POSITION TITLE: Executive Director
ABOUT ALPINE ONTARIO ALPIN:
Alpine Ontario is the Provincial Sport Organization recognized by Alpine Canada Alpin, Canadian Snowsports Association, Ontario Winter Games, Canada Winter Games and the Ontario Government under the umbrella of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. It has a critical role in leading, fostering, and encouraging interest and participation in alpine, para-alpine and ski cross racing, amongst Ontario skiers of all ages and abilities and promoting excellence in high performance.
The mission statement of Alpine Ontario is to provide leadership and structure for high quality, sustainable and affordable programming, and communicate the competitive, recreational and lifestyle benefits of ski racing to the community.
Alpine Ontario has over 30,000 members and 41-member ski clubs, which include athletes, parents, coaches, volunteers, officials, and corporate partners. Alpine Ontario generates critical funding through sponsorship, government funding, donations, and membership fees. These funds are used to develop the following:
- Sport branding and promotion.
- Hosting of hundreds of races across the four Ontario Divisions: National Capital Division (NCD), Lake Superior Division (LSDA), Northern Ontario Division (NOD) and Southern Ontario Division (SOD)
- Organizing skills camps for all racers between the ages of 8 to 16
- Managing the U16 High-Performance Program (U16HPP)
- Managing the Ontario Ski Team (OST) and the Southern Ontario Division Ski Team (SODST)**
- Overseeing the organization of the Entry & Development Level Coaches Courses as provided by Alpine Canada Alpin
- Hosting an annual fall coaching conference and a wrap-up spring coaches meetings
- Athlete safety through policies and procedures, rules and regulations as stipulated by our governing bodies of Alpine Canada Alpin and FIS
- Implementing policies, procedures and action toward Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action #’s 87 to 91
**as per the AOA/ SOD management services agreement
Alpine Ontario headquarters are based in Collingwood, ON with eight full-time office staff dedicated to operations, administration, communications, and athletic and technical development, as well as a staff of highly qualified coaches operating the Ontario Ski Team. The organization as a whole is governed by an elected independent Board of Directors.
Alpine Ontario Membership Benefits:
- Athlete development through program design, race series, and pathways
- Race support through the Officials Program design, certification
- Communications via the website, social media, newsletters, and meetings
- Coaching and education pathways, certification
- Officials training
- Coordinating bursaries and grants
- Insurance programs to cover skier and the sport insurance as a whole
- Member benefits & discounts including the 10% Sporting Life discount card
POSITION OVERVIEW:
Position: Executive Director
Type: Full Time
Reports to: Board of Directors
Location: Collingwood, ON
Executive Director of Alpine Ontario:
The Executive Director is an open-minded strategic and creative thinker, advocating for the sport of alpine, para-alpine and ski cross racing in Ontario. The creation, development and stewardship of relationships with members of Alpine Ontario (including member clubs), external stakeholders such as Alpine Canada Alpin, Sponsors and Partners is paramount to its success. As Executive Director, you will be responsible for driving and delivering the strategic and operational priorities of Alpine Ontario as agreed upon with the Board of Directors.
You will oversee the strategic direction, growth and day-to-day management of Alpine Ontario, by continuing to deliver the following elements of our strategic plan and our business:
- Promote the introduction to and participation of skiing across Ontario, encouraging all Canadians (including Indigenous and New Canadians) to enjoy our sport
- Develop and execute a retention model that keeps our athletes participating in alpine, para-alpine and ski cross racing
- Increase pipeline of accredited coaches and officials
- Have the highest level of provincial participation on the national alpine ski team
- Be recognized and valued by the various Ontario alpine ski communities for the services we provide as an organization
- Create long-term financial and organizational sustainability to ensure consistent year-over-year programming
- Continue to focus on the establishment and adherence to robust governance in Management and Board practices
Key Capabilities:
- A strong and effective leader who is able to inspire and positively influence people
- A strategic thinker with the ability to create and articulate the vision, with the capacity to plan and prioritize at the strategic level
- Lead and innovate across the organization, thinking “outside the box”
- Ability to identify and capitalize on new sponsorship and fundraising opportunities
- Excellent commercial, organizational and financial skills to develop budgets and execute operational goals
- Approachable, with excellent people skills and the ability to engage and develop lasting positive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
- Continue to build and support a positive culture of accountability within the organization and with staff
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and strong presentation skills
- Critical thinker, strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- High level of integrity, professionalism and accountability
Proven Experience:
- Building corporate partnerships, securing sponsors and growing new income streams, proven success in the development and delivery of a successful fundraising model
- Development and implementation of a strategy and model of excellence in sport
- Engaging the community at various levels of sport
- Maintaining strong and positive relationship with stakeholders
- Developing, reviewing and implementing operational plans and goals
- Marketing, public relations and social media
- Understanding of the structural corporate governance and capable of developing and implementing systems, processes and procedures, including working with data and building data bases to facilitate communication
- Addressing and managing challenges faced by organizations, building relationships with key stakeholders.
