Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Cedar Strong; Hope; Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company events

Company pension

Employee assistance program

Extended health care

Life insurance

Paid time off

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Cedar Strong Prevention & Intervention Society in Hope, BC, is seeking a Chief Operating Officer to provide executive leadership across housing, outreach, and youth and family programs. You will translate strategy into sustainable operations and supervise program managers to deliver client-centred services.

The role emphasizes trauma-informed practice, data-driven decision making, and strong stakeholder relations with BC Housing and partners. On-site leadership in a rural community is required.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary education in social work, human services, non-profit leadership, public administration, or related field.
• Five to seven years of related experience with programs providing direct service to individuals experiencing mental-health concerns, substance use, homelessness, or other complex circumstances.
• At least three years of leadership experience managing programs, including responsibility for funding, budgeting, program planning, policy, labour relations, and employee relations.

Responsibilities

• Work with the Executive Director to implement Cedar Strong’s vision, mission, values, and strategic plan.
• Support strategic planning, implementation, and ongoing evaluation across housing, outreach, youth and family services.
• Lead development and evaluation of programs, budgets, and reporting to senior leadership and board.
• Build and maintain relationships with community stakeholders, funders, and service partners.
• Translate program outcomes and operational information into clear, meaningful reports for senior leadership and funders.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Organizational judgment

Financial acumen

Analytical skills

Communication

Leadership

Coaching

Relationship building

Decision making

Conflict resolution

Education

Post-secondary education in social work or related field

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Cedar Strong Prevention & Intervention Society
Location: Hope, British Columbia
Job Type: Permanent, Full-Time
Salary: $90,000–$105,000 per year
Work Arrangement: On-site
Reports to: Executive Director
Direct Reports: Manager of Housing, Manager of Programs, Manager of Outreach Services, and Manager of Youth & Family Services

About Cedar Strong

Cedar Strong Prevention & Intervention Society is a non-profit organization based in Hope, BC, providing programs and services to individuals and families throughout our community.

Our work is grounded in trauma-informed, client-centred, prevention-focused, and culturally safe practice. We believe in building safety, dignity, belonging, and connection while recognizing the strengths, resilience, and knowledge already present within the people and communities we serve.

We acknowledge that our work takes place on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Stó:lō and Nlaka’pamux peoples, and we strive to approach our relationships and work with humility and respect.

The Opportunity

Cedar Strong is seeking an experienced, relational, and strategic Chief Operating Officer (COO) to provide executive leadership across our housing, outreach, and youth and family programs.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the COO is a key member of the senior leadership team and is responsible for translating organizational strategy into strong, consistent, and sustainable operations.

This role is well suited to a leader who can balance people, programs, operations, and organizational performance—someone who can strengthen systems and support managers while remaining connected to the day-to-day realities of community-based service delivery.

As Cedar Strong continues to grow, we are particularly interested in a leader who is comfortable using program, operational, and outcome data to support decision-making, communicate impact, identify trends, and help managers translate organizational goals into practical action.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Organizational Leadership

• Work with the Executive Director to implement Cedar Strong’s vision, mission, values, and strategic plan.
• Support strategic planning, implementation, and ongoing evaluation across housing, outreach, youth and family services.
• Help establish program direction and long- and short-term goals.
• Provide reports, recommendations, and operational information to the Executive Director.
• Identify emerging issues, service gaps, trends, and organizational opportunities.
• Provide advice and recommendations that support sound decision-making by senior leadership and the Board.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with community stakeholders, funders, and service partners.
• Represent Cedar Strong in collaborative networks and community initiatives.
• Step into organizational leadership on behalf of the Executive Director when required.

Performance, Data & Organizational Learning

• Provide supportive supervision, mentorship, and direction to program managers.
• Ensure programs operate in accordance with their purpose, policies, procedures, service models, and organizational values.
• Support managers in developing and implementing program goals and operational plans.
• Build the capacity of managers and teams to deliver cohesive, effective, and client-centred services.
• Support trauma-informed, culturally appropriate, client-centred, and family-centred approaches.
• Support managers with complex program, client-care, and case-management matters.
• Oversee the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of new and existing programs.
• Promote open, respectful, and supportive communication across program areas.
• Collaborate with external partners, including BC Housing and other systems of care.
• Lead the development and implementation of meaningful monitoring and evaluation approaches for Cedar Strong programs.
• Work with managers to identify useful program measures, benchmarks, service outcomes, and operational indicators.
• Use program and operational information to identify trends, service gaps, capacity pressures, and opportunities for improvement.
• Help managers understand and use data as a practical tool for decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Bring information from different program areas together to support a clearer organization-wide view of performance.
• Translate program outcomes and operational information into clear, meaningful reports for senior leadership, the Board, funders, and community partners.
• Support Cedar Strong in communicating both measurable outcomes and the human impact of its work.
• Strengthen consistent reporting practices across programs as the organization continues to grow.

