Director, Partnership & Operations (Contract

Director, Partnership & Operations (Contract)

The Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children is a research centre at The Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto with the vision of harnessing interdisciplinary research to promote the flourishing of every child and family’. Reporting to the Co-Directors, the Director, Partnership & Operations is a senior leader responsible for translating the Centre’s strategic vision into operational priorities.

Working closely with researchers, clinicians, university partners, donors and health system leaders, the Director oversees Centre operations, partnerships, governance, finance, communications and strategic initiatives that advance child health research and policy. The successful candidate will position the Centre to achieve its objectives while fostering strong partnerships across the Hospital, University and broader child health community. While the majority of this role will provide strategic operational leadership that enables the Centre, it also includes some dedicated finance management support (1 day/week) for the Sick Kids Child Health Policy Accelerator (CHPA), Canada’s first hospital-based applied child and youth health and social policy initiative and a close collaborator of the Centre.

• Support implementation of the Centre’s strategic and operational priorities through effective project management, governance and organizational planning.
• Continuously improve operational processes, governance structures and reporting systems to enhance organizational effectiveness.
• Collaborate with the Co-Directors, the management team and staff to develop and implement Centre goals and objectives with accountability for the completion of assigned strategic objectives.
• Develop, plan and implement Centre activities, such as catalyst and training grants, and managing Centre advisories and other committees as part of the governance structure.
• Provide strategic oversight for Centre events, including the 2027 Leong Centre Symposium, ensuring effective planning, cross-functional coordination, stakeholder engagement, and successful delivery in partnership with the Centre team.
• Lead ongoing monitoring and evaluation of Centre activities and engagement to inform future planning.
• Support governance processes by coordinating leadership committees, preparing briefing materials and ensuring timely follow-up on key decisions.

• Build and sustain strategic partnerships with hospital and university leadership, the Sick Kids Foundation, researchers, clinicians, funding agencies and external collaborators to advance the Centre’s mission and collaborative initiatives.

• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Co-Directors by identifying operational risks and opportunities, supporting decision‑making, and advancing organizational priorities.
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the Centre, including planning, budgeting, logistics and administrative coordination, to ensure strategic objectives are achieved.
• Provide oversight for a diverse portfolio of strategic initiatives, ensuring effective prioritization, resource allocation and timely execution across competing priorities.
• Ensure projects and operations comply with institutional policies, governance processes and administrative requirements.
• Support and mentor the development of a motivated and cohesive team of professional and support staff to effectively meet Centre milestones.
• Oversee employee relations issues including hiring, onboarding, workload and vacation scheduling, attendance management, and performance appraisals.

• Lead annual budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting in collaboration with Hospital, Research Institute and University finance teams.
• Ensure responsible stewardship of program resources, aligning expenditures with strategic priorities, grants and donor commitments.
• Negotiate and administer contracts and service agreements with vendors and collaborators.
• Ensure compliance with donor, grant and institutional financial reporting requirements.

• Lead…