DIRECTOR, DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE, STRATEGY AND SOLUTIONS, Prosper Canada

WHO WE ARE   

Founded in 1986, Prosper Canada is a national charity dedicated to expanding economic opportunity for Canadians living in poverty through program and policy innovation.

As Canada’s leading champion of financial empowerment, we work with government, business, and community partners to develop and promote financial policies, programs and resources that transform lives and foster the prosperity of all Canadians.

Prosper Canada does not deliver services directly to people living on low incomes. Instead, we work with public, private and community sector partners to ensure quality financial empowerment (FE) supports (including effective policy and regulation) are available to all people living on a low income across Canada.

At Prosper Canada, we value being collaborative, human-centred, and forward-thinking. We recognize, accept, and celebrate our differences. We see power in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and believe we can help everyone thrive by being our boldest true selves. Diversity is at the core of what we do and who we support to build financial health. Our financial empowerment efforts focus on equity-seeking groups including those living on low incomes, Indigenous Peoples, members of racialized communities, and people living with disabilities.

We strive to create a culture where all feel valued, respected, and a true sense of belonging. We seek and value diverse perspectives that represent the lived experience, needs and challenges of equity-seeking groups. Join us in supporting and empowering everyone in Canada to prosper.

THE OPPORTUNITY   

Prosper Canada is seeking a full-time Director to lead digital infrastructure, strategy and solutions and our Information Systems (IS) team.

The ideal candidate is a leader in applying cutting-edge digital strategies and solutions to create secure and robust technology and data infrastructure for their organization and its operations.They are also skilled at strengthening operations through better use of technology, using collaborative approaches to understand the needs of diverse teams, identify the best technology solutions, and build the capacity of teams to adopt and use them effectively. They effectively champion the innovative use of technology solutions in the delivery of programs, tools and resources, and excel at delivering user-centred solutions in collaboration with internal and external partners and supporting their successful use. In all aspects of their work, they demonstrate a strong command of collaboration, project management, and change management best practices and a drive for innovation and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will be responsible for maintaining and updating all aspects of our organizational information systems, technology and infrastructure to ensure the efficient and effective operation of the organization and to advance our mission. They will be accountable for keeping our information infrastructure up to date and secure, creating and advancing a vision, strategy and implementation roadmap for our information systems and technology, and optimizing data protection, management, reporting and usage. They will lead efforts to strengthen organizational operations and productivity through the effective selection, introduction, and use of new technology applications and solutions, and timely and responsive user support. Equally importantly, they and their team will also work closely with other teams to identify and pursue opportunities to co-develop technology solutions with consumers and community financial empowerment practitioners to advance our mission.

Reporting to the VP – Finance and Administration, the Director – Digital Infrastructure, Strategy and Solutions will manage a team of two, and external contractors as needed, and work in collaboration with other internal teams and external stakeholders as required. As a member of our Senior Management Team, they will help shape and implement organizational strategies, priorities, and plans; foster a positive organizational culture built on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and staff wellbeing; and actively participate in business development efforts to mobilize resources for our work.

The salary range for this position is $90,000 – $110,000. Employee benefits include health and dental coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, an employer RRSP contribution, membership in the Common Good retirement savings plan, paid personal and sick days, 20 paid vacation days, paid time off when we close the office from Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day, and professional development opportunities.

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES   

Business operations

• Build and lead a high-functioning Information Systems Team: manage staff performance and development, work with the team to develop and achieve annual objectives and key results, and report quarterly on progress.
• Develop and implement IT-related organizational policies with input from other teams, and Board approval as required, and provide training and support to other teams to achieve
• Oversee administration of our digital file management system and system security in compliance with statutory and contractual obligations.

