Quality Director

At House of Friendship, we believe in what we are doing. We get out of bed each day to make a difference in our community; to walk with and to serve. We are not happy with the status quo. We get energy from ongoing learning and growth. We lead with passion and believe without a doubt that everyone deserves to belong and thrive. We live and breathe our values of Compassion, Inclusion, Justice, Dignity and Hope. And we have fun!

Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? It is!

House of Friendship is a leading provider of solutions in the areas of housing, addiction services, food security and community development across Waterloo Region (www.houseoffriendship.org). Our 86-year history has built a legacy of innovation, adaptation and the continuous pursuit of better ways to meet the needs of individuals and families impacted by poverty and addiction. Our mission is at the centre of all we do as we pursue more integrated ways to walk with community members experiencing increasingly complex needs.

We are looking for an authentic, creative and systems-driven leader to lead our Quality team, providing strategic direction, oversight and hands-on leadership to the organization-wide frameworks, systems and tools for managing Risk, Emergency Preparedness, Privacy, Incident Reporting, Quality Improvement, and Program Data and Evaluation. This hands-on transformational leader will be adept at making or guiding decisions through complexity and ambiguity.

During this 14-month contract specifically, the Interim Quality Director will champion and manage the advancement of House of Friendship’s Emergency Preparedness program, Risk Management program, and Privacy program, while overseeing the Manager of Program Data and Health Information who leads a team to drive and grow our program data and evaluation strategy. In addition to being a known collaborator with a customer-service approach to all they do, this position calls for a high-capacity person with exceptional project management, change management and influencing skills, alongside a love to dig into and understand the details. The ideal candidate will have proficiency in driving a culture of program evaluation, outcome-focus and data-informed decision-making, working closely with the Program Director and Clinical Director.

As a member of the Organizational Leadership Team, this role has a shared responsibility to work effectively as a member of this team to develop and carry out House of Friendship’s Strategic Plan (Building Health, Building Belonging), annual plans and organizational commitments. Leading in an ever-evolving environment, this role also requires a leader who has a keen ability to build and maintain productive partnerships with funders and community agencies as well as to develop solutions to emerging, complex and integrated issues related to housing, addiction and community development.

This is a contract position, from approximately January 6, 2027, to March 3, 2028. This full-time position offering 37.5 hours per week. Schedule is generally weekday, daytime hours. Flexibility required, including some evening and weekend hours to support special events.

Key Responsibilities:

• Effectively lead, develop and support the Quality team, including ensuring a physically and psychologically healthy work environment for all team members
• Develop and steward an integrated quality, safety and risk framework that enables organizational planning, accountability and continuous improvement, and act as the staff liaison to the Quality, Safety & Risk sub-committee of the Board
• Build internal capacity, systems and tools to support integrated approaches to operational risk management, including insight-based tracking and reporting for teams, leadership and Board
• Lead, manage and evaluate the organizational emergency preparedness and response program through development and monitoring of plans and protocols, and supporting active response during emergencies
• As the organization’s Privacy Officer, provide subject matter expertise and ensure the appropriate collection, use, disclosure and protection of participant information through effective privacy practices, breach management and legislative compliance
• Oversee the development and continuous improvement of an organizational program data strategy including participant records, evaluation and impact reporting systems, practices, and tools to support decision-making, service excellence and improved participant outcomes
• Develop and oversee an effective organizational framework, tools and accountability approach to incident management, including equipping staff and ensuring strong reporting and learning practices
• Collaborate and co-create service enhancements and solutions with the Clinical Director and the Program Director to enhance, measure and report on improved participant experience and outcomes
• Ensure the governance and operational systems and supports are in place to sustain House of Friendship’s accreditation status, implement recommendations and adhere to quality and service standards set by accrediting bodies and funders, acting as the organizational liaison and core contact with accreditors
• Build alignment, enable collaboration, and drive action across House of Friendship related to strategic priorities, complex issues or change initiatives
• Pursue ongoing professional development in areas related to all areas of the Quality function to provide subject matter expertise to the organization
• As a member of the Organizational Leadership Team, contribute to the overall annual and strategic planning processes for House of Friendship
• Attend leadership and management team meetings and actively participate as a team member
• Support and promote the mission of House of Friendship and positively represent the agency to our constituencies and the community

Job Specific Knowledge/Skills:

• Proven ability to design, lead and execute strategic and operational projects and change initiatives at the organizational level, including meaningful engagement and involvement of interest holders
• Proven aptitude for actively engaging, learning and advancing new areas and expertise
• Very strong leadership, team-building and decision-making skills required, including proven ability to make and guide decisions in complex and ambiguous contexts
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication and facilitation skills, with a demonstrated ability to cultivate and maintain productive working relationships
• Demonstrated strength in coaching and developing leaders and teams while also directly managing portions of the portfolio in a more detailed, hands-on way
• Exceptional skills in creating and integrating a highly data-driven decision support environment
• Proven strength in navigating complexity, detail and data to create frameworks, tools and insights that support structure, integration and systematization
• Demonstrated aptitude in creating and augmenting business tools, systems and processes
• Collaborative, open and creative approach to problem solving and a willingness to address challenging issues
• Strong collaboration and teamwork skills, including demonstrated ability to handle sensitive, emotional, or political issues with tact and good judgement and the skill to understand and enable diverse viewpoints and approaches to resolve conflict and achieve goals
• Strong knowledge of resources, systems and communities of practice related to accreditation, quality improvement, privacy, emergency response and risk management

