Manager Homelessness Initiatives (Refugee Response)

Position Details

• Location: Toronto
• Job Type & Duration: Full-Time, Permanent
• Hours of Work: 35 Hours, Monday to Friday
• Work Location: Metro Hall, 55 John St. Toronto, ON
• Department: Shelter & Support Services, Refugee Response
• Posting Period: 2026-09-02 to 2026-09-18

The Refugee Response Section within the Toronto Shelter & Support Services (TSSS) Division is the service system manager of all refugee-specific shelter programs of the City of Toronto, and is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic approaches and policies to enhance homelessness services for refugee populations, including establishment of a dedicated refugee service system and related interjurisdictional partnerships.

Reporting to the Director, Refugee Response (RR) and working in close consultation with the Management Team as well as the broader Toronto shelter services sector, the Manager, Homelessness Initiatives for the Refugee Response Operations unit provides leadership and oversight of the City of Toronto’s refugee-specific emergency shelters, including oversight of contracting, budgeting and reporting. Through monitoring performance indicators, addressing barriers to housing, and working collaboratively with partners across multiple sectors, you will contribute to improved housing outcomes for refugee shelter users at an individual and system level, while also ensuring stability of the system during times of high demand.

In this role, you will ground your work in the development and implementation of processes that will facilitate implementation of Council-approved operational measures while working closely with other senior team members to ensure a sustainable and resilient refugee shelter system is in place. You will implement performance indicators, monitor and assess system-level housing outcomes to ensure appropriate program delivery and accountability and to measure program effectiveness.

Additional Major Responsibilities Include

• Leads a team responsible for the oversight and operational effectiveness of refugee-specific emergency shelters and related services delivered by City-funded community agencies.
• Identifies emerging trends, service gaps, and opportunities for improvement, providing strategic direction and support to shelter operators, agencies, and community partners.
• Oversees the implementation of operational measures, case management practices, and housing-focused strategies to improve outcomes for refugee shelter clients.
• Develops and executes communication, consultation, and change management strategies to support service improvements and stakeholder engagement.
• Builds and maintains collaborative relationships with community organizations, service providers, government partners, advisory groups, and other stakeholders to address refugee homelessness and shelter-related issues.
• Leads strategic and operational planning, service transformation, and continuous improvement initiatives aligned with Divisional priorities.
• Manages, motivates, and develops staff, fostering a high-performance, collaborative, and innovative work environment.
• Oversees employee relations, performance management, occupational health and safety, and workforce development activities for unionized and non-unionized staff, ensuring compliance with City policies, collective agreements, and applicable legislation.
• Promotes employee well-being by working with internal and external partners to identify and address workplace challenges and barriers.
• Develops, administers, and monitors program budgets, ensuring financial accountability and alignment with approved funding allocations.

Key Qualifications

• Considerable experience leading, managing, coaching, and motivating a diverse workforce in a social/human services environment, promoting and fostering healthy, safe and inclusive workplace culture, ensuring effective teamwork, providing resolution to issues, handling labour relations matters and resolving conflicts within unionized environment ensuring high standards of work quality and organizational performance, continuous learning and encouraging innovation in others.
• Considerable experience in the operation of large-scale emergency, front-line human service delivery.
• Considerable experience related to strategic and operational planning and implementation, change management that includes leading large scale transformational change initiatives utilizing effective management strategies and action planning to facilitate service delivery improvements. Experience working on refugee issues is an asset.
• Considerable experience in developing and implementing innovative programs and improving service delivery in a social or human services environment, preferably focusing on refugee clients, by conducting business process reviews and/or operational service reviews and making appropriate recommendations for improvements.
• Post-secondary education in a relevant professional discipline, i.e. Public or Business Administration, Social Services or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Considerable experience establishing and maintaining partnerships with internal and external partners, including diverse community agencies, to ensure program success.
• Considerable experience in the development and management of operating budgets.
• Lived experience and/or experience working with equity seeking groups (e.g. newcomers, refugees and Black communities) would be an asset.
• Ability to manage partnerships, maintaining positive effective working relationships with strong ability to influence coupled with political acuity.
• Ability to initiate, lead and implement proactive and progressive change to facilitate operational improvements.
• Superior written and oral communication skills, with an ability to communicate with a broad range of stakeholders including community leaders and groups, senior City staff, clients, political representatives, and partners.