Operations, Finance & Risk

• Work with the Executive Director to develop and monitor program budgets, grants, and reporting requirements.
• Ensure compliance with funding agreements, organizational policies, contracts, and applicable requirements.
• Support effective quality-management and risk-management practices.
• Establish and evaluate operational standards consistent with applicable legislation, regulations, policies, and funder expectations.
• Support the coordination of operational needs across Cedar Strong facilities and program locations.
• Identify opportunities that contribute to Cedar Strong’s long-term sustainability.
• Work with Human Resources to identify the skills, competencies, staffing structures, and training required to achieve program and organizational goals.
• Lead the hiring, evaluation, professional development, performance management, and, where necessary, discipline of program managers and coordinators in collaboration with Human Resources.
• Support managers in strengthening supervision, coaching, communication, and accountability.
• Foster a workplace culture rooted in respect, collaboration, safety, and shared responsibility.
• Encourage employee wellness and sustainability within emotionally demanding work environments.
• Support effective and timely employee-relations and labour-relations processes.
• Work with Human Resources to support consistent organizational policies, practices, and occupational health and safety requirements.
• Lead and participate in management, employee, community, and regional meetings as required.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will bring:

• Post-secondary education in social work, human services, non-profit leadership, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, professional experience, and relevant lived experience.
• Five to seven years of related experience with programs providing direct service to individuals experiencing mental-health concerns, substance use, physical-health issues, homelessness, or other complex circumstances.
• At least three years of leadership experience managing programs, including responsibility for funding, budgeting, program planning, policy, labour relations, and employee relations.
• Experience supporting staff teams and overseeing complex programs.
• A relational leadership style grounded in empathy, clarity, and accountability.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to identify trends, establish benchmarks, and provide credible analysis and organizational recommendations.
• Strong organizational, communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Experience in the non-profit or community-services sector is preferred.
• Comfort working within a rural or close-knit community context.
• Strong understanding of trauma-informed, client-centred, and prevention-focused approaches.

Preferred Data and Communication Experience

As Cedar Strong continues to strengthen its organizational systems and performance reporting, the following experience would be considered an asset:

• Experience helping managers establish and use key performance indicators, program measures, service outcomes, or organizational benchmarks.
• Ability to translate operational and program data into information that is clear and useful for frontline managers, senior leadership, Boards, funders, and other stakeholders.
• Experience communicating organizational impact through a combination of quantitative data, service outcomes, and meaningful narrative.
• Experience developing or working with dashboards, reporting tools, or data-visualization platforms.
• Familiarity with tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or similar reporting and visualization platforms is an asset but is not required.
• Experience working with human-services, housing, case-management, or other program databases is an asset.
• Experience using data to guide managers, strengthen accountability, and support organizational change or continuous improvement.

Knowledge & Experience

Knowledge of or experience with:

• Services for people experiencing mental-health concerns, substance use, homelessness, and other complex needs.
• The housing continuum, including market, subsidized, supportive, and specialized housing.
• Family-centred practice and services supporting children, youth, and families.
• British Columbia’s health-care and social-service systems.
• BC Housing programs, processes, and systems.
• Program development, monitoring, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
• Budget development, grants, funder reporting, and operational accountability.

Education

Post-secondary education in social work, human services, non-profit leadership, public administration, business administration, or a related field is preferred.

An equivalent combination of education, training, professional experience, leadership experience, and relevant lived experience will be considered.

Leadership Qualities

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• A relational leadership style grounded in empathy, clarity, consistency, and accountability.
• Strong strategic thinking and organizational judgment.
• The ability to translate strategy into practical action and measurable progress.
• Strong financial, analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent relationship-building, coaching, conflict-resolution, communication, and presentation skills.
• The ability to lead through growth, change, competing priorities, and uncertainty.
• The ability to approach difficult conversations and decisions respectfully and confidently.
• Strong discretion, sound judgment, and the ability to remain calm during complex or urgent situations.
• A commitment to cultural humility, inclusion, safety, respectful service delivery, and continuous learning.

Working Conditions

This is a full-time, on-site leadership position based in Hope, BC, with regular engagement across Cedar Strong programs and community settings.

The role requires flexibility to respond to organizational needs and may occasionally involve evening or weekend work.

A valid Class 5 BC driver’s licence and access to reliable transportation are required.

The successful candidate will be required to complete a criminal record check, including vulnerable sector screening, following a conditional offer of employment.

Commitment to an Inclusive Recruitment Process

Cedar Strong Prevention & Intervention Society is committed to respectful, equitable, and inclusive employment practices. We welcome applications from qualified candidates with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, identities, experiences, and ways of knowing.

We appreciate the time and interest of everyone who applies. Only candidates selected to advance in the recruitment process will be contacted.

Pay: $90,000.00-$105,000.00 per year

• Company events
• Company pension
• Employee assistance program
• Extended health care
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Relocation assistance

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Hope, BC: reliably commute or be willing to relocate with an employer-provided relocation package (preferred)