AccessHR is excited to partner with Pleasant Heights After School (PHAS) for the recruitment of a full-time, permanent Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

 Position Description

Pleasant Heights After School is seeking a Chief Executive Officer to fill this newly created role and lead all aspects of operations. The successful candidate will report to the Board of Directors and lead a team of 3 direct reports and approximately 20 full-time, part-time, and casual Childhood Educators.

This opportunity is well suited for an approachable, trusted professional with an appreciation for childcare and child development. While prior experience in childcare is not necessary, a significant aspect of this role involves guiding and empowering the leadership team to deliver an enriching childcare program to support the communities the organization serves.

A clear differentiator is that the organization has made great strides in building a cohesive team, free of silos. We are seeking a service-focused and stakeholder-oriented leader to lead the organization further in this direction. You will bring a passion for building customer centric teams focused on community.

Ultimately, we are seeking an inspiring, approachable, and collaborative community builder who demonstrates high emotional intelligence and a commitment to service excellence.

Key Deliverables

• Leadership: Cultivate an inclusive culture and work environment that encourages employees to implement best practices and develop innovative approaches to enhance child development.
• Strategy: Develop short-term and long-term program strategy and direction; foresee industry and community trends and develop response strategies.
• Customer Centricity: Continue to build on establishing and implementing a “best-in-class” client-centric service delivery model.
• Visibility: Bring an element of “managing by wandering around”; approachable to employees, parents, children, and all other stakeholders; visit sites and get to know everyone by name.
• Community Involvement: Liaise and partner with parents, community organizations, schools, boards, and other agencies to build strategic partnerships and uncover funding opportunities.
• Finances: Prepare short-term and long-term operational budgets, capital budgets, and business plans; balance operational needs with budget alignment.
• Operational Excellence: Deliver best-in-class programming in an efficient, safe, and welcoming environment.
• Fun & Safety: Children learn best in a fun and safe environment; we believe employees also do their best work in a fun and safe environment.

Qualifications

• Visionary: Develops a commitment to organizational vision and values by building, leading, and empowering dedicated teams.
• Leadership: Leads by example, demonstrating integrity, humility, and ethical behavior in both actions and decisions; high emotional intelligence.
• Exceptional Communicator: Demonstrates outstanding written and verbal communication, influences others, and encourages open dialogue; actively listens and asks, “tell me more” and “help me understand” questions to build full comprehension.
• Empathetic: Ability to understand diverse perspectives and emotions and provide appropriate solutions and alternatives; builds trust, resolves conflict, and achieves consensus with both customers and employees.
• Team Building: Outstanding team building skills with a commitment to incrementally improving service delivery on a daily basis; ability to coach, engage, and mentor a diverse team.
• Business Acumen: Ability to ensure short-term and long-term growth and financial stability through operational efficiencies, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning.
• Financial Acumen: Knowledge of financial statements, budgeting, forecasting, and managing finances; understanding of financial metrics and their impact on business operations.
• Change Management: Ability to lead through organizational change, adapting to market shifts, implementing new technologies, and operational changes, while inspiring others to embrace it.
• Crisis Management: Ability to navigate and lead through crises and challenging situations, such as economic downturns and legal issues.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, finance, recreation, or related field.
• 10+ years’ experience in customer centric, business to consumer (B2C) environment.
• 7+ years’ leadership experience in a similar environment

Assets

• Master’s degree in related field and/or accounting designation.
• Non-profit work experience.
• Experience working with government grants and subsidies.