accountability for quality, appropriateness, and outcomes, particularly in youth serving or community contexts.

• Professional Practice: A strong understanding of evidence informed and ethically grounded practice, with the ability to apply this lens across diverse program models. 

• Impact Design: Experience identifying priorities, setting outcome targets, and developing meaningful performance and impact metrics. 

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Success in leading initiatives across departments to achieve shared goals and collective impact. 

• Analytical Judgment: Advanced problem-solving skills, including the ability to interpret data alongside professional judgment and contextual understanding. 

• People Development: Strong leadership skills with a focus on coaching, mentoring, and developing senior leaders and managers.

• Integrity and Alignment: A high degree of sound judgment and deep alignment with the mission, vision, and values of YOU. 

• Leadership Philosophy: A commitment to the values of servant leadership, demonstrating empathy, courage, and integrity, coupled with a belief in distributed leadership models that empower staff at all levels. 

• Continuous Growth: A growth mindset and an openness to feedback, grounded in the self-awareness to know what you do not yet know and a desire to grow with the team

Compensation and Commitment: 

Hours of Work: This is a full-time executive leadership position. While our core hours support a healthy work-life balance, the nature of this role requires flexibility to meet the needs of our programs and community partners. 

Benefits and Perks: We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your total wellbeing, including extended health and dental care, Group RRSP, a competitive vacation allowance, and professional development opportunities to support your continued growth.

Our Commitment to Equity and Inclusion: YOU is actively building a diverse board and workforce reflective of Canadian society. As a result, we promote employment equity and encourage candidates from Indigenous, Black, and other racialized communities, 2SLGBTQI+ people, individuals with disabilities, women, and other people from communities facing systemic inequities. We recognize that structural barriers shape experiences and job qualifications. We encourage you to apply even if you feel the position would be a stretch. 

Youth Opportunities Unlimited is committed to developing inclusive and barrier-free selection and appointment processes as well as work environments, in support of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005 and the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation 191 11. Should an applicant require accommodation at any point during the recruitment process or as an employee during subsequent employment, they are invited to communicate and discuss their requirements with the YOU contact noted below. 

How to Apply: Please submit your resume and a cover letter in PDF format as one document outlining your experience and why you are the right fit for the Chief Impact Officer role at YOU. Submissions should be sent to: andreat@you.ca Attention: Andrea Topham.

We thank all applicants for their interest. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the posting will remain open until the position is filled