President & CEO

CAA Niagara; Thorold; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player in the Niagara Region is seeking a dynamic President and Chief Executive Officer to drive growth and enhance member engagement. This leadership role requires a visionary who can translate organizational goals into actionable strategies while fostering a culture of trust and collaboration. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in organizational leadership and a deep understanding of the challenges faced by member-based not-for-profit entities. If you are passionate about community service and possess the skills to inspire and lead a dedicated team, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

Comprehensive Benefits

Pension Plan

Competitive Total Rewards Package

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in leadership roles within not-for-profit organizations.
• Proven track record in managing operational and financial performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic direction and operational plans to enhance membership.
• Foster community engagement and member-centric culture.

Skills

Organizational Leadership

Operational Management

Human Resource Management

Strategic Planning

Communication Skills

Problem Solving

Education

University Degree in Business

Job description

CAA Niagara is one of the eight clubs across Canada that make up the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), a non-profit federation founded in 1911 providing roadside assistance service, a range of travel services, insurance services, and member discounts inclusive of loyalty programs.

CAA Niagara serves over 150,000 members in the Niagara Region, with a household penetration rate of over 50%. Recent acquisitions of CAA Niagara include AAPEX Driving Academy and Niagara Airbus. Together with these new companies, CAA Niagara has over 300 employees with locations in Grimsby, Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Thorold, Welland and Ft. Erie.

The organization is financially stable with total revenues of $32.7M in 2024. CAA Niagara has ambitious growth plans as it continues to build its membership and customer base within the local community.

To lead this growth, CAA Niagara is seeking a President and Chief Executive Officer. The President and CEO will ensure practices and procedures are developed with a clear ethical perspective to sustain and preserve a culture of trust.

The successful candidate must be a resident or prepared to move to the Niagara Region.

Position Overview

Reporting to the 10-member Board of Directors, the President and Chief Executive Officer will lead CAA Niagara in bringing our vision to life, which is Moving Niagara forward every single day. The President and CEO will also need to deliver on our mission of being Your trusted partner, delivering exceptional services and creating memorable experiences in the Niagara region.

A key responsibility of the President and CEO is to translate the vision and mission of the organization into an actionable plan, while working with the Board to steer the strategic direction of the organization.

The successful candidate will provide leadership to the organization and multiple stakeholders, enhance and build relationships with strategic partners, representing the Club and its membership in a professional manner. The incumbent will formulate and execute strategic and annual plans aimed at retaining the existing membership base and enhancing it through increased penetration into diverse demographics of the local community while increasing the visibility of the service offering.

The President and CEO will also oversee the financial performance of CAA Niagara and advise the Board in the development of capital and operational budgets, ensuring alignment with the strategic priorities of the Club.

Additionally, the President and CEO will establish strong visibility and involvement with the local community and foster a member-centric culture throughout the organization, encouraging employees at all levels to be solution-oriented thinkers.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic thinker who identifies new opportunities that will be relevant to CAA Niagara’s membership and provides significant value.
2. Establish strong visibility and involvement with the local community with a focus on engaging with members, customers and rewards partners.
3. Foster a member-centric culture throughout the organization, encouraging employees at all levels to be solution-oriented thinkers.
4. Define objectives, policies, programs, and budgets that align with short and long-term strategic goals. Ensure clear communication and alignment with the Board's requirements and the entire organization.
5. Monitor financial performance and work with the Board in the development of capital and operational budgets, ensuring alignment with the strategic priorities of the Club.
6. Monitor quarterly financial reports, comparing revenues and expenditures against budget, explaining variances and strategies to address variances.
7. Manage and coordinate the day-to-day operations of the organization’s office infrastructure, ensuring professionalism and alignment with policies and plans.
8. Ensure best practice policies, processes, standards and procedures are developed with an ethical perspective that will sustain a culture of trust and provide the highest level of member and customer service and satisfaction.
9. Demonstrates a solid understanding of product and service marketing with knowledge of innovative new tools to attract and retain members and customers.
10. Collaborate with stakeholders within the Club, Federation and related industries.
11. Represent CAA Niagara at conferences, on committees and related meetings where required.

Candidate Experience

1. At least 10 years of relevant work experience. University degree, preferably in business.
2. A demonstrated track record of organizational leadership, operational and human resource management.
3. Knowledge of, and an appreciation for, the range of issues impacting a member-based not-for-profit organization.
4. Track record of increasing revenue, visibility, brand awareness and external recognition in a similar growing organization.
5. Proven experience working on or with a board of directors, committee or governing body.
6. Experience managing and monitoring the performance of a business against strategic and financial targets.
7. Exceptional verbal and written communication, listening, and presentation skills with the proven ability to interact effectively at all levels of an organization, external stakeholders and other key strategic partners.
8. Proven ability to structure, implement, develop and integrate operational procedures and processes which are best practice, scalable, and applied consistently across multiple sites to achieve a profitable, cost efficient, customer centric and highly effective organization.
9. Recognized as a well-respected, trusted, corporate leader.

Behavioural Competencies and Personal Attributes

1. Strong leader, highly motivated and driven individual who inspires passion in those around them to rally and sustain support for the achievement of the Club’s vision and goals.
2. Change manager with strong ability to lead, manage, and enable people to accept new processes, technologies, systems and structures that would lead the organization into its next phase of growth.
3. Skilled relationship manager trusted by stakeholders.
4. Highly skilled communicator, able to effectively build healthy internal and external relationships.
5. Decision maker with strong business acumen, common sense, sound business judgement and intuition.
6. Solutions focused problem solver with exceptional critical thinking skills required to devise pragmatic solutions to business initiatives and challenges.
7. Collaborative team leader, respectful yet decisive, open, patient and fair.
8. Leads by example with clear vision and purpose.
9. Cultivates innovation.
10. Views talent development as an organizational imperative.

CAA Niagara offers a competitive total rewards package, including comprehensive benefits and pension.

Qualified, interested candidates are invited to submit a cover letter and resume to the Executive Search Committee at: [e-mail] in confidence by 6pm March 20, 2025.

CAA Niagara is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive workplace. We are dedicated to ensuring that our recruitment processes are barrier-free and accommodating to all individuals, including those with disabilities. If you require accommodation at any stage of the application, interview, or employment process, please inform our Search Committee at [e-mail].