Quality Systems Specialist

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 doesnt it It is!

House of Friendship is a charitable social service agency serving thousands providing addiction treatment food housing and community resources throughout Waterloo Region. The Quality team stewards thedata evaluationprocessesand frameworks that support House of Friendships team members leaders and Board of Directors to manage privacy and risk ensureprogramreporting compliancemaintainaccreditation and improve the quality of our services. The Quality Systems Specialist plays a key role in strengthening and operationalizing House of Friendships qualityimprovementaccreditationrisk managementprivacy complianceandemergency responsesystems. This role works collaborativelywithorganizationalleaders and teamstoensurethese systems are consistentlyembedded into day-to-day practicemonitoredand reported onandused to inform learning and improvementresulting instrong administrative practices andsafe and effective service delivery. Acting as a subjectmatter resource the role partners with leaders and teams to translate standards policiesregulatory requirementsand quality expectations into practical workflows tools and supports that are meaningful in a communitybased service Quality Systems Specialist exercises a high degree of professional judgment and autonomy in planning prioritizing and carrying out work escalating issues and recommendations to the Director asappropriate.

This is a 1 year contract position (with potential for extension) from approximately February 23 2026to February 26 2027. This is a full-time position scheduled to work 37.5 hours per week;Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm with flexibility. Work may be performed from a home office for some of the weekly hours.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as the organizational lead for thecoordination and communication of organization-wide accreditation activities including selfassessments standards mapping evidence collection documentation maintenance and survey readiness

• Guide program leaders and teams to understand accreditation standards and their application in a communitybasedhealth andsocial services context

• Maintainaccreditationwork plans timelines tools and supporting materials to ensure ongoing readiness rather than cyclical preparation

• Support theQuality Directorwith the designimplementation and ongoing maintenance ofthe organizationsintegratedquality improvementsystem includingpolicyframeworksand tools

• In collaboration with the Quality Directorfacilitatethe annual preparation of theQualityImprovementPlan(QIP)andgenerate quarterly reports for OLT and the Board of Directors tomonitorprogresson the QIP

• Act astheproject manager fororganizationalquality improvement initiatives asidentifiedin theannualQuality Improvement Planutilizingstrong change management and engagement practices

• Conductperiodicreview and analysis of complaintssubmittedby participants and community memberstoidentifythemessummarize insights into reports for organizational leadersand support the integration of learnings into quality improvement and risk management processes

• Support theQuality Director with theoperationalizationand maintenance of the organizations risk management framework including risk identification mitigation planning monitoring and reporting

• Establishandcoordinatethe ongoing conduct of internal reviewsaudits and quality assurance activities to assess compliance with privacy and risk policies standards and regulatory requirements with findings and recommendations escalated to the Directoror other responsible leadersasrequired

• Coordinatefollowupand trackingofcorrective actions arising fromrisk auditsprivacyincidentsandaudits accreditation findings and quality reviews

• Overseethe operational aspects oforganizational emergency response preparedness activities including drills testing documentation and related compliance requirements

• Work withManagementTeam across the organization tomaintainemergency response records schedules and documentation in alignment with organizational policies accreditation standards and regulatory expectations

• Supportleaders and team members withlearning and quality improvement following emergency drills or realworld incidents

• Prepare summaries reports and documentation for leadership committees accreditors and regulators ( and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario) asrequired

• Lead the review development and creation of organizational policies and procedures withinscopeof responsibility

• Act asa quality and risk resource to leaders and teams across the organization providing consultation guidance and practical support

• Represent the organization in discussions with external accreditors and other external stakeholders withinscopeof responsibility

• Contribute to qualityrelated committees working groups and organizational initiatives

Job Specific Knowledge/Skills:

• Self-directed with high capacity to manage multiple priorities and timelines without sacrificingresultsand relationships

• Strong systemsthinking capability with the ability to understand how policies standards risksprocesses and workflows interact across programs and services

• Proven ability tobuild andmaintaineffective working relationships with staffleadersand external partners and to influence practice without authority

• Exceptionally strong documentationanalysis and reporting skills with high attention to detail and accuracy

• Advanced knowledge of quality improvement principles and methodologies in health social services or communitybased organizations

• Experience inoperationalizing policies standards or frameworks into practical tools processes and guidance that support consistent organizational practice

• Understanding ofaccreditationprocessesrisk management concepts andemergencypreparedness andresponseplanning

Education/Experience:

• University degree in a related field( Health Health or Social Services Administration Social Work Policy or a related discipline)

• Minimum of3 years ofprogressively responsibleexperienceinareas related toqualityimprovementaccreditationrisk management privacy emergencypreparedness and responseor otherorganizationalsystems-related work

• Experience working insocialserviceshealthpublic serviceor community-based organizationsstrongly preferred

• Hands-on experience supporting accreditation processes regulatory compliance and/or quality assurance activitiesis a strong asset

• In addition to otherqualificationshavingdirectservice/client-facingexperience inhousingcommunity servicesaddictionsor other health caresettingswould be highly valued

Critical Skills:

• Commitment to understand and uphold the mission and values of House of Friendship is expected

• Exemplary emotional intelligence resilience communication conflictmanagementand problem-solving skillsrequired

• Ability to work professionally as a team member with staffparticipantsand community members

• Experience or strong interest in working with diverse populations including people from various cultural backgrounds income levels and sensitivity to their needs

• Experience with and commitment to using an anti-racism anti-oppressive and trauma informed approach to consultation program design evaluations of processes and service delivery

• Must be dependable professional flexible a team player and have a positive attitude

• Respectfulsupportiveand engaging approach to persons with physical and/or cognitive disabilities addictions mentalillnessand other life challenges

• Excellent project timeline and deadline management skills including skills inlogistics planning and detailed record keeping

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 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 a 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:

• Time off includesvacation pay and2personal daysper year

• Employee & FamilyAssistance Program

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 determining rate of pay a candidates past related experience will be taken into consideration.

Grade: 5

Min: $27.31

Mid: $31.34

Max: $35.37

Working Conditions:

• 37.5 hoursweekly;generally daytime weekday hours

• Work may be performed in a home office for some of the weekly hours

• Encountering participants at program sites under the influence ofalcohol or other drugs and/or experiencing symptoms of mental illness can be expected

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 lets talk.

To apply please submit your resume and cover letter here:

end of day January 29 2026.

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