Acting Director of Service

Bruce-Grey-Child-; Owen Sound; On-site; CAD 146,000 - 169,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Permanent Positions

Competitive Salaries

Benefits from Start Date

Defined benefit pension plan

Leadership and Professional Growth

Tuition support

Flexible/ Hybrid work Model

Healthcare Spending Account

Job summary

Bruce Grey Children and Family Services (BGCFS) in Owen Sound seeks an Acting Director of Service to lead planning, directing, and evaluating the delivery of child and family services across Intake, Ongoing, Legal, Children in Care, Family Based Care and Kin. Reporting to the Executive Director, you will chair committees, influence strategy, manage budgets, and build leadership capacity.

Requirements include a Master of Social Work, 3–5 years of leadership experience, police check, valid

Qualifications

• Master of Social Work degree required.
• Three to five years of progressively responsible leadership experience.
• Senior leadership experience and child welfare experience are assets.
• Satisfactory Police Records Check is required.
• Valid Driver’s License and access to a reliable motor vehicle required.

Responsibilities

• Participates as a member of the Senior Management Team and contributes to agency direction, strategic planning, risk management, and organizational priorities.
• Leads with courage, humility, and emotional intelligence to foster trust, accountability, collaboration, and health.
• Advances psychological health and safety by modelling respectful leadership and supporting staff wellbeing.
• Applies equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression principles to planning, decision-making, and service delivery.
• Represents BGCFS in community initiatives and chairs or participates in committees as required.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Leadership

Staff development

Equity & inclusion

Risk management

Collaboration

Education

Master of Social Work

Job description

POSTING #:2026-22

EMPLOYEE GROUP: Senior Leadership

REPORTS TO: Executive Director

SALARY: Classification 12 ($145,705 - $168,672)

HOURS PER WEEK: 35 hours/week

POSTING TYPE: Internal & External

DATE POSTED:August 13th, 2026

Closing date:September 4th, 2026

This posting is for a permanent, full-time, Acting Director of Service. In-person interviews will be held at the end of September for selected candidates.

We are committed to having a workforce that is reflective of the diversity of our community and strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals, who can provide different perspectives and contribute to the further diversification of ideas. We encourage applications from racialized persons/people of colour, Indigenous peoples, those who identify with disabilities and/or are within the 2SLGBTQ+ community. If you identify with one or more of these identities, and feel comfortable making it known, you may choose to self-identify in your cover letter. Any information directly related to you is kept confidential and managed in a safe manner to inform an equitable recruitment process.

Purpose Statement

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Acting Director of Service may be responsible for planning, organizing, directing, and evaluating the delivery of child and family services in the areas of Intake, Ongoing, Legal, Children in Care, Family Based Care and/or Kin in accordance with the prescribed guidelines and regulations of the Child, Youth and Family Services Act and in alignment with the BGCFS strategic plan. The Acting Director of Service is a member of the Senior Management Team of the Bruce Grey Children and Family Services (BGCFS) and acts as a resource to the Board of Directors and its Committees.

The work of BGCFS is considered essential. The organization has policies, procedures, and practices in place to ensure a service response at all times.

Benefits of Working at BGCFS

• Permanent Positions.
• Competitive Salaries.
• Benefits from Start Date.
• Defined benefit pension plan.
• Opportunities for Leadership and Professional Growth.
• Learning organization with tuition support.
• Flexible/ Hybrid work Model.
• Healthcare Spending Account.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

