Executive Director - Kingston Literacy & Skills

Kingston Literacy & Skills (KL&S) is a non-profit charitable community organization. With professional, knowledgeable staff and dedicated volunteers, we deliver essential skills upgrading, workforce preparation, and English Language instruction to adults 18+ in Kingston and Napanee.

Do you have a passion for supporting others to achieve their goals in education, employment, and independence? If you want to work in the non-profit/charitable sector with a great team that strives to empower lives through learning, then consider a career with KL&S.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director is the key leadership position in the organization. The Executive Director provides strategic leadership for all aspects of the organization and has operational responsibility for all KL&S staff, programs and organizational support functions. As the primary spokesperson for the organization, the Executive Director will develop and sustain collaborative partnerships to achieve our mission, goals, and objectives. 

The successful candidate will have demonstrated leadership abilities and impeccable communication skills and take a holistic approach to organizational management/oversight of operations. We are looking for someone to lead our team to success, whose goal is to inspire others by example, enabling the agency to fully realize its mission and reach its maximum potential. An understanding of literacy, adult education, newcomer services, settlement programming or community development will be considered an asset.

Key Competencies:

Leadership and Strategy

• Working with the Board to develop a shared vision for the future of the agency and implementing a strategic plan that supports the KL&S mission within both organizational guidelines and policies and funders’ requirements and standards.
• Transparent and collaborative leadership style, and the ability to support and empower staff through clear guidance and consistent decision-making while fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and inclusion in a healthy, supportive, and non-judgmental environment.

Communications, Public Relations and Fundraising

• As primary spokesperson, effectively promoting the agency, advocating for the mission and building relationships with funders, donors, government agencies and community organizations through direct dialogue, public speaking engagements and developing and maintaining a social media presence.
• Leading all fundraising activities, including grant writing, donor development, sponsorships, fundraising campaigns, and community partnerships.
• Developing and implementing long-term fundraising and revenue-generation strategies.
• Supporting volunteer recruitment, engagement, and recognition.

Program Oversight

• Ensuring programs remain responsive, accessible, and aligned with community needs
• Supporting literacy and skills training initiatives for adults, families, and newcomers to Canada.
• Promoting digital literacy and inclusive learning opportunities.
• Monitoring program outcomes and evaluating organizational impact.
• Encouraging innovation and continuous improvement in service delivery.

Financial and Operational Management

• Responsible for budgeting including strategic forecasting, fund allocation, and fiscal compliance. The ED builds, monitors, and presents budgets to the Board, ensuring resources align with the organization's mission and statutory requirements.
• Overseeing daily operations, staffing, and program delivery.
• Supporting policy development, risk management, and operational planning.

Board Relations

• Works collaboratively with the Board of Directors to support governance and organizational priorities and develop a system of sharing information that enables the Board to effectively carry out its governance role.

The Ideal Candidate will bring:

• Postsecondary degree in nonprofit/charitable sector management, education, social services, public administration, or a related field.
• 5-10 years of senior management and progressively responsible supervision experience within the non-profit/charitable sector.
• Strategic business planning including an understanding of finance and revenue generation approaches.
• Strong understanding of nonprofit/charitable governance and Board relations.
• Demonstrated success in fundraising, grant writing, and donor relations.
• Experience in community organization development, human resources management and financial management.
• Proactive and analytical thinking approach and experience developing strategic and operational plans and leading change collaboratively.
• Utilize marketing skills and approaches to build awareness, especially using social media platforms.
• Transparent and collaborative leadership style, and the ability to support and empower staff through clear guidance and consistent decision-making. Capacity to foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and inclusion in a healthy, supportive, and non-judgmental environment.
• Excellent written, verbal and digital communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Word).
• Superior demonstration of professionalism, tact, courtesy, and diplomacy.

Working Conditions and Compensation

• Office type environment. Expectation to travel to and spend time in office locations in Napanee and Kingston, Ontario with occasional offsite meeting attendance required.
• Compensation: Salary of $82,000 - $102,000 plus a benefit package.
• A vacancy currently exists for this position.

How to Apply:

• Interested candidates can submit a cover letter and resume electronically by July 26, 2026 to Kingston Literacy and Skills at Secretary@klsread.ca

KL&S hires on the basis of merit and is strongly committed to equity and diversity within its community. We welcome applications from racialized persons/visible minorities, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as from all qualified candidates with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities.

If you are contacted to participate in the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process, please advise the interview coordinator of any accommodations needed with respect to any materials or processes used to ensure you have access to a fair and equitable process. Alternate formats will be provided upon request throughout the recruitment and selection process.

Thank you to all applicants for their interest in KL&S. However, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.