Responsibilities of the Executive Director:
Leadership:
- Responsible for communicating, supporting and attaining the organization’s Vision, Mission, Strategic, and annual Operational Plans to external and internal stakeholders.
- With the Board, establish financial and non-financial performance targets and appropriate measures, leading the organization to achieve these targets
- Represent the organization and its values and goals with members, customers, suppliers, government and regulatory bodies, which includes all stakeholders and the broader sport community
- Be a positive voice and spokesperson
- Support the high-performing staff environment by motivating, retaining, mentoring and holding all individuals accountable throughout the organization
Strategic Planning:
- Through active engagement with key stakeholders, report semi-annually a rolling Strategic Plan to maximize value
- Engage the Board of Directors for input, review, and approval of the plan, including a quarterly review of actionable items
- Continue to implement the Strategic Plan and report to the Board of Directors on its progress and agreed strategic, key performance indicators
- Review trends and opportunities in the greater ski racing community and create delivery models that recognize these opportunities to encourage membership and participation growth
- Identify new services and products, events, and initiatives that will capture new members and create greater participation
Operational Management:
- Develop an annual Operations Plan and Budget that aligns to the Strategic Plan, seeking Board of Directors input, review, and approval
- Implement the annual Operations Plan and report to the Board of Directors on its progress
- Provide supervision, management, and leadership of the day-to-day affairs of the organization within policies established and agreed to by the Board of Directors
- Oversee the AOA Athletic Committee with a focus on governance and transparency
- Ensure that the appropriate systems are in place to effectively and efficiently manage the business of the organization, consistent with its objectives
- Ensure organizational commitments are within delegated approval authorities
Governance
- Communicate in a timely and open way with the Board on material matters affecting the organization and particularly matters reserved for the Board
- Communicate regularly with the Chair and other board members and ensure the Board is being provided with the information necessary to fulfil its legal duties and responsibilities and to make good decisions
- Review with the Board of Directors on a monthly basis the cash position, as well as forecasted cash flow over the remaining months of the season
- Ensure that the Organization continues to review its governance policies and have them regularly reviewed by the Board
- With the Board, ensure effective succession plans are in place for the position of Executive Director and all senior staff
- Ensure the accuracy, completeness, integrity, and disclosure of the organization’s financial statements through appropriate policies, procedures, and internal controls
- Utilize the skills, experience and backgrounds of the Board to the best value for the Organization
Marketing, Communications, and Commercialization:
- Oversee all Marketing, PR, Publicity, Social Media, and Communication initiatives, ensuring the organization and services are consistently presented in a strong, vibrant, and positive way to all stakeholders and the greater community
- Serve as the primary spokesperson and representative for the organization, working in conjunction with the Chair and Board members as appropriate
- Continue to identify and secure funding opportunities from Provincial and Federal government, foundations, and other institutions.
- The Executive Director must have a proven track record of maintaining current sponsors and garnering new opportunities
- The Executive Director will be required to lead and develop business cases to continuously generate and increase sponsorship funding, while working in conjunction with the Events and Partnerships Manager
Stakeholder Management:
- Effectively manage the relationships between Alpine Ontario and key stakeholders, seeking input on key issues as appropriate
- Ensure that communication between Alpine Ontario and key stakeholders is both timely and appropriate
- Regularly engage with representatives of Member Clubs, Officials, Coaching Representatives, Major Event organizations, and ski resort operators to develop close and supportive working relationships
- Ensure an appropriate level of transparency amongst key stakeholders impacted by Alpine Ontario policies and decisions
Indigenous Affairs:
- Demonstrate leadership, action, and results in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action
- Ensure the stories and history of Indigenous athletes are included whenever possible, whether it be in print media, marketing efforts, or training sessions to encourage the participation of Indigenous youth (Call to Action #87)
- Ensure to publicly support and promote the North American Indigenous Games including participation in the Games in whatever way is feasible and affordable. (Call to Action #88)
- Ensure barriers to participation by Indigenous athletes are identified and reduced to ensure skiing is truly inclusive of all (Call to Action #89)
- Work in unison with other key partners to establish, promote, or take part in skiing programs that reflect the diverse cultures and traditional skiing activities of Indigenous peoples (Call to Action #90)
- Work with key partners to develop, establish, and/or maintain an elite skiing program specifically for Indigenous athletes (Call to Action #90
- Ensure programming is culturally relevant for Indigenous peoples (Call to Action #90) by ensuring all coaches, trainers and sports officials receive Indigenous Cultural Sensitivity and/or Safety Training as part of required coaching education. This training should be relevant and localized to the Indigenous nations/territories within which these personnel will be operating, to reflect the diversity and differences amongst Indigenous nations
- Ensure all engagement and/or events respect Indigenous territorial protocols (Call to Action #91)
- Ensure local Indigenous communities are active participants in all aspects of planning and participating in events in their territories from the onset. Indigenous communities should not be asked to comment on work already completed/commenced but rather be in on the development of that work (Call to Action #91)
- With representatives from local Indigenous communities, formalize protocols for informing their membership of AOA activities occurring in their traditional territories. Inquire as to the appropriateness of incorporating local Indigenous practices, protocols, or ceremonies into these events and activities.
