Senior Manager, Program Development

Senior Manager, Program Development

Existing vacancy. No AI used in screening or selection.

Founded in 2011 by His Majesty King Charles III, The King’s Trust Canada (TKTC) is a national charity that helps young people build the skills, networks, and experiences they need to live, learn, and earn. Guided by our values of Teamwork, Respect, Understanding, Support, and Transparency (TRUST), TKTC delivers participant-centered programming and meaningful partnerships that support young people aged 15–24 from primarily underserved communities to access, engage in, and succeed in meaningful economic opportunities.

Reporting to the Director, Programming, the Senior Manager, Program Development provides leadership in the design, development, scaling, and continuous improvement of TKTC’s programming portfolio. This role helps translate research, insights, sector trends, and partner opportunities into innovative, participant-centered learning experiences and scalable program models that advance TKTC’s strategic priorities across educational environments, including secondary and post-secondary contexts, sport-related environments, enterprise and entrepreneurship, employment pathways, and experiential models, including digital-first or hybrid learning products and credentialed or skills-based training frameworks.

As a senior member of the Programming team, the role leads team-based work across community, educational, government, corporate, foundation, and sector partners. The role strengthens program quality, readiness for scale, continuous improvement, and long-term impact through research-informed design, evidence-based decision-making, and inclusive program development

Please Note: This full-time role has a hiring range of $80,000 – $90,000 and includes an employee benefits program and three (3) weeks’ vacation, plus winter closure.

This is a hybrid role requiring three (3) days per week at our downtown Toronto office. Occasional work outside standard hours, including attendance at evening or weekend events, may be required. Occasional travel within the GTA/across Canada may be required.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Design & Innovation

• Lead the end-to-end design of new programming models, curricula, and learning experiences grounded in experiential learning, participant needs, outcomes-based practice, and inclusive design principles.
• Conduct applied research and environmental scans to identify emerging needs, barriers, opportunities, and trends across youth employment, education, entrepreneurship, sport-related environments, and workforce development.
• Develop and pilot future-ready learning models that integrate digital, hybrid, credentialed, and experiential learning opportunities responsive to evolving participant and labour market needs.
• Incorporate co-design methodologies with youth, community organizations, educational institutions, government stakeholders, employers, funders, and sector partners to ensure programming is accessible, relevant, and responsive.
• Embed continuous improvement principles throughout the program design lifecycle, from concept development through implementation and evaluation.

Program Development & Scaling

• Engineer scalable program frameworks, learning tools, implementation models, and operational standards that support consistency, quality, and adaptability across diverse delivery environments.
• Translate program concepts, pilot outcomes, and emerging opportunities into refined programming models that are ready for growth, replication, and partnership delivery.
• Strengthen readiness for scale by developing implementation resources, facilitation guides, quality standards, and delivery supports that enable successful expansion.
• Ensure the quality, inclusivity, and relevance of program materials, learning assets, participant resources, and delivery tools.
• Integrate digital-first, hybrid, and experiential approaches that expand program reach, accessibility, participant engagement, and organizational impact.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL)

• Apply advanced Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) methodologies to program design, scaling, and knowledge transfer.
• Integrate evaluation frameworks and impact findings into program design, participant experience, and long-term employability outcomes.
• Establish documentation systems and repositories that capture key learnings, evidence, and applied insights across pilots and national initiatives.
• Translate data and evaluation findings into actionable recommendations to inform ongoing design and program evolution.
• Cultivate a culture of reflective practice and evidence-based decision making within the Programming team

Capacity Building & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Lead the design and delivery of internal learning opportunities that strengthen staff capacity in program design, facilitation, learning methodologies, and participant engagement.
• Develop facilitation resources, toolkits, templates, and implementation guides that strengthen program quality and consistency across delivery environments.
• Mentor and coach team members in program development practices, design thinking, continuous improvement, and participant-centered approaches.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with colleagues across the organization to align program development activities with operational, partnership, marketing, fundraising, and organizational priorities.
• Foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing practices that strengthen program effectiveness and organizational learning.

Program Strategy & Sector Engagement

• Monitor sector, labour market, educational, and community trends to identify opportunities that inform program priorities, innovation, and strategic growth.
• Collaborate with community, educational, government, corporate, foundation, and sector partners to identify opportunities, develop innovative programming concepts, and strengthen program relevance, responsiveness, and impact.
• Inform the future evolution of TKTC’s programming portfolio by identifying opportunities for innovation, growth, strategic alignment, and emerging participant needs.
• Support the development of presentations, resources, reports, and external materials that communicate program models, learning, and impact.
• Represent TKTC within external networks, events, and sector discussions to strengthen organizational visibility and awareness of emerging opportunities.

General Duties

• Collaborate cross-functionally to advance shared organizational goals, coordinated initiatives, and strategic priorities.
• Prepare reports, presentations, briefing materials, and other documentation to support leadership, planning, and decision-making.
• Represent TKTC externally as an ambassador for our mission, programs, and values.
• Provide oversight to current or future direct reports, interns, students, contractors, or volunteers contributing to the department or organization.
• Support organization-wide events and initiatives, including occasional on-site setup, teardown, coordination, and related logistical support.
• Perform other duties or special projects, as assigned, to support departmental or organizational priorities.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES

Qualifications

• Post-secondary education in education, instructional design, nonprofit management, social innovation, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum 5–7 years of progressive experience in program design, development, innovation, strategy, or related functions within the nonprofit, education, workforce