General Manager Social Impact
|
Location
|
Throughout Niagara Region
|
|
Compensation
|
• Salary range: $82,500 – $95,000 annually
• 3 weeks paid vacation to start
• Comprehensive employer-paid benefits after the qualifying period, including Extended Health, Dental, Long-Term Disability, Group Life and AD&D
• Complimentary YMCA of Niagara membership
• Eligibility to join the YMCA of Niagara pension plan after one year of service
• Professional development and leadership opportunities
• Meaningful work with the opportunity to influence and grow social impact across the Niagara Region
|
|
Employment Type
|
Full time: 40 hours per week
Occasional early mornings, evening & weekend hours.
|
|
Vacancies
|
1
|
|
Placement Date
|
November 2026
|
Work for a charity that ignites the potential in people. Every. Single. Day.
At the YMCA of Niagara, you’ll be part of a purpose-led organization with a clear focus on community well-being. Our work is powered by relationships and grounded in inclusion. We support people of all ages and circumstances with opportunities that build health, belonging, and connection so individuals and families can grow, lead, and give back.
For more than 165 years, we have been part of the fabric of this region, evolving alongside Niagara and showing up where the need is greatest. With a presence in over 125 program sites, we continue to expand what well-being can look like, creating welcoming spaces where more people can participate and feel they belong.
Guided by our shared values of caring, health, honesty, inclusiveness, respect, advocacy, and responsibility, the YMCA offers meaningful roles where your work is felt every day. If you’re ready to bring energy and care to a team that keeps moving forward, you’ll find purpose here.
Nature and Scope:
The General Manager, Social Impact provides strategic leadership for YMCA of Niagara’s Social Impact portfolio, advancing the Association’s commitment to building potential, strengthening communities, and creating opportunities for people to thrive. The portfolio develops and delivers responsive programs and initiatives that strengthen well-being, social connection, life stability and participation in community life.
The General Manager is accountable for identifying opportunities where the YMCA can create meaningful community impact and leading the development, planning and execution of sustainable, funded and measurable programs and services in response to those opportunities. A defining responsibility of the role is the ability to mobilize quickly and execute effectively. Establishing new programs within compressed timelines, assembling highly competent teams, activating partnerships, and putting the infrastructure and systems in place to meet funding, contractual, financial and service-delivery commitments from the outset.
Working collaboratively across the Association and with community partners, the General Manager strengthens connections between programs, services and resources to reduce barriers, create pathways to greater opportunity, and advance more coordinated responses to community priorities. Through diverse funding streams and effective stewardship of YMCA resources, the portfolio will continue to evolve in response to YMCA strategic priorities, community conditions and opportunities for investment.
Given the senior nature of the position, the scope of responsibility is broad and will evolve in response to organizational priorities, community needs, funding opportunities, and emerging service requirements.
Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership & Community Impact
• Translate YMCA of Niagara’s strategic priorities into a focused Community Impact strategy and portfolio.
• Identify opportunities where YMCA of Niagara is positioned to create meaningful and measurable community impact.
• Use community trends, evidence, participant experience, program performance and partner knowledge to inform program development and investment decisions.
• Lead the development, planning, implementation and evolution of programs and services that strengthen well-being, social connection, life stability and access to opportunity.
• Establish measurable outcomes and use results to strengthen, scale, redesign, transition or conclude programs and services.
• Ensure Community Impact initiatives complement other YMCA service areas and create pathways to further opportunity.
Funding Development, Program Design & Mobilization
• Proactively identify and pursue government, foundation, philanthropic, corporate and other funding opportunities aligned with the Community Impact mandate and YMCA strategic priorities.
• Lead the development of funding applications, proposals, service models and implementation plans, leveraging the expertise and support of the Philanthropy team and other Association resources.
• Assess opportunities for strategic alignment, impact, operational feasibility, financial sustainability and organizational risk.
• Rapidly mobilize successful funding opportunities, moving from approval to operational delivery within required timelines.
• Establish the people, partnerships, systems and infrastructure required for successful program launch.
• Maintain an active pipeline of funding and program development opportunities to support the growth and evolution of the portfolio.
Operational Excellence & Performance
• Provide leadership and oversight to Community Impact programs, leaders and teams.
• Ensure programs achieve contractual obligations, service targets, financial parameters, quality standards and participant outcomes.
• Maintain rigorous oversight of performance and identify operational, financial or contractual risks early, taking timely corrective action.
• Ensure compliance with YMCA policies, funding agreements, legislative requirements and applicable standards.
• Maintain effective quality assurance, evaluation and reporting practices that support continuous improvement and funder accountability.
Community Partnerships & Collective Impact
• Build strategic partnerships that strengthen collective responses to community challenges.
• Work with partners to align expertise, resources and services, reduce fragmentation and strengthen coordination.
• Create intentional pathways between Community Impact initiatives and other YMCA and community programs and services.
• Advance opportunities that support participants to build the stability, readiness and capacity to successfully transition to education, employment, health, recreation and other specialized services.
• Leverage partnerships to evolve service models, strengthen investment and increase collective community impact.
• Represent YMCA of Niagara on relevant community planning tables, advisory committees, sector networks and collaborative initiatives.
Government, Funder & Stakeholder Relations
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with municipal, regional, provincial and federal governments, foundations, funders, educational institutions, public agencies and community organizations.
• Monitor government priorities, policy directions, funding trends and emerging opportunities relevant to the Community Impact mandate.
• Build confidence in YMCA of Niagara through strong relationships, accountability and demonstrated performance.
