Operations & Strategic Initiatives Lead

SOCAN; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 84,880 - 105,600; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

35-hour workweek

Hybrid work model

Inclusive and collaborative working环境

Job summary

SOCAN is seeking an Operations & Strategic Initiatives Lead in Toronto, Ontario. The role supports the Chief Operating Officer by driving execution, alignment, and accountability across priority initiatives, starting with the Spanish Point Business Stabilization Plan and 2026 roadmap activities.

You will coordinate cross-functional workstreams, maintain plans and logs, and ensure timely decisions and actions.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in project management, business operations, strategic initiatives, transformation, PMO, or an executive office support role
• Demonstrated experience coordinating complex, cross-functional initiatives with senior stakeholders
• Experience supporting technology implementation, business stabilization, process improvement, or operational transformation initiatives is strongly preferred
• Experience working with executives or senior leaders in a fast-paced environment is an asset
• Project management certification is an asset, but practical execution experience is more important

Responsibilities

• Support the COO in translating priority initiatives into clear workplans, owners, timelines, milestones, and deliverables
• Coordinate execution across multiple operational, technology, and business workstreams
• Maintain visibility into progress, dependencies, risks, and decisions across the COO’s priority portfolio
• Help ensure leadership attention is focused on the highest-impact issues, decisions, and delivery risks
• Drive coordination and follow-through for the Spanish Point Business Stabilization Plan and related 2026 roadmap activities
• Maintain project plans, decision logs, issue logs, risk registers, and action trackers
• Coordinate with business leads, technology partners, external vendors, and subject matter experts to support timely execution
• Identify unresolved issues, unclear requirements, decision gaps, and delivery risks requiring leadership attention
• Design and facilitate working sessions that move stakeholders from discussion to clear decisions and actions
• Prepare agendas, briefing materials, status updates, and decision-support notes for COO-led meetings
• Capture decisions, actions, owners, timelines, risks, and unresolved questions
• Follow up consistently to ensure commitments are completed and barriers are escalated
• Build trusted working relationships with senior leaders, subject matter experts, business teams, technology teams, and external partners
• Influence stakeholders to clarify requirements, define issues, resolve ambiguity, and commit to next steps
• Challenge assumptions and surface concerns in a constructive, solutions-focused way
• Help create alignment where priorities, ownership, or decisions are unclear
• Prepare concise updates for the COO and other leaders on progress, risks, decisions, and upcoming priorities
• Identify risks, blockers, competing priorities, and resource constraints that may affect delivery
• Recommend practical escalation paths, mitigation options, and decision points
• Maintain clear documentation that supports transparency, accountability, and continuity

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic thinking

Executive communication

Job description

Who We Are

SOCAN is a not-for-profit copyright collective dedicated to ensuring music creators and publishers receive what they have rightfully earned for the use of their work. SOCAN supports and represents nearly 200,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers. Through licensing, global royalty collection and advocacy, we help creators to keep making the music that entertains, moves, and inspires us

We’re Hiring!

Operations & Strategic Initiatives Lead

Toronto, ON

www.socan.com

POSITION TYPE: Contract Full-Time

HIRING RANGE: $84,480 to $105,600

REASON FOR HIRING: New Role

WORK MODEL: Hybrid

LANGUAGE: English, French is an asset

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ANTI-RACISM

SOCAN thrives with a variety of viewpoints, identities, and backgrounds, and we are committed to anti-racism. Everyone is welcome to apply for our wide range of roles, regardless of gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, race, age, culture, sexual orientation, religious belief, or physical ability. Learn more about SOCAN’s commitment to Inclusion & Anti-Racism

WHY WORK WITH US

• Make a difference by supporting and collaborating with a vibrant and creative community
• Enjoy many options for workplace flexibility and work-life balance
• Get involved in the rapidly changing creative space
• Advocate for and empower the creative community
• Together, we’ll help music creators earn more income and make a living

What We Offer

• 35-hour workweek schedule (possible flexible work options i.e., 4-day work week (position based)
• Access to SOCAN fitness facility – Include only for positions in Toronto
• Inclusive and collaborative working environment

About The Role

Supporting the Office of the COO, the Operations & Strategic Initiatives Lead is responsible for helping the Chief Operating Officer drive execution, alignment, and accountability across priority operational and business transformation initiatives. The role will initially focus on SOCAN’s Spanish Point Business Stabilization Plan and related 2026 roadmap activities, while also supporting other COO-led priorities that require strong coordination, planning, follow-through, and cross-functional execution

