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, doesn’t 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, evaluation,processesand frameworks that support House of Friendship’s team members, leaders, and Board of Directors to manage privacy and risk, ensureprogramreporting compliance,maintainaccreditation, and improve the quality of our services.

The Quality Systems Specialist plays a key role in strengthening and operationalizing House of Friendship’s qualityimprovement,accreditation,risk management,privacy compliance,andemergency responsesystems. This role works collaborativelywithorganizationalleaders and teamstoensurethese systems are consistentlyembedded into day-to-day practice,monitoredand reported on,andused to inform learning and improvement,resulting instrong administrative practices andsafe and effective service delivery. Acting as a subject‑matter resource, the role partners with leaders and teams to translate standards, policies,regulatory requirementsand quality expectations into practical workflows, tools, and supports that are meaningful in a community‑based service environment.The 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, generally daytime hours, with flexibility. Work may be performed from a home office for some of the weekly hours.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the organizational lead for the coordination and communication of organization-wide accreditation activities, including self‑assessments, standards mapping, evidence collection, documentation maintenance, and survey readiness
• Guide program leaders and teams to understand accreditation standards and their application in a community‑based health and social services context
• Maintain accreditation work plans, timelines, tools, and supporting materials to ensure ongoing readiness rather than cyclical preparation
• Support the Quality Director with the design, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of the organization’s integrated quality improvement system, including policy, frameworks, and tools
• In collaboration with the Quality Director, facilitate the annual preparation of the Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) and generate quarterly reports for OLT and the Board of Directors to monitor progress on the QIP
• Act as the project manager for organizational quality improvement initiatives as identified in the annual Quality Improvement Plan, utilizing strong change management and engagement practices
• Conduct periodic review and analysis of complaints submitted by participants and community members to identify themes, summarize insights into reports for organizational leaders, and support the integration of learnings into quality improvement and risk management processes
• Support the Quality Director with the operationalization and maintenance of the organization’s risk management framework, including risk identification, mitigation planning, monitoring, and reporting
• Establish and coordinate the ongoing conduct of internal reviews, audits, and quality assurance activities to assess compliance with privacy and risk policies, standards, and regulatory requirements with findings and recommendations escalated to the Director or other responsible leaders, as required
• Coordinate follow‑up and tracking of corrective actions arising from risk audits, privacy incidents and audits, accreditation findings, and quality reviews
• Oversee the operational aspects of organizational emergency response preparedness activities, including drills, testing, documentation, and related compliance requirements
• Work with Management Team across the organization to maintain emergency response records, schedules, and documentation in alignment with organizational policies, accreditation standards, and regulatory expectations
• Support leaders and team members with learning and quality improvement following emergency drills or real‑world incidents
• Prepare summaries, reports, and documentation for leadership, committees, accreditors, and regulators (e.g. Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario), as required
• Lead the review, development, and creation of organizational policies and procedures within scope of responsibility
• Act as a 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 within scope of responsibility
• Contribute to quality‑related committees, working groups, and organizational initiatives

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 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 :

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 : 5

Min : $27.31

Mid : $31.34

Max : $35.37

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter here :

https : / / house-of-friendship.hirehive.com / quality-systems-specialist-kitchener-on-qtkJNI

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