• Represent the YMCA of Niagara in funding, service-planning and partnership discussions as assigned.
• Collaborate with the Chief Operations Officer and other YMCA leaders to advance organizational priorities and strategic relationships.
Financial Management & Stewardship
• Develop and manage divisional budgets, forecasts and financial plans.
• Ensure responsible stewardship of YMCA resources and compliance with funding and contractual requirements.
• Monitor financial performance and address variances and risks promptly.
• Work collaboratively with Chief Operations Officer and Finance to ensure accurate reporting, funding accountability, audit readiness and compliance.
• Assess program sustainability and financial viability and recommend adjustments as required.
People Leadership
• Build and mobilize highly competent teams capable of rapidly establishing and delivering programs within defined funding and performance requirements.
• Recruit, develop, coach and evaluate leaders and staff throughout the portfolio.
• Establish clear expectations and hold leaders accountable for performance and results.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, urgency and continuous improvement.
• Support succession planning, leadership development and workforce planning.
• Promote employee engagement and alignment with YMCA values and strategic priorities.
• Other duties related to the role as assigned.
Core Competencies:
Strategic Leadership Translates organizational priorities into focused portfolio direction and measurable action.
Community Impact & Program Development Identifies opportunities for meaningful impact and develops responsive programs and service models.
Funding Development & Stewardship Identifies and secures funding opportunities and demonstrates strong stewardship of resources entrusted to the YMCA.
Execution & Mobilization Moves effectively from opportunity to implementation within demanding timelines.
Results Orientation & Performance Management Establishes clear expectations, monitors performance and takes timely action to achieve results.
Partnership Development & Collaboration Builds trusted relationships and leverages collective expertise and resources to strengthen community outcomes.
Financial Management Demonstrates sound financial judgment, budget management and accountability within complex funding environments.
People Leadership & Development Builds high-performing teams, develops leaders and creates a culture of accountability and continuous learning.
Innovation & Change Leadership Leads effectively through ambiguity, growth, program start-up and changing community and funding environments.
Communication & Influence Communicates effectively and builds commitment with staff, partners, funders and stakeholders.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Values and promotes diverse perspectives and inclusive practices that strengthen YMCA teams, programs and communities.
Expectations:
•Appreciate and support the YMCA’s values, mission and vision
•Demonstrate energy, dedication and enthusiasm
•Appreciate and desire to generously serve all
•Thrive in an atmosphere of change and ambiguity
•Work as a member of a team.
•Achieve planned results through personal initiative with the Association’s guidelines and policies
•Model commitment to service excellence and quality
•Adhere to the YMCA Child Protection Policies and Procedures
Mandatory qualifications/certification/memberships (cannot work in the position without them):
•Must have access to reliable and timely transportation.
•Upon hire a Current Criminal Reference Check with VSS issued for the YMCA of Niagara
Education and Training Requirements:
•Degree or Diploma Post-secondary education in Social Sciences, Human Services, Community Development, Public Administration, Education, Business or a related discipline.
•A combination of relevant education, professional development and significant directly related experience will be considered.
Skills/Experience/Qualifications:
•Minimum 10 years of progressive leadership experience in community services, human services, social services, education, community development, public administration o rrelated sectors, with demonstrated responsibility for people, programs, funding and organizational results.
•Demonstrated success identifying, securing and stewarding government, foundation, philanthropic and other program funding.
•Demonstrated experience developing successful funding proposals, service models and implementation plans.
•Demonstrated experience regularly launching new programs and services and moving from funding approval to operational delivery within compressed timelines.
•Experience leading a dynamic portfolio where programs are introduced, expanded, redesigned, transitioned or concluded in response to funding, performance, communitypriorities and emerging opportunities.
•Demonstrated ability to build and mobilize highly competent teams and establisheffective operational systems within defined timelines and hold them accountable forresults.
•Significant experience leading funded programs with defined contractual deliverables,financial parameters, service targets and measurable outcomes.
•Demonstrated success building collaborative relationships with governments, funders,educational institutions, community organizations and other stakeholders.
•Experience developing collaborative service models and effective pathways betweenprograms, organizations and systems.
•Demonstrated ability to lead effectively and make sound, practical decisions inenvironments characterized by significant change, ambiguity, competing priorities andevolving funding requirements.
•Strong understanding of community development, program evaluation, outcomemeasurement and evidence-informed service planning.
•Strong analytical, financial, strategic planning and decision-making abilities.
•Excellent verbal, written, presentation, negotiation and relationship-management skills.
•Strong knowledge of relevant business technologies and information systems.
Working Conditions:
•Work is performed in office, community, government, partner, and YMCA locations throughout the Niagara Region.
•Regular travel throughout the Niagara Region is required.
•Hours will include evenings and weekends.
•Out-of-town travel may be required from time to time.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Interested applicants are invited to submit an application by Monday October 5, 2026 at 9am. Only applications submitted through our online Applicant Tracking System (ATS) will be reviewed.
Applications will be reviewed as they are received. YMCA of Niagara reserves the right to close the posting and proceed with a successful candidate at any time during the recruitment process.
Internal applicants are to apply on our internal job board by logging into their UKG portal and navigating to Myself > My Company > View Opportunities. Internal applicants are also encouraged to notify their supervisor before applying.
All applicants are thanked for their interest. Only those applicants being considered for an interview will be contacted by email.
Accessibility accommodations and materials in alternate formats for individuals with disabilities can be arranged upon request.
For more information on other opportunities at the YMCA of Niagara, please visit: ymcaofniagara.org
