Program Director, Environment

GoodWork.ca; Toronto; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 148,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits

15% STIP

Job summary

The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation seeks a Program Director, Environment to lead two focus areas: urban greenspace and freshwater estuarine ecosystems in Atlantic Canada. You will design ambitious grantmaking programs, monitor outcomes, and collaborate with diverse partners to advance biodiversity and healthy communities.

Based in Toronto, this full-time role reports to the Executive Director and will manage portfolios, convene stakeholders, and guide strategic investments that scale proven

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a related field (urban planning, ecology, conservation, water and natural resources).
• Minimum five years in a leadership role in environmental grantmaking or related field.
• Entrepreneurial and strategic mindset with ability to implement new ideas.
• Experience in grantmaking and program design.
• Experience in performance measurement, evaluation, and adjudication.
• Strong budgeting, financial tracking and project management skills.
• Excellent communication to build relationships at all levels.
• Ability to convene multi-stakeholder groups and manage priorities.
• Strategic thinking, problem-solving, and adaptability.
• Proficiency with MS Office; grants systems experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop ambitious philanthropic strategies and funding programs.
• Maintain knowledge of HGWF environmental funding and opportunities.
• Identify new opportunities using subject-matter expertise.
• Create monitoring and evaluative metrics for programs and activities.
• Support Executive Director within HGWF strata and framework.
• Manage portfolios of grants including monitoring, reporting, and payments.
• Coordinate assessment of proposals and funding judgements with expert input.
• Serve on grantee committees and assist grantees with strategy development.
• Improve granting processes for efficiency and impact.
• Build relationships with internal/external stakeholders and convene multistakeholder groups.
• Draft and finalize grant agreements; liaise with legal counsel as needed.
• Organize records and generate materials for Grants Meetings.
• Track grant payments against budgets.
• Create external communications materials: website, press releases, social media.

Skills

Leadership

Grantmaking

Strategic planning

Stakeholder engagement

Monitoring & evaluation

Budgeting

Project management

Analytical thinking

Communication

Multi-stakeholder facilitation

Education

Advanced degree in urban planning, ecology, conservation or related field

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

SmartSimple (grants mgmt system)

Job description

Environmental funding, philanthropy

Position

Program Director, Environment

Organization

The Hilary & Galen Weston Foundation

Location

Toronto, Ontario

Position details

Full Time, Permanent

Reports to

Executive Director

Website

https://hgwf.org/

The organization

The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation (HGWF) empowers passionate leaders to build thriving communities and regenerate ecosystems, by nurturing innovation and scaling proven solutions to deliver transformative change. Its grantmaking supports organizations focused on the environment, neurodegenerative diseases of aging, youth, and humanitarian crises. Based on recent strategic planning, and recognizing the connections between human health, thriving communities, and rich biodiversity, approximately 25% of the HGWF’s granting will be devoted to the environment, with two focus areas: urban greenspaces across Canada and freshwater and estuaries in Atlantic Canada.

The position

In this newly created role, the Program Director, Environment (“Program Director”) will report to the Executive Director and will be responsible for developing and executing the HGWF’s strategies in two areas:

• Urban Greenspace: supporting accessible parks, inclusive programming, and community-led stewardship so more people – especially those historically underserved – are connected with nature, leading to healthier communities, richer biodiversity, and more equitable access to greenspaces across Canada.
• Freshwater / Estuarine Ecosystems in Atlantic Canada: supporting the restoration and stewardship of freshwater and estuarine habitats through Indigenous-led conservation, community-based action, and catalytic investments, leading to thriving Atlantic Canada ecosystems and communities.

Strategic Development & Program Design

• Develop ambitious philanthropic strategies and funding programs.
• Develop, maintain, codify, and communicate understanding and knowledge of the HGWF’s environmental funding.
• Use subject-matter expertise to help identify potential new opportunities.
• Champion the creation of appropriate monitoring and evaluative metrics and approaches for programs, projects, and activities.
• Support the Executive Director in ongoing HGWF-wide strategic framework.

Grants Management

• Manage portfolios of grants, including monitoring and measuring impact, analyzing reports to ensure appropriate financial management and deliverables, and reviewing grant payments.
• Coordinate and support the assessment of proposals to the HGWF, analyzing their quality, potential impact, program alignment and organizational viability; obtaining appropriate expert advice and references; helping to reach a funding judgement through development and implementation of expert reviews; and handling relationships throughout the process.
• Serve on grantee steering committees and advisory groups and assist grantees with the development of strategies, as appropriate.
• Ensure the operational effectiveness and efficiency of granting processes, including identifying and implementing process improvements.

Relationship Management

• Manage and build relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including the HGWF’s Directors, other HGWF and enterprise colleagues, contractors, advisors, prospective and current grantees, and government or community representatives.
• Convene multi-stakeholder groups to engage and build a constructive dialogue, including the planning, coordination, execution, and facilitation of convening activities (e.g., workshops, forums, speaker events, and webinars).
• Communicate with prospective and current grantees to manage expectations, provide clear guidelines, provide advice, raise concerns or awareness, and celebrate successes
• Attend relevant events, conferences, etc. to enhance knowledge or represent the HGWF, as appropriate.

Operations

• Organize and maintain meticulous records of the HGWF’s environmental grants, activities, and impact.
• Support the development of agendas and generate materials for Grants Meetings.
• Draft, negotiate, and finalize relevant grant-making materials (e.g., grant agreements), effectively liaising with legal counsel as necessary.
• Track grant payments against budgets.

Communications

• Generate materials for external communications, including:
• The HGWF’s website
• Press releases
• Social media
• Third-party communications projects

Candidate Qualifications

• An advanced degree in a related field, such as; urban planning, ecology/biodiversity, conservation, water and natural resources management or experiential equivalent.
• Minimum five years in a leadership role in a related field, with a preference for environmental grantmaking and a proven background in developing new strategies and programs.
• Demonstrated entrepreneurial acumen, bringing new ideas from concept to implementation, and adapting to changing needs as projects evolve.
• Experience and understanding of grant-making and program design.
• Experience in performance measurement, evaluation, and adjudication.
• Strong background in project management, budgeting, and financial tracking.
• Advanced communication skills to develop relationships at all levels, and analytical skills to drive initiatives forward.
• Ability to network and convene multi-stakeholder groups and build constructive dialogue to advance foundation focus areas in a collaborative way.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, organize and manage multiple demands and competing priorities with a minimum of direction.
• Strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, ability to make decisions, sound judgment and experience applying creative solutions to problems.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; experience with grants management systems, e.g., SmartSimple, is an asset.
• Experience working for a family foundation or family business is an asset.
• Ability to travel occasionally for conferences (<15%), events, site visits, and meetings.

Candidate Attributes

• Passion for contributing to thriving communities and biodiversity.
• Entrepreneurial, analytical, and impact-focused
• Proactive and solution-oriented mindset, with the ability to take initiative.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to build strong, respectful working relationships.
• Demonstrates integrity, discretion, and professionalism.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as a team player.
• Adaptable and open to change and evolving priorities.
• Openness to feedback and continuous learning.

Compensation

• Base salary between $110K and $148K.
• 15% Short Term Incentive Plan (STIP).
• Benefits.

Equal Opportunity

The Hilary & Galen Weston Foundation is an equal opportunity employer committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace. We know our success depends on the perspectives and contributions of all our employees and that diverse backgrounds and experiences make us stronger.

If you are contacted for an interview by Searchlight and require accommodation, please inform us, so we can ensure you have an accessible candidate experience throughout the recruitment process. All requests are confidential and used only to meet candidate needs.