- Ensure engagement in any area includes engagement with Indigenous communities, agencies, and/or Indigenous urban populations
Social, Environmental, and Ethical Practices:
- Follow and adhere to all Safe Sport initiatives as set by the Canadian Olympic Committee and Alpine Canada Alpin
- Foster ethical and responsible decision-making by management and staff
- Set the ethical tone for the organization
- Implement a safe and respectful environment for our athletes, coaches, staff and volunteers
- Lead the organization in its corporate social responsibility
- Be a community leader and ensure the organization contributes to the well-being of the community in which it functions, with special consideration paid to any Indigenous nations on whose land an event may be happening
- In line with traditional practices, ensure benefit for the Indigenous community as a routine and appropriate show of gratitude for the use of the land on which the event will be held
- Network with other sport organizations, community leaders and organizations, including Indigenous, in an effort to gain exposure for Alpine Ontario and enhance further Sport development
Selection Criteria:
In addition to demonstrating relevant experience identified in this Position Overview, candidates applying for the Executive Director role will require a range of personal and professional skills, including:
- A demonstrable passion for sport and a genuine understanding and respect for the opportunities and health, social and other benefits that alpine ski racing presents to the Alpine Ontario community
- A proactive approach to increasing Indigenous participation in competitive alpine ski sports that illustrates a thorough understanding of Canadian history and the resulting challenges and barriers faced by Indigenous people
- A strong, energetic, inclusive and down-to-earth management style with the ability to identify and harness the specialist knowledge of the alpine ski racing community for the benefit of the sport and Alpine Ontario athletes, coaches, volunteers and members
- The ability to influence and work collaboratively with a range of interest groups including officials and volunteers, members and supporters, coaches, employees, local communities including local Indigenous communities, and other provincial and national sporting agencies and sponsors
- Proven ability to identify and develop commercial and sponsorship opportunities, delivering a stable and diverse revenue stream
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal presentation skills, with the ability to act confidently as the public spokesperson for Alpine Ontario
- A strong understanding of the workings and demands of a multi-level sport and/or member-based organization
- A strong understanding of the complexities of Alpine Ontario and it’s respective Divisions
- Solid financial acumen, including the capacity to interpret and report on financial statements and experience in the management of an operating budget of approximately $3.5 million
Key Relationships:
As Executive Director you will work with and carefully manage a number of key relationships including:
- Alpine Ontario Chairperson
- Alpine Ontario Board Members (Including various committees)
- Member Associations/Clubs of Alpine Ontario
- Local communities including Indigenous communities and their designated leadership
- Alpine Ontario Management and Staff
- Athletes, Coaches and Officials
- Sponsors and Supporters
- Legacy Club Members
- Alumni of Alpine Ontario
- Alpine Canada Alpin
- Alpine Provincial Sports Organizations across Canada
- Government of Ontario
- Canadian Snowsports Association
- Ontario Ski Team Parents
Commitment to Role:
The Executive Director of Alpine Ontario is required to live in Collingwood, Ontario where the office is located. Due to the nature of the position and the sport of alpine ski racing, the Executive Director will be expected to spend significant time outside the office, building and fostering external stakeholder relationships, both on the ski hill and in corporate settings. The position will necessarily involve weekend and evening work. This is a full-time role.
Remuneration:
An attractive compensation package will be offered, commensurate with the experience and skills of the successful candidate and the nature of our sport organization.
How to Apply:
Should you be interested in pursuing this leadership opportunity, all applicants are invited to submit** their cover letter and resume for consideration today to: opportunities@alpineontario.ca
Please include in the subject line of your application: AOA Executive Director Search
**Applications will be received directly by the Hiring Committee. AOA staff will not be privy to this email account.
This role posting will close on March 8th at 11:59pm EST.
Alpine Ontario is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment within an exciting and challenging work environment.