Program Director

At House of Friendship, we believe in what we are doing. We get out of bed each day to make a difference in our community; to walk with and to serve. We are not happy with the status quo. We get energy from ongoing learning and growth. We lead with passion and believe without a doubt that everyone deserves to belong and thrive. We live and breathe our values of Compassion, Inclusion, Justice, Dignity and Hope. And we have fun!

Sounds pretty great doesn’t it? It is!

House of Friendship is a leading provider of solutions in the areas of housing, addiction services, food security and community development across Waterloo Region. Our 86‑year history has built a legacy of innovation, adaptation and the continuous pursuit of better ways to meet the needs of individuals and families impacted by poverty and addiction. Our mission is at the centre of all we do as we pursue more integrated ways to walk with community members experiencing increasingly complex needs.

We are looking for an authentic, bold and creative individual to lead our housing and community services teams, spearheading system change, collaborative partnerships and service innovation. This leader will champion the continued integration of housing and healthcare / addiction and the “More than Food” philosophy and approach to community services. In addition to being a known collaborator, this position calls for a person with exceptional people and program leadership skills, with proven results in coaching, inspiring and developing large teams across multiple programs to deliver operational excellence and maximum impact for participants. The ideal candidate will possess strong business acumen in driving resource efficiency, data‑driven decision‑making and a culture of evaluation. Adept at creating the conditions for healthy, high‑functioning and unified teams, this experienced operational leader will passionately progress the integration and alignment of our programs across House of Friendship in close collaboration with the Clinical Director and Quality Director.

As a member of the Organizational Leadership Team, this role has a shared responsibility to work effectively as a member of this team to develop and carry out House of Friendship’s Strategic Plan ( Building Health, Building Belonging ), annual plans and organizational commitments. Leading in an ever‑evolving environment, this role also requires a leader who has a keen ability to build and maintain productive partnerships with funders and community agencies as well as to develop solutions to emerging, complex and integrated issues related to housing, addiction and community development.

Key Responsibilities :

• Effectively lead, develop and support program managers and supervisors who lead programs region‑wide, including inter‑program planning
• Responsible for the healthy and safe operation of the programs; ensuring a physically and psychologically healthy work environment for all team members
• Create the conditions and approaches that enable a healthy, unified culture across programs
• Collaborate and co‑create service enhancements and solutions with the Clinical Director and the Quality Director to enhance participant experience and outcomes across all of House of Friendship’s programs
• Champion operational excellence across and within programs, creating and implementing approaches and consistency across a large team that addresses complex issues
• Enhance participant experience and outcomes by improving integration and alignment across House of Friendship’s programs
• Embed organizational commitments to operational excellence across programs, including risk management, emergency preparedness, incident management, participant records, privacy and engagement, and policies and procedures
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with donors, partners and agencies to increase opportunities for innovation and positive outcomes
• Develop evidence‑based strategies to achieve efficient and effective programs and service delivery aimed at providing housing and community development supports to those experiencing poverty across the Region
• Act as a change agent; contributing to continuous improvement and the successful implementation of change initiatives
• Take a lead role in community consultation and community leadership development initiatives
• Collaborate with leaders across the organization and in the community to evolve our housing and community development strategies
• Provide oversight to the development and management of program budgets including investigating potential new funding sources, cost efficiencies and partnership arrangements
• Represent House of Friendship at applicable community / partner / funder meetings and forums; bringing relevant issues and solutions to the conversation
• As a member of the Organizational Leadership team, contribute to the overall annual and strategic planning processes of House of Friendship
• Embed data literacy and program measurement across the program teams, with a focus on excellence in data capture, active use of established tools and reports, and building a culture that pursues continuous improvement
• Establish and monitor service targets
• Support and promote the mission of House of Friendship and positively represent the agency to our constituencies and the community

Job Specific Knowledge / Skills :

Education / Experience :

Critical Skills :

Compensation :

At House of Friendship, we know that our team members are the key to the success of our organization and our ability to provide essential services to the community. In support of our mission and in alignment with our values, House of Friendship is committed to ensuring fair, market competitive, and rewarding compensation practices for all of our team members. We aspire to support our team members to create a great work environment where our team is able to thrive, succeed, and have positive work experience.

House of Friendship compensation practices, including our pay grid, have been developed using documented leading pay practices in the not‑for‑profit sector including Pathways to Decent Work (Ontario Nonprofit Network) and Ontario Living Wage Network. We value the experience that new team members bring to the organization and have a process in place to review previous related experience for placement on our pay grid.

We value the work that you do with fair pay and benefits :

Rate of Pay :

At House of Friendship all compensation ranges are categorized under a series of “grades” and we base our payment structure on internal equity. When determining rate of pay, a candidate’s past related experience will be taken into consideration.

Grade : 7

Min : $47.65

Mid : $54.90

Max : $62.16

Working Conditions :

This role is being posted to fill a new role in the organization.

House of Friendship is open and inviting to qualified candidates with lived experience.

House of Friendship supports justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. We strive to be a workplace free of harassment and discrimination and we are committed to removing barriers and being an inclusive, work environment. House of Friendship is a place where each person can bring their true selves and feel that they belong. We aspire to be an organization that is anti‑racist and anti‑oppressive so that our team, and therefore our community, can truly belong and thrive.

We invite applications from all qualified candidates and actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and / or current barriers to accessing employment including, but not limited to Indigenous Peoples, members of racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

If you require accommodations to be able to participate fully at any stage in the recruitment process, including applying for this position, please let us know so that we can discuss accommodation options. Accommodations will be provided upon request.

If you are as passionate as we are about serving the community, and ready to make a huge impact,

let’s talk.

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter here : https : / / house‑of‑friendship.hirehive.com / program‑director‑kitchener‑on‑7gfSQB

By end of day February 8, 2026.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not being used in the screening of applications.

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