Education/Experience:

• University degree in a relevant area of study, preferably with a focus on systems development, social and human services, health care management or organizational development and strategy; Master’s degree considered an asset
• Five (5) years of relevant experience in developing, implementing, and evaluating organizational or community-scale frameworks, systems and change initiatives
• Proven expertise and comprehensive knowledge of the current best practices in privacy, emergency response systems, risk management, incident reporting and quality improvement required
• At least five (5) years of experience leading and coaching a team, with at least 2 of those at a senior leadership level; one (1) year of experience being part of an organization’s senior leadership team is considered an asset
• Experience working in an accredited and health care, or healthcare adjacent, environment, along with research expertise, are strong assets
• Change management and project management experience preferred

Critical Skills:

• A passion for leadership with a demonstrated high level of skill in coaching and leading people and teams
• An innovative and strategic thinker with a demonstrated ability to envision and enable change at an organizational and systems level
• Commitment to understand and uphold the mission and values of House of Friendship is expected
• Proven ability to design, lead and execute strategic and operational planning processes at the organizational level, including meaningful engagement and involvement of stakeholders
• Exemplary emotional intelligence, resilience, communication, conflict management and problem-solving skills required
• Demonstrated leadership skills with experience in building consensus at the strategic level, leading and working with multidisciplinary teams, developing partnerships, and effectively collaborating with and influencing colleagues who are not direct reports
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and the ability to inspire confidence and trust amongst all stakeholders, acting ethically and responsibly in all interactions
• Exceptional ability to initiate, build and foster solid and fruitful relationships with people across the organization and with relevant external stakeholders
• Deep commitment to creating and maintaining a healthy work environment including coaching and supporting direct reports, and ability to navigate change in a positive and productive manner
• Excellent project management and execution skills
• Able to model effective problem solving by recognizing the human, interpersonal and technical sides of a problem, show flexibility and explore possible solutions in an innovative and creative way
• Experience or strong interest in working with diverse populations including people from various cultural backgrounds and income levels, and sensitivity to their needs
• Strong intercultural competency, with the ability to recognize and respect cultural diversity, able to be diplomatic and sensitive to the dynamics of a culturally diverse workplace
• Experience with and commitment to using an anti-racism, anti-oppressive and trauma informed approach in consultation, program design, evaluation processes and service delivery
• Respectful, supportive and engaging approach to persons with physical and/or cognitive disabilities, addictions, mental health and other life challenges

Compensation:

At House of Friendship, we know that our team members are the key to the success of our organization and our ability to provide essential services to the community. In support of our mission and in alignment with our values, House of Friendship is committed to ensuring fair, market competitive, and rewarding compensation practices for all of our team members. We aspire to support our team members to create a great work environment where our team is able to thrive, succeed, and have a positive work experience.

House of Friendship compensation practices including our pay grid, have been developed using documented leading pay practices in the not-for-profit sector including Pathways to Decent Work (Ontario Nonprofit Network) and Ontario Living Wage Network. We value the experience that new team members bring to the organization and have a process in place to review previous related experience for placement on our pay grid.

We value the work that you do with fair pay and benefits:

• 5 weeks vacation, pay on each pay with opportunity to have vacation pay deposited into a separate account to save for when vacation time is taken, 2 paid personal days annually

• Employee and Family Assistance program

• 8% pay provided on each pay in lieu of participation in paid sick time, group health benefits and registered pension plan, can also be deposited to a separate account

• We help you save for the future by providing access to Group RRSP and Group TFSA options

Rate of Pay:

At House of Friendship all compensation ranges are categorized under a series of “grades” and we base our payment structure on internal equity. When determining rate of pay, a candidate’s past related experience will be taken into consideration.

Grade: 7

Min: $48.60

Mid: $56.00

Max: $63.40

Working Conditions:

• 37.5 hours per week; generally daytime, weekday hours with some flexibility for evening and weekend hours to support special events

• Hybrid work option with on-site requirements and the ability to work from a home office

• Travel throughout Waterloo Region; consistent access to a reliable vehicle and G class driver’s license required

• Encountering participants at program sites who may be under the influence of substances, and/or experiencing symptoms of mental illness can be expected

This role is being posted to fill a current vacancy.

House of Friendship is open and inviting to qualified candidates with lived experience.

House of Friendship supports justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. We strive to be a workplace free of harassment and discrimination and we are committed to removing barriers and being an inclusive, work environment. House of Friendship is a place where each person can bring their true selves and feel that they belong. We aspire to be an organization that is anti-racist and anti-oppressive so that our team, and therefore our community, can truly belong and thrive.

We invite applications from all qualified candidates and actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to accessing employment including, but not limited to Indigenous Peoples, members of racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

If you require accommodations to be able to participate fully at any stage in the recruitment process, including applying for this position, please let us know so that we can discuss accommodation options. Accommodations will be provided upon request.

If you are as passionate as we are about serving the community, let’s talk.

To apply, please submit your resume (required) and cover letter here:

https://house-of-friendship.hirehive.com/quality-director-kitchener-on-5cSfsO

By end of day October 3, 2026.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not being used in the screening of applications.