Director of Operations and Programs
About Learning Buddies Network
Learning Buddies Network (LBN) is a BC-based grassroots service charity that provides free one-on-one mentoring for elementary students who need support in reading and math. Students are typically identified by teachers and community partners as children who would benefit from additional academic and social-emotional support, and whose families may not be in a position to access paid tutoring due to social, linguistic, geographic, or economic barriers.
LBN recruits and trains high school, post-secondary, and community volunteers to serve as mentors. Through consistent one-on-one support, children build literacy and numeracy skills, confidence, self-esteem, and a stronger sense of belonging. At the same time, youth volunteers develop leadership, communication, and community service skills.
LBN is currently in a period of organizational growth, with expanding programs, Indigenous partnerships, volunteer systems, and internal operational needs. To support this next stage, LBN is creating a Director of Operations and Programs role to provide day-to-day leadership across program delivery, staff coordination, volunteer systems, administrative workflows, and operational readiness.
Overview of the Position
The Director of Operations and Programs is LBN’s senior day-to-day operational leader. Reporting to the Executive Director, this role is responsible for ensuring that LBN’s programs, people, systems, and internal workflows are coordinated, timely, clear, and effective.
This role is designed to help LBN move from an Executive Director-centred operating model to a clearer management-team model. The Director ensures that day-to-day operational issues, program readiness, volunteer and buddy workflows, staff coordination, administrative follow-up, and internal systems do not default back to the Executive Director.
The Director does not replace the Executive Director’s role in strategy, fundraising, board relations, major partnerships, Indigenous relationships, or final HR decision-making. Instead, the Director translates organizational priorities into clear operational plans and ensures those plans are completed.
Position type: Employee
The Director of Operations and Programs will supervise or provide day-to-day direction to a core team of staff across:
- Operations and administration
- Human resources and volunteer recruitment
- Communications
- IT and systems
This role is responsible for ensuring the right people, systems, and supports are in place across the organization. The Director will help staff work together effectively, reduce duplication, clarify responsibilities, and strengthen follow-through across teams.
Through the staff they supervise and support, the Director will also help ensure that Teacher Liaisons, Program Supervisors, senior volunteers, and mentors receive the guidance, tools, and operational support they need to deliver programs successfully.
Work hours: Full-time 40 hours, with flexible scheduling. Hours must overlap with core program and organizational hours, currently generally 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. PT, Monday to Thursday. The schedule may shift based on program needs, staff supervision, meetings, events, and organizational priorities. The Director is expected to ensure key operations are covered and remain reachable for urgent program matters during active program periods.
Location: LBN staff primarily work from home. The role may require occasional in-person meetings, program visits, events, and partner meetings within British Columbia.
Compensation: Compensation is expected to be in the range of $72,800 to $93,600 commensurate with experience. Comprehensive benefits will be provided after 90 days of employment for full-time employees. LBN offers three weeks of vacation. Employees also receive paid time off during LBN’s annual closure between Christmas and New Year’s.
Responsibilities
Program Operations Leadership
- Lead day-to-day operational planning for LBN’s online, in-person, and Indigenous programs.
- Ensure programs are prepared for each term, including schedules, staffing, site readiness, volunteer readiness, buddy placement, communication channels, materials, and required systems.
- Oversee program start-up, program delivery, term transitions, and program close-out workflows.
- Monitor program quality and consistency across online, in-person, hybrid, and Indigenous program settings.
- Identify and resolve operational issues related to attendance, scheduling, placements, site readiness, family communication, volunteer coverage, and program delivery.
- Ensure program staff, Program Supervisors, Teacher Liaisons, coordinators, and mentors have the information and support they need to deliver programs effectively.
- Escalate major risks, sensitive issues, or strategic decisions to the Executive Director.
Staff Coordination and Accountability
- Manage day-to-day priorities, workplans, and follow-up for assigned staff, contractors, and direct reports.
- Lead regular operations meetings with clear agendas, decisions, action items, timelines, and accountability.
- Monitor staff task trackers and ensure key responsibilities are completed on time.
- Support role clarity by helping staff understand what they own, what they support, and what needs to be escalated.
- Provide coaching, guidance, and operational support to staff and contractors.
- Identify capacity gaps, workflow issues, duplication, or unclear responsibilities and recommend solutions to the Executive Director.
HR, People, and Onboarding Support
- Oversee hiring, onboarding, and invoicing for Program Supervisor and Teacher Liaison roles, ensuring Executive Director approval at key decision points.
- Draft or update role descriptions for operational, program, volunteer, and administrative roles as needed.
- Coordinate onboarding plans for new staff, contractors, Program Supervisors, Teacher Liaisons, and senior volunteers.
- Ensure staff and contractors receive the information, systems access, training, and expectations needed to begin their roles effectively.
- Support tracking of staff onboarding, training completion, agreements, records, and role-specific documentation.
- Provide performance feedback and documentation for direct reports.
- Recommend performance management or termination actions to the Executive Director when necessary.
Volunteer Recruitment and Engagement Systems
- Oversee the volunteer recruitment and engagement system in collaboration with volunteer recruitment staff.
- Ensure volunteer applications, interviews, onboarding, criminal record checks, training, placement, and records are completed accurately and on time.
- Support recruitment planning for Fall, Winter/Spring, and Summer program cycles.
- Monitor recruitment data and identify whether LBN has sufficient mentors, coordinators, Program Supervisors, and Teacher Liaisons for program needs.
- Provide direction and support to volunteer recruitment staff so they are not carrying recruitment, onboarding, tracking, partnerships, and engagement work alone.
- Ensure volunteer recruitment efforts are connected to program needs, placement capacity, and program timelines.
