Chief Programs Officer

Chief Programs Officer - Coast Mental Health

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Team: Senior Executive Leadership Team (CEO, COO, CFO)

Scope: All Coast Mental Health programs and services across 54+ locations, 850+ employees

Portfolios: Housing, licensed care, recovery & reintegration, employment, community mental health services

Salary: The anticipated salary range for this role is $180,000 and $205,000, depending on qualifications, experience, and internal equity.

Lead transformational impact across our region's mental health and housing ecosystem

Coast Mental Health is seeking a visionary Chief Programs Officer to lead our mission-critical work supporting people living with mental illness, substance use health challenges, and housing instability across the Lower Mainland. This is a pivotal leadership role for someone ready to shape the future of mental health and housing services at scale.

The Opportunity

This new role reflects Coast’s growth in scale and complexity and provides dedicated executive leadership to ensure our programs remain integrated, effective, and responsive to the evolving needs of the people and communities we serve. As Chief Programs Officer, you'll oversee a diverse, integrated portfolio of services, from supportive housing and licensed care homes to recovery programs, employment services, and community mental health, touching thousands of lives annually across 54+ locations. You'll sit at the executive table alongside our CEO, COO, and CFO, driving the strategic and operational decisions that define our organization.

This role demands someone who can think strategically while staying grounded in operational reality. You'll translate our mission into measurable outcomes, lead without silos, and build the kind of culture where teams collaborate across boundaries and leaders develop future leaders.

The impact is real. The work is meaningful. The complexity is significant.

What You'll Do

Shape Programs That Matter

• Balance enterprise-level strategy with hands-on operational leadership, with a primary focus on program integration, quality, and impact at scale
• Advance integration across Coast’s program portfolio to further strengthen seamless, client-centred pathways and continuity of care
• Identify emerging trends and position Coast as a sector leader in mental health, housing, and substance use innovation

Build and Empower Leaders

• Foster an executive leadership culture where senior program leaders and directors lead with shared accountability and collective impact
• Steward a leadership culture that balances trust, psychological safety, and accountability in service of strong outcomes
• Model our values and lead with integrity across the organization

Drive Operational Excellence

• Lead program financial stewardship in partnership with finance and program leaders, including budgets, funding agreements, and resource allocation
• Identify and address operational risks and inefficiencies, driving practical improvements that strengthen program performance and sustainability
• Ensure compliance with funder agreements and regulatory standards while maximizing impact and value

Influence at Every Level

• Play a central role in shaping and driving enterprise-wide strategy, risk management, and key organizational decisions
• Represent Coast at the executive level with government and health system partners, strengthening alignment, accountability, and long-term collaboration
• Provide strategic reporting and insight to the Board on program performance, key initiatives, and Coast’s impact within the broader mental health and housing system

Who You Are

Experience that Counts

• 10+ years of senior leadership in large, complex, preferably unionized organizations
• Track record in mental health, housing, healthcare, social services, or nonprofit sector (or closely related field)
• Experience navigating government funders and regulatory environments
• Graduate degree (MBA, MHA, MA in related field) or equivalent demonstrated expertise

What You Bring

• Proven ability to lead large, multi-site program operations and develop high-performing management teams
• Strong strategic thinking paired with exceptional execution capability
• Financial acumen and experience with budgeting, fiscal oversight, and quality improvement
• Communication skills that work at Board level, executive level, and across teams
• Comfort with complexity, change, and competing priorities—without losing sight of what matters

How You Show Up

• Mission-driven and deeply committed to serving vulnerable populations
• Collaborative, trustworthy, and values-centered
• Pragmatic problem-solver who leads with both compassion and accountability
• Adaptable, decisive, and comfortable operating at strategic and operational levels simultaneously
• Innovative thinker who challenges the status quo in service of better outcomes

Travel Required

Yes. Some travel to our sites across the lower mainland is required

Qualifications

Education

Required- Bachelors or better.

Preferred - Master's Degree or better.

Why Coast

Coast Mental Health is a large, established organization with the infrastructure, funding, and Board alignment to turn strategy into action. This is a place where strong ideas are resourced and delivered, not left on paper.

You’ll join an experienced executive team within a unionized, financially stable organization known for innovation and impact. Most importantly, this role offers the opportunity to make a lasting difference for people and communities who rely on integrated mental health and housing services.

This is a role for a leader ready to operate at scale, influence the sector, and build work that endures.

Why Coast

• We recognize safety as a top priority for the organization.
• We believe in our people and recognize hard work.
• We operate client-centered care under the principles of psychosocial rehabilitation.
• We offer a variety of work placement opportunities within the organization.
• We strive to be the best that we can be.
• We hold Exemplary Standing with Accreditation Canada.
• We have been recognized with numerous awards for our innovative programming.
• We care about our employees, and believe in living our values and culture throughout the organization

Some of the Benefits we Offer

• 100% employer-paid benefits for employees and their families.
• Vision Care, Dental Care, Prescription Drugs, Naturopath, Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Group Life, Massage therapy, Physiotherapy, and Unlimited Out-of-Province and Out-of-Country Emergencies.
• General sick-leave accruals.
• Long-term disability programs. Short-term disability programs available to exempt positions only.
• 5 days of paid leave for Indigenous Employees for Ceremonial, Cultural, and Spiritual events per year.
• 8 weeks of paid leave for gender affirming care for medical procedures for transgender and gender diverse employees, cumulative total.
• Employee and Family Assistance Program, which includes personal counselling, Life Coaching, Financial Coaching, Legal Referral and Advisory Services, and Health Coaching. In addition, Coast provides a cognitive behavioural therapy program (CBT abilities program) and Headversity for managing a variety of life issues and includes self-paced therapeutic support.
• Municipal Pension Plan with guaranteed lifetime monthly pension when you retire. More information can be found at: .

Interested?

If this resonates with you, we'd love to hear from you. Please submit your resume, cover letter, and a brief note on what attracts you to this role and Coast's mission.

Coast Mental Health is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, especially those with lived experience relevant to our sector and individuals from underrepresented communities.

Coast Mental Health is a major provider of mental health and housing services in the Greater Vancouver area, serving some of the region's most vulnerable populations. Learn more at