Employment Opportunity: Governance Professional

Governance Professional, Curling Canada

Curling Canada is a National Sport Organization (NSO) and the leading expert and growth engine for Curling Excellence in Canada. Our purpose and function is to promote amateur athletics in the form of curling in Canada, on a nation-wide basis.  We manage high performance programs (i.e., Team Canada,) select and manage national teams, and we have the exclusive right to name teams to World Competitions and Canadian Olympic organizations.  We serve our members (the Provincial, Territorial or Regional Curling Associations) and all of their associated clubs and curlers throughout Canada, with a plethora of services and resources from governance to marketing, to data and technology.  The Board of Governors at Curling Canada, elected by our Member Associations, continues to evolve its policy governance towards a more generative board with a focus on skills-based and risk-based approaches.  The newly adopted policy suite can be found here:  https://www.curling.ca/files/2020/10/Policy-Manual-October-2020.pdf

Curling Canada’s CEO and Board of Governors currently seeking a Governance Professional to develop and manage the tools and resources for the Board that support the newly adopted policy suite, help to develop yearly work-plans, standardize briefings to drive strategic questions at the board table, ensure appropriate board evaluations, and produce standard board reports that allows the board to best understand its own impact and effectiveness. 

Additionally, the CEO will require support in the areas of contract review, compliance, and document management through a governance lens.

What You Will be Doing?

Reporting to the CEO with a dotted line to the Chair and Governance Committee Chair, the Governance Professional will play an important role in providing support to the Board of Governors and CEO of Curling Canada to ensure the current policy suite is enacted with working tools that will ensure strong understanding and ability to work with guidance on jurisdiction, strategy, policy and process to Governors and Management.  The professional will work closely with the Chair and CEO in the areas of meeting planning, reporting, accountability follow up, and evaluation.  Additionally, the incumbent will provide support contract compliance tracking and document management.

Specifically, the Governance Professional will work with the Board, and Board committees (Enterprise Risk, Finance and Audit/Human Resources/Governance/ International):

• A work plan and set of agendas for the upcoming fiscal year.  Ensure the integrity of meeting agendas relative to the requirements of the Board and Committees.  
• Maintaining a reliable tracking system for substantive meeting topics and items that is accessible by the Board for their on-going work.
• Working with the Board Executive Assistant, delivering a system of work spaces across the Board portal and the maintenance of documents and communications with Board members between meetings.  Ensuring training and simplicity of use are paramount in technology adoption from the Board. 
• Recommending the content and standardization of materials sent from management to the Board, Board committees and to other stakeholders (Member Associations). 
• Undertaking appropriate post-meeting action to ensure tracking of implementation of decisions arising from meetings and ensuring appropriate and clear forward plans are provided to management.
• Reviewing new policy requirements to ensure that the Board is compliant with all policies related to National Sport Organizations such as mandatory Safe Sport Education, Background screening, Conflict declarations and Code of Conduct signatures. 
• A recommendation on our Member Reporting needs and how to effectively deliver on our communications policy with the Member Associations.
• Leads the coordination of Board orientation, education, and role clarity at the October Governance meeting.  

Ensures effective corporate governance by:  

• Providing support and advice to the CEO and Chair in carrying out duties relating to the effective governance and performance of the Board and Organization, as well as information on governance best practices.
• Contributing to the development and revision of governance guiding documents, and corporate policies, to reflect evolving governance best practices, legislative requirements, and operational requirements.
• Contributing to the development of the organization’s guiding documents and corporate policies reflecting best compliance practices, legislative requirements, and tracking of operational requirements to ultimately ensure the governance and operations policy guidance is complete and consistent.
• Research, analysis and preparation of briefing notes, reports and/or proposals on issues or business arising from meetings, reports, and sport congresses.
• Researching issues raised by members on a wide variety of matters and works with operations to secure information and develop board appropriate responses to achieve resolutions
• Coordinating governance education, agendas and materials for Executive retreats, Directors Forums and leadership team meetings
• Developing tools to keep records of committee composition and governors’ skills, monitoring vacancies and expiration of terms of office, and working with the nominations committee in planning for the nominations committee to identify required skills brought on-board. 
• Contributes to the conceptualization, development, and implementation of governance education program for a sport not for profit.  

What you Need To Be Successful!

Skills, Experience and Education

Come as you are. You are welcome here! Curling Canada is deeply committed to promoting diversity, advancing equity and fostering a culture of inclusion. Therefore, we invite applications from marginalized and equity-seeking groups, particularly members of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities.

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant field of study such as corporate governance, business administration, law, economics and public policy
• 3 years’ experience working on and with different governing or decision-making bodies, ideally within a not-for-profit
• 2 years’ experience writing and interpreting a corporation’s governing documents
• Thorough knowledge of the Ontario Corporations Act and the Not For Profit Corporations Act and proven ability to interpret and apply in a not-for-profit environment
• Knowledge and application of best practices for a governance structure including thorough understanding of bylaws, policies, procedures and protocols
• Excellent collaboration, organization, communication, and leadership skills
• Ability to understand and appreciate diverse points of view about complex and often inter-related issues
• Demonstrated ability to maintain productive working relationships both internally and externally
• Ability to apply principles effectively and consistently to factual situations in a highly confidential environment
• Go working knowledge of parliamentary procedure (e.g. Robert’s Rules of Order) and procedures for the conduct of meetings, both formal and informal
• MS office knowledge with Word and PowerPoint at an expert level
• Conflict Management skills – ability to effectively influence, negotiate and build consensus when working with a diverse group of people
• Superior political acumen
• Ability to communicate in both of Canada’s official languages is preferred

What We Offer

This is permanent, full-time position.  Curling Canada offers comprehensive health benefits, generous vacation entitlements, and employer RRSP matching up to 6%.  All work travel expenses are covered by Curling Canada. We offer a welcoming, inclusive and supportive environment with a focus on Teamwork and Collaboration.  

You will be heard! You will grow! We provide support for ongoing professional development and growth.

How To Apply

Interested applicants may send their cover letter and resume to [email protected].   No agencies please.

Curling Canada is compliant with the AODA – Access Ontario Disabilities Act. For access to our policy click here. For feedback on our accessibility please email [email protected].