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Director, Programs and Research

POSITION TITLE: Director, Programs and Research
REPORTS TO: Executive Director
TERM OF EMPLOYMENT: Permanent – Full Time
ANTICIPATED START DATE: Immediately
LOCATION: Calgary, Alberta

Discovery House Family Violence Prevention Society, established in 1980 (“Discovery House”) provides a continuum of care to women and their children fleeing domestic violence. The Society facilitates transitional housing – offering longer-term, safe places for women and children to call home while they begin to rebuild their lives. Discovery House provides women access to counselling support and programs to ensure they never return to abusive partners, and mitigates the effects of trauma in children to prevent the cycle from repeating.

Discovery House is about hope and healing. Every woman and child who stays at Discovery House is partnered with a case manager, and receives integrated wrap-around services, including:

Essentials: relocation, transportation, food, clothing and other basic needs.

Support: trauma-informed counselling, programming, and clinical services.

Quality of life experiences: opportunities to foster their value as members of the community.

Additionally, Discovery House collaborates with a wide range of nonprofit organizations, university research institutes (including Harvard and the University of Pittsburgh), and other community partners to drive transformational social change.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Director of Programs and Research is a new position, which provides leadership and support to all aspects of client service delivery and evaluation. The position ensures a high standard of quality programming at all times and incorporates emerging and innovative research and practice into our work.

Reporting to the Executive Director and serving as a member of the Leadership Team, this position provides strategic leadership and oversight to the agency’s commitment to create social change and works collaboratively with employees, funders, and partners to ensure innovative approaches to ending domestic violence.

Some of your responsibilities will include:

Provide leadership and support to the Prevention and Intervention Team, including the Residential and Community Housing programs, Child and Youth programming and Clinical Services.
Develop and implement workplans for the Prevention and Intervention Team.
Direct, plan and coordinate the work of the Prevention and Intervention team, including supervision and evaluation, training and team building
Effectively align client service programs and staff support and functions with the agency’s long-term goal expectations as outlined in the annual business plan
Prioritize the development of programming and strategies to support diverse populations, with a particular emphasis on Indigenous peoples
Establish work plans to ensure achievement of outputs and outcomes, and standards of practice
Ensure all program activities are consistent with agency and funder objectives and that objectives can be met with available resources
Lead development and implementation of evidence-based and promising practice into programs
Lead the development, revision and implementation of appropriate evaluation frameworks including logic models, theories of change and other evaluation components for all programs.
Builds and maintains partnerships with research and educational institutions to create opportunities for research, program pilots and innovative practice to address the impacts of trauma on families
Build relationships with key external stakeholder groups, community partners and potential community alliances
Lead the writing of all grant applications to core funders and maintain positive relations with funders
Ensure submission of all monthly, quarterly and annual program reports (e.g. outputs, outcomes, program highlights and stories) to core funders

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS REQUIRED:

Current CPR and First Aid certification desirable
Valid driver’s license and reliable vehicle required
M.S.W. or related graduate degree preferred, or the equivalent in education and experience
A minimum of 5 years of program leadership experience required
A minimum of 5 years of frontline service delivery in counselling or case management
Proven experience in development and implementation of cutting edge programming
Significant experience in program evaluation and reporting
Understanding of domestic violence as a personal and social issue
Understanding of issues related to domestic violence such as homelessness, poverty, etc.

Understanding of a range of intervention approaches that meet the clients’ needs, such as:

case management and counselling
trauma-informed practice
housing first model
crisis intervention practice models
parenting approaches and child development
how children are affected by witnessing and/or experiencing domestic abuse

Current CPR and First Aid certification desirable
Valid driver’s license and reliable vehicle required

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Candidates for the role must demonstrate the following personal characteristics:

Passion for the Cause

You want to build an effective, sustainable organization that supports women and children leaving and recovering from domestic violence.