Acting as an execution partner to the COO, this role brings structure, discipline, and momentum to complex workstreams. The incumbent will maintain project plans, track commitments, facilitate working sessions, clarify issues, manage action items, identify risks, and ensure that decisions and next steps are clearly documented and followed through

Success in this role requires strong project management, exceptional organization, clear communication, and the ability to influence without formal authority. The successful candidate will be comfortable working with senior leaders and subject matter experts, asking direct questions, surfacing ambiguity, and helping teams move from discussion to decision to action. This is an ideal opportunity for a highly organized and influential project professional who enjoys bringing structure to complexity and helping teams deliver results in a fast-paced environment

What You’ll Do / Key Responsibilities

Portfolio Execution & COO Priorities

• Support the COO in translating priority initiatives into clear workplans, owners, timelines, milestones, and deliverables
• Coordinate execution across multiple operational, technology, and business workstreams
• Maintain visibility into progress, dependencies, risks, and decisions across the COO’s priority portfolio
• Help ensure leadership attention is focused on the highest-impact issues, decisions, and delivery risks

Tech Implementation Stabilization & 2026 Roadmap

• Drive coordination and follow-through for the Spanish Point Business Stabilization Plan and related 2026 roadmap activities
• Maintain project plans, decision logs, issue logs, risk registers, and action trackers
• Coordinate with business leads, technology partners, external vendors, and subject matter experts to support timely execution
• Identify unresolved issues, unclear requirements, decision gaps, and delivery risks requiring leadership attention

Meeting Discipline, Decision Support & Follow-through

• Design and facilitate working sessions that move stakeholders from discussion to clear decisions and actions
• Prepare agendas, briefing materials, status updates, and decision-support notes for COO-led meetings
• Capture decisions, actions, owners, timelines, risks, and unresolved questions
• Follow up consistently to ensure commitments are completed and barriers are escalated

Stakeholder Alignment & Influence

• Build trusted working relationships with senior leaders, subject matter experts, business teams, technology teams, and external partners
• Influence stakeholders to clarify requirements, define issues, resolve ambiguity, and commit to next steps
• Challenge assumptions and surface concerns in a constructive, solutions-focused way
• Help create alignment where priorities, ownership, or decisions are unclear

Reporting, Risk & Issue Escalation

• Prepare concise updates for the COO and other leaders on progress, risks, decisions, and upcoming priorities
• Identify risks, blockers, competing priorities, and resource constraints that may affect delivery
• Recommend practical escalation paths, mitigation options, and decision points
• Maintain clear documentation that supports transparency, accountability, and continuity

What You Will Bring / Qualifications & Experience

• 7+ years of experience in project management, business operations, strategic initiatives, transformation, PMO, or an executive office support role
• Demonstrated experience coordinating complex, cross-functional initiatives with senior stakeholders
• Experience supporting technology implementation, business stabilization, process improvement, or operational transformation initiatives is strongly preferred
• Experience working with executives or senior leaders in a fast-paced environment is an asset
• Project management certification is an asset, but practical execution experience is more important

Knowledge, skills & competencies

• An execution driver who keeps work moving
• Highly organized with strong planning, tracking, documentation, and follow-through habits
• Clear and direct in communication, with the ability to simplify complexity
• Comfortable with ambiguity and able to turn unclear issues into structured options and next steps
• Confident with senior stakeholders and able to influence without formal authority
• Practical and outcome-focused, with a bias for action and problem-solving
• Disciplined about accountability, ensuring commitments have owners, timelines, and follow-up

ACCESSIBILITY & ACCOMMODATION

SOCAN is committed to providing an inclusive workplace environment that meets the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities. Should you require accommodations please contact us directly at [e-mail] and we will make the necessary accommodations. Applications submitted to this email address will not be accepted.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

SOCAN is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Hiring and other employment decisions at SOCAN are made without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, ancestry, national origin, ethnic origin, age, disability, citizenship, veteran status, sexual orientation, record of offences, marital status, family status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, provincial, or local law, regulation, or ordinance

If you don’t see yourself fully reflected in every job requirement listed on the posting above, we still encourage you to reach out and apply. Research has shown underrepresented groups often only apply when they feel 100% qualified. We are committed to creating a more equitable, inclusive, and diverse company and we strongly encourage applicants of all genders, ages, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, sexual orientations, and life experiences to apply