- Support volunteer engagement, recognition, retention, and reference processes.
Buddy Recruitment, Registration, and Placement
- Oversee systems related to buddy recruitment, referral, registration, placement, waitlists, and program communication.
- Ensure buddy registration forms, class contact lists, placement data, attendance records, and support notes are accurate and organized.
- Support communication with families, schools, and partners regarding placement, waitlists, schedule changes, attendance, and program expectations.
- Ensure students requiring additional support are identified, documented appropriately, and communicated to relevant program staff.
- Work with staff and program teams to maintain balanced mentor-buddy ratios and address placement challenges.
Administrative and Operational Systems
- Supervise Administrative staff and ensure recurring administrative tasks are completed accurately and on time.
- Oversee operational systems including the Operations Master List, Class Contact Lists, program calendars, Slack channels, Google Groups, email aliases, shared drives, tracking sheets, registration records, and staff task trackers.
- Ensure internal systems are clear, organized, current, and usable by staff and volunteers.
- Reduce duplication, outdated processes, unclear ownership, and unnecessary manual work.
- Support the development of checklists, templates, manuals, standard operating procedures, and simplified workflows.
- Ensure meeting notes, operational records, forms, data cleanup, scheduling, and routine follow-up tasks are assigned and completed.
Partnerships and External Communication
- Support operational communication with schools, families, volunteers, site partners, and community partners.
- Maintain strong working relationships with school and program contacts related to schedules, space, registration, referrals, and program readiness.
- Support volunteer recruitment partnerships in collaboration with volunteer recruitment staff.
- Identify partnership opportunities that support program delivery, volunteer recruitment, student referrals, or community engagement.
- Escalate major funder, board, Indigenous community, or strategic partnership matters to the Executive Director.
Data, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement
- Ensure key program and operational data is accurate, timely, and usable.
- Coordinate reports related to program readiness, volunteer recruitment, attendance, staffing, operational risks, program delivery, and term-end outcomes.
- Work with staff and administrative support to collect, clean, and summarize data for internal decision-making.
- Identify patterns in attendance, recruitment, program quality, staffing, and operational gaps.
- Recommend improvements to workflows, staffing models, systems, and program delivery.
- Support the development and use of dashboards, tracking tools, and reporting systems.
Support to the Executive Director
- Bring forward concise updates, risks, decisions needed, and recommended solutions.
- Reduce the number of routine operational issues that require Executive Director involvement.
- Help translate organizational priorities into timelines, staff assignments, and completed work.
- Support the Executive Director by ensuring internal operations are stable enough for the ED to focus on strategy, fundraising, board support, Indigenous relationships, major partnerships, and organizational sustainability.
Serve as a trusted internal leader who helps maintain clarity, accountability, and follow-through across the organization.
Required Qualifications
- 5 or more years of relevant experience in nonprofit operations, program management, education, youth programming, volunteer management, community programming, HR coordination, or a related field.
- Demonstrated experience supervising staff, contractors, volunteers, or project teams.
- Experience managing complex programs, workflows, timelines, and competing priorities.
- Strong operational leadership skills, including the ability to create systems, clarify roles, assign tasks, follow up, and ensure work is completed.
- Strong communication skills, including the ability to work with staff, volunteers, families, schools, community partners, and senior leadership.
- Experience supporting hiring, onboarding, training, staff accountability, or performance management processes.
- Strong judgment, discretion, and professionalism when handling confidential or sensitive information.
- Strong digital skills, including Google Workspace, spreadsheets, shared drives, Zoom, and online communication/project management systems.
- Ability to work independently, make practical decisions, and know when to escalate issues.
- Ability to work in a growing nonprofit environment where systems are still being built and improved.
- Located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, or able to attend in-person meetings, trainings, events, and program visits as required.
- Current Class 5 B.C. Driver’s Licence, or the ability to arrange reliable transportation for required travel.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in a charity, nonprofit, school, tutoring, mentoring, youth-serving, or community-based organization.
- Experience managing volunteer-based programs or programs delivered across multiple sites.
- Experience working with schools, families, children, youth, Indigenous communities, or community partners.
- Experience with program operations, volunteer recruitment systems, student registration, scheduling, placement, attendance tracking, or program reporting.
- Experience supervising administrative or program support staff.
- Experience developing checklists, templates, manuals, workflows, dashboards, or standard operating procedures.
- Experience supporting change management, organizational growth, or internal restructuring.
How To Apply
Please submit one combined PDF document that includes a one-page cover letter and your resume to hiringcommittee@learningbuddiesnetwork.com with the subject “Director of Operations and Programs – First Name Last Name”. In your cover letter, please include your response to the following two questions:
- Just as much as we are evaluating you, we want to know you’ve evaluated us. What do you think makes Learning Buddies Network the right place for you?
- Our four values of (1) Inspiring All to Strive for Excellence, (2) Mentoring and Youth Leadership, (3) Continuous Improvement, and (4) Respectful Relationships are deeply aligned with our organization’s mission and purpose. How do you align with our values?
Feel free to respond to all four values or choose the ones that resonate with you most.
Open until filled.
Our Commitment to Inclusion, Equity, Diversity, and Accessibility
Learning Buddies Network is committed to equal opportunity and treatment for every prospective and current employee. We value diversity in the workplace and believe our work is stronger when it benefits from the experience and knowledge of a diverse team. LBN is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment, so we strongly encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every single qualification outlined, as you may have transferable skills that would be an asset to our team. If you require any accommodations in submitting your application or navigating the application process, please contact Owen Fan at owen@learningbuddiesnetwork.com or via phone at 778-706-6936.