Director of Service

• Participates as a member of the Senior Management Team and contributes to agency direction, strategic planning, risk management, and organizational priorities.
• Ensures service delivery decisions align with BGCFS’s mission, values, strategic priorities, and the needs of children, youth, families, and communities.
• Leads with courage, humility, and a high degree of emotional intelligence, creating the conditions for trust, accountability, collaboration, and organizational health.
• Actively advances psychological health and safety by modelling respectful leadership, strengthening relationships, addressing difficult issues directly and constructively, and ensuring staff feel valued, supported, and able to contribute their best work.
• Demonstrates self-awareness regarding power, privilege, social location, and leadership impact, and supports this awareness across the organization.
• Applies equity, anti-racism, anti-oppression, evidence, data, and sector knowledge to planning, decision-making, policy development, and service delivery.
• Builds respectful relationships with Indigenous communities, equity-seeking groups, marginalized voices, service recipients, and community partners.
• Supports organizational understanding of Indigenous culture, values, practices, and community priorities.
• Creates safe spaces for necessary conversations related to equity, anti-racism, anti-oppression, and service improvement.
• Leads change initiatives that respond to emerging needs, organizational capacity, service pressures, and sector developments.
• Identifies and responds to organizational and service-related risks, taking appropriate action to mitigate risk considering all relevant data, research, and other information available.
• Represents BGCFS in community and sector initiatives with professionalism and political acuity.
• Chairs or participates in committees, working groups, and special projects as required.
• Builds leadership capacity, supports succession planning, and develops staff skills to meet current and future organizational needs.
• Establishes clear expectations, accountabilities, goals, and indicators to support service quality and organizational effectiveness.
• Manages budgets, expenditures, staffing, and other resources in accordance with BGCFS policies and priorities.
• Serves as Acting ED during planned absences at the request of the ED.

Knowledge, Education, Experience, Skills & Attributes

Qualifications

• Master of Social Work degree required.
• Three to five years of progressively responsible leadership experience.
• Child welfare experience is considered an asset.
• Senior leadership experience is considered an asset.
• Satisfactory Police Records Check is required.
• Valid Driver’s License and access to a reliable motor vehicle with appropriate business class liability insurance is required.

General Skills and Attributes

• Strategic, systems-focused thinker who can translate vision and strategy into action and measurable outcomes.
• Strong leadership, coaching, mentoring, and staff-development skills.
• Ability to lead change, manage complexity, and respond to emerging priorities and risks.
• Strong understanding of risk including mitigation strategies and escalation points.
• Exceptional ability to work as part of a small team.
• Ability to engage diverse stakeholders and build trust.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills.
• Demonstrated political acuity and sound judgement in complex, sensitive, or high-profile situations.
• Strong commitment to equity, inclusion, anti-racism, anti-oppression, reconciliation, and culturally responsive service delivery.
• Ability to manage budgets, resources, competing priorities, and organizational risk.
• Reflective, self-aware, resilient, ethical, compassionate, courageous, and accountable leadership style.
• Ability to promote collaboration, innovation, continuous improvement, and service excellence.

Efforts & Working Conditions

• Work is primarily performed at a desk in a normal office environment.
• Multi-tasks within a fast-paced, high-volume, and demanding environment.
• Absorbs and interprets information from multiple parties on a regular basis.
• Frequent periods of data analysis and reviewing/proofing of documents.
• Continuous interruptions often dealing with critical issues.
• Absorbs and interprets information from multiple parties on a regular basis.
• Required to listen to and reconcile multiple points of view being discussed/presented.
• Participates or leads meetings where differing viewpoints are being presented.
• Frequent travel to the two BGCFS sites or within the BGCFS region.
• Occasional travel outside the region is required.
• Regular requirement to work on call outside of BGCFS working hours on a rotating basis.

Disclaimer

The preceding position description has been designed to indicate the general nature, level and scope of the work performed by this position. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this position.

Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination is not a pre-requirement of employment at this time; however, it is recommended. Should Public Health requirements change in the future all employees would be required to provide proof of vaccination.

BGCFS Commitments

We are committed to a selection process and work environment that is inclusive and barrier free. Accommodation will be provided in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code. Applicants need to make any accommodation requests for the interview or selection process known in advance by contacting the Human Resources Department at [e-mail]. Human Resources will work together with the hiring committee to arrange reasonable and appropriate accommodation for the selection process which will enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner.

We are committed to promoting a culture of belonging and inclusion in an environment that is both physically and psychologically healthy and safe.