• Facilitate all technology operations, including on-premises network and cloud
• Evaluate digital services, usage and set up to provide a robust and secured As needed, identify automation, upgrade, re-configuration, and or new system needs and prioritize and make costed recommendations to the Executive Team to address these.
• Optimize information systems and use of technology tools internally by providing direction, guidance, and training to staff and help program teams to support partner organizations with value-add technology integration and optimization practices.
• Appy digital technologies to improve internal business processes, and user experience in keeping with evolving business and program/project requirements.
• Source and rigorously select consultants and service providers, as needed, for outsourced IT services. Develop and implement RFP processes with input from the Executive and Senior Management Team.
• Build vendor relationships and manage costs and quality of services
• Develop, manage, and track expenditures against annual IS Department budget and contribute to annual organizational budget planning.
• Support the development, management and tracking of IS technology expenditures related to program/project delivery.
• Consult team leads to identify business and technology needs and to optimize the use of information technology.
• Ensure smooth delivery and operation of IT services by monitoring performance of related technology systems, services, solutions and processes.
• Create processes and standards for selecting, implementing, and supporting operational technology systems.
• Identify risks associated with prospective changes to technology systems, services and solutions, and work with Senior Management Team and other relevant staff, as needed, to develop and implement mitigation strategies.

Solution development

• Lead team in developing user-centred technology solutions for funded projects in collaboration with program team, overseeing the development cycle – developer/system selection, design, building, testing, implementation, maintenance, user support, analytics, and periodic enhancement as needed.
• Develop and implement RFP processes and participate in the vendor selection process in collaboration with program teams for the hiring of UX designers and developers, as
• Source, evaluate and deploy third-party solutions to support project work and internal processes, including user training and support.
• Lead team in the provision of data including, but not limited to, connecting to cloud data sources via APIs and data remodelling to support data analysis by other teams as needed and to fulfill funder evaluation requirements.
• Prepare PowerBI reports and dashboards as needed and manage

Data management

• Oversee effective data governance including setting policies and procedures to ensure data accuracy, reliability, integrity, and security.
• Steward the design and development of systems used for managing data, including platform infrastructure set up, create data collection tools, monitor data submission and connect data for analysis and user support.
• Perform ETL to construct visuals for qualitative analysis to address project metrics and roll up to organizational impact dashboards.
• Build a data and analytics culture to facilitate consistent management and proper use of organizational data and information assets.
• Work with project leads and the Research and Evaluation team to define organizational key performance indicators from project outputs, outcomes, and impact measures to improve data interpretation and reporting.
• Work with Research and Evaluation team and other teams on data
• Ensure PIPEDA

EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES

If you do not meet all of our requirements, but believe your skills and experience are applicable or transferable, we would love to hear from you!

Apply if you meet most of these requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field. We are open to hearing how your background helps set you up to work with
• 8+ years of experience working in IT operations, supervising technology teams and overseeing information technology projects
• Excellent understanding of computer systems, security, network and system administration, database and data storage systems, and telecommunications systems
• Demonstrated ability to stay up to date on new technology
• Skilled in assessing office productivity applications (currently we work on the Microsoft 365 platform and some third-party SaaS solutions)
• Experience working with Microsoft Azure’s cloud services
• Proficient in risk assessment and management, including disaster
• Solid data management experience, including data visualization and how to achieve data encryption and privacy compliance that meet PIPEDA and funder requirements
• Demonstrated change management experience and skills
• Ability to research, analyse and recommend business opportunities based on their alignment with organization’s strategic objectives and potential to deliver substantial benefits
• Demonstrated ability to make tough decisions on complex issues with potentially significant organizational impacts.

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with other teams across the organization and with our partners and service providers
• Excellent leadership and decision-making skills
• Demonstrated project management skills and experience
• Experience working in a non-profit

Prosper Canada also values and welcomes:

• Applicants from racialized groups including black, Indigenous, and people of colour
• Applicants of all gender expressions and sexual orientations, including queer, trans, and two-spirit people
• Applicants living with a disability.

We encourage candidates from equity-seeking groups to self-identify in their cover letters and are committed to accommodations for all candidates and staff with temporary or permanent disabilities.

APPLICATION DETAILS 

Application deadline:               Until filled

Start date:                                    As soon as available

Job location:                                60 St. Clair Avenue E., Toronto M4T 1N5

Currently, our staff are working from home with limited access to our office (up to 2 days per week, subject to appropriate health and safety measures) until pandemic conditions allow us to fully reopen the office. We value in-person connection but expect many staff will want to blend in-office and remote work going forward. We look forward to discussing hybrid options with potential candidates.

How to apply: Please email your resume and a cover letter to info@prospercanada.org with subject line “Application for Director, Digital Infrastructure, Strategy and Solutions.”

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Interviews with candidates will be conducted virtually. If you require any accommodations to have a successful interview, please let us know.