You are a positive influencer. You see and seek out the best in others, and create space for them to develop their potential. You put people first. You have integrity.
You are a problem-solver. Where others see a roadblock, you focus on finding a path forward. Your passion for making a difference inspires others to do the same.

Respect and Collaboration

You treat everyone, both inside and outside of the organization, with respect and courtesy. You are trustworthy and accountable. You maintain confidentiality. You give others the responsibility and the authority to make decisions.

Personal Presence

You earn the trust of others by modelling high ethical standards. You make the work environment collaborative. You promote a healthy, sustainable personal balance in life and work.

If you feel that you are the person we are looking for, we want to hear from you! We offer competitive salary, full benefits and a great environment to work in. Discovery House is a committed equal opportunity employer.

TO APPLY:

Please send your resume and cover letter to careers@discoveryhouse.ca stating the job title in the subject line.

We thank all applicants, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Discovery House is a committed equal opportunity employer. We acknowledge that we are situated on the Traditional Territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy: Siksika, the North and South Piikuni Nations, and the Kainai Tribe, including other members of Treaty Seven First Nations the Tsuut’ina Nation, and the three Bands of the Stone Nakoda Nations; Chiniki, Wesley, and Bearspaw. The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III, and all those who have made their home in this area.

HOW TO DONATE

Senior Development Officer

POSITION TITLE: Senior Development Officer
REPORTS TO: Director of Community Relations
TERM OF EMPLOYMENT: Permanent – Full Time
ANTICIPATED START DATE: Immediately
LOCATION: Calgary, Alberta

SALARY RANGE: $67,500 - $78,500

Discovery House is a trusted, dynamic Calgary organization devoted to the safety and well-being of women with children leaving domestic violence. We offer stability, hope and opportunity through long-term residential and individualized community support which result in healthier families and stronger communities.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

Discovery House is looking for an accomplished major gift fundraiser with a strong grounding in non-profit organizations. The Senior Development Officer (SDO) is part of a team working under the general direction of the Director of Community Relations. The incumbent will be responsible for fundraising and stewardship for gifts between $1,000 - $25,000.

The incumbent is responsible for developing tailored strategies to identify and gain/enhance the interest and involvement of individuals, corporations, foundations and associations who directly or through other sources are capable of making gifts at a major gift level. To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate confidence and depth in grant writing, reporting and relationship building. You’ll work to build strong and trusting relationships internally and externally. And, you will demonstrate your leadership skills by applying outcomes-focused, ethical approaches to fund development.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Managing a major gift portfolio of approximately $600,000 annually
• Cultivating and stewarding current and prospective gift donors through relationship building and grant writing
• Ensure proper stewardship and reporting takes place to maintain the donor’s interest and support
• Developing and implementing donor engagement plans that support strategic objectives
• Writing donor proposals, briefing notes, solicitation plans and call reports to track donor interaction
• Assessing and researching prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation and recognition
• Identifying, evaluating and recommending the necessary steps to bring the prospect closer to making a major financial commitment to Discovery House
• Provide exceptional donor-centric stewardship and adhere to Discovery House’s Donor Bill of Rights, development policies and CRA regulations

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Bachelor’s Degree, or acceptable combination of equivalent experience, and at least three years served in a non-profit environment
• Minimum four years of related experience in a fundraising role
• Proven track record of success with grant writing
• Experience working with DonorPerfect or a similar database management system
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, tact, diplomacy, discretion, and confidentiality
• Membership with AFP, or a CFRE designation, would be an asset

TO APPLY:

Please send your resume and cover letter to careers@discoveryhouse.ca stating the job title in the subject line.

We thank all applicants, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Discovery House is a committed equal opportunity employer. We acknowledge that we are situated on the Traditional Territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy: Siksika, the North and South Piikuni Nations, and the Kainai Tribe, including other members of Treaty Seven First Nations the Tsuut’ina Nation, and the three Bands of the Stoney Nakoda Nations; Chiniki, Wesley, and Bearspaw. The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III, and all those who have made their home in this area.