Senior Director, Governance & Executive Operations

If you are up for the challenge and would like to be considered for this position, we would like to hear from you. The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) is looking to fill the following career opportunity:

POSITION:                 Senior Director, Governance & Executive Operations

STATUS:                    Permanent; Full-Time

SHIFT:                        35 hours per week

LOCATION:                Provincial Office - Vancouver, BC - Hybrid

CLASSIFICATION:    Exempt           

WAGE:                        Salaried                                                          

CLOSING DATE:       Open Until Filled

Please submit your resume and cover to complete your application.

We welcome diversity, value differences, and foster inclusion in our employment practices.  Find out more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion by reading our Foundational Principles on our website.  We invite applications from all qualified individuals who are philosophically aligned with our mission and principles. 

The BC SPCA is a dynamic organization with facilities and services across the province of BC. Join an expanding people-focused team in an exciting time of change in an organization that makes a difference! Please read below for additional details and let us know if you have the skills and experience we are looking for by submitting your application.

About the Position:

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and participating on the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), the Senior Director, Governance and Executive Operations is responsible for driving excellence in governance, risk and compliance at the BC SPCA. The Senior Director works closely with the Society’s  executive and volunteer leadership to ensure the highest standards of governance and compliance within the organization, including managing policy development and execution, compliance with BC SPCA Bylaws, Board recruitment, work optimization of the Board and its Committees and oversight of membership and regional governance duties and responsibilities. The Director also serves as the CEO’s primary liaison for all Key Forums and Change Forums and as project manager for the Society’s enterprise risk management system and Society privacy officer.

Some specific duties:

Primary Responsibilities:

1. Governance: (50%)

• In collaboration with the CEO, responsible for overseeing the recruitment, election, appointment and onboarding of new BC SPCA Board Directors, including:
  • Developing the annual election timetable for Regional Director elections;
  • Developing the annual recruitment brief and working with the Board Secretary,  Communications and Volunteer Resources teams to ensure that calls for expressions of interest to serve on the Board are widely publicised;
  • Administering the actual election process in accordance with the Bylaws, utilizing the Simply Voting platform, where necessary;
  • Providing leadership support to the Human Resources Committee, the Board and CEO in the recruitment and appointment of candidates to the Board of Directors;
  • Ensuring regular update of the Board skills matrix and evergreen lists, working with the Board, Human Resources Committee, CEO and the People Services team to ensure the Society’s commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and reconciliation is fulfilled, so as to ensure that the Board and its respective committees reflect the rich diversity of British Columbia.
  • In consultation with the CEO and Board Chair and with support from the Board Secretary, leads the onboarding process for new Society Directors and makes recommendations to the CEO for any professional development for the Board as a whole.
  • Ensuring exit interviewing for departing Board Directors and follow-up as necessary.
• With the support of the CEO and Board Secretary, leads the planning, conduct and execution of the annual general meeting of the BC SPCA, ensuring full compliance with the Bylaws and providing support as necessary to the Board Chair, CEO, Chief Financial Officer/ Chief Technology Officer and Treasurer in the form of presentations, speaking and procedural notes for such meetings.
• With the support of the CEO and Board Secretary, leads the planning and successful delivery of all Board and Committee meetings, consistent with the Society’s Bylaws and governance policies, procedures and guidelines. 
• Working with the Board Secretary, responsible for ensuring that all reports and materials to be included in the Board and Committee package are developed by staff in a timely, accurate, consistent and professional manner for review by the CEO at least one week prior to their release on the Society’s governance platform.
• Reviews draft minutes of Committee and Board meetings as prepared by the Board Secretary to ensure they accurately reflect the discussions at such meetings.  Ensures such minutes are subsequently approved, signed and filed as necessary for future review as necessary.
• Works with the Board Secretary and applicable executive team members to ensure Board and Committee meeting schedules are developed at least one year in advance and that the Committees and the Board regularly review items with its respective Terms of Reference.
• Ensures Committee compliance with its respective Terms of Reference and reviews such Terms of Reference for consistent application within and between Committees.
• Manages and makes recommendations for amendments to the Board Calendar and regularly liaises with the CEO and Board Chair to ensure items contained within the Calendar are evenly reflected in future meetings of the Board and its Committees.
• Works with the Board and Committee Chairs and the CEO to ensure a robust review and follow-up as necessary of the annual evaluation process for the Board and its various Committees.
• Liaises with the CEO and then subsequently the Governance Committee on a bi-annual basis to conduct a comprehensive review of the Bylaws of the Society and liaises with legal counsel and other special interest groups as necessary on possible amendments to the Bylaws.
• Drives initiatives to streamline and enhance governance processes, fostering transparency and accountability within the organization.

2. Risk and Compliance: (30%)

1. Policies and Procedures:

• Develops Society-wide definitions and consistent standards for: Governance Policy, Operational Policy, Standard Operating Procedures and Guidelines. Centrally reports on policy compliance by working closely with policy owners. Proactively identifies gaps in governance and operational policy, manages policy review schedules and makes recommendations on matters of non-compliance. Supports the Board, CEO and leadership in developing new policies, procedures and guidelines where risks are identified. 
• Maintains the central, electronic source repository for all Governance Policies, Operational Policies, Standard Operating Procedures and Guidelines. Manages version control, staff/volunteer document access permissions and retention, in collaboration with the Board Secretary, Communications and Information Technology departments.

2. Enterprise Risk Management

• Serves as project manager for the Society’s enterprise risk management function. Actively collaborates with and supports department leaders in ensuring material risks from their respective departmental risk registers are added to the central Society Risk Register.
• Leads the Executive Leadership Team in a comprehensive bi-annual update of the central Risk Register.
• Ensures compliance with the BC SPCA Risk Management Policy and recommends Policy improvements as part of the Board scheduled Policy reviews.
• Aligns Policy development and compliance program with risk mitigation planning.
• Prepares and presents annual Board Risk Report and Risk Heatmap

3. Privacy

• Serves as the Society’s Privacy Officer, leads the Society’s privacy function and liaises with the Privacy Commissioner’s office and impacted departments,  as required.
• Serves as project manager for the Society’s legislated adherence to privacy requirements, ensuring written policies and procedures are in place and effectively utilized by all departments to manage privacy requirements.
• Stays up to date on and ensures the Society is prepared for pending changes in Privacy legislation.
• Develops the Society’s internal Privacy Policy, SOPs and Guidelines.
• Develops the Society’s Document Retention Policy and SOP and actively collaborates with Department leads to ensure appropriate record retention and disposition.

4. Compliance

• Ensures annual required statutory filings under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals act are completed in an accurate and timely manner.
• Manages the work of the Board Secretary to ensure that the Society fully adheres to its duties and responsibilities to Members and Regional Councils in accordance with the Bylaws.

3. Strategic Leadership: (15%)

• Serves as the primary liaison for the CEO on all Key forums and Change Forums, ensuring that the Forums and its members conduct their activities in accordance with their respective terms of references and ensures regular feedback loops are in place between each Forum and the Executive Leadership Team.
• Chairs the Policy Development and Implementation Key Forum, ensuring a cross-functional and regionally reflected composition tasked with the development and regular review of all Society policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Participates in all Executive Leadership Team meetings and serves as the primary liaison between the ELT decisions and staff, in collaboration with the internal Communications team.   

Secondary Responsibilities: (5%)

• Assist in budget development and monitoring of expenditures of the Office of the CEO, authorizing expense reimbursements and invoices up to a pre-determined limit. Complete purchase requisitions/online purchasing, ensures appropriate authorization, and timely submission for payment.
• Regular liaison with government relations team to ensure CEO is fully briefed and prepared for interactions with government representatives

• Provides support to the CEO in interactions with the Executive Leadership Team, including supporting the Board Secretary in meeting preparation, document production, recording decisions and follow-up as necessary. Drives initiatives to enhance the framework for strategic Executive Leadership meetings.

• Provides support and guidance to the Board Secretary in the annual preparation of the Imagine Canada Standards accreditation requirements.

Qualifications you need to have:

• A Bachelor’s degree (legal preferred) plus a minimum 8 - 10 years’ experience in a direct governance role, preferably in the not-for-profit sector; or an equivalent combination of education and experience acceptable to the employer.  Related experience includes, but is not limited to:
  • Enterprise Risk Management
  • drafting complex governance and operational policies and procedures and developing the mechanisms to ensure their full compliance
  • supervision and budget management
• Excellent business acumen
• Working knowledge of Canadian Privacy Legislation
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; confident and clear communicator, able to relate respectfully to a diverse audience

• Ability to exercise a high level of professionalism and discretion with confidential and sensitive information

• Excellent customer service, conflict resolution, liaison, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent organizational skills and extremely detailed oriented
• Proven ability to effectively prioritize work flow and meet deadlines
• Ability to exercise good judgement, show initiative and be proactive
• Self-starter and able to work independently as well as part of a team
• Advanced PC Skills – (i.e. Word, Excel, Power Point,MS Outlook, Teams, Asana) and ability to quickly adapt to new technologies
• Philosophical harmony with the BC SPCA mission, vision, values, and strategic direction
• Ability to work periodic evenings and weekends as required
• Previous working knowledge of the Diligent BoardEffect is considered an asset.

How to apply:

If you are interested in joining our Vancouver team and are legally entitled to work in Canada, we would like to hear from you. Click on apply now or use the link to apply:  https://spca.bc.ca/about-us/careers/

We thank you for your interest in the BC SPCA, however; only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No telephone calls, please. 

The BC SPCA is a Registered Charity BN 11881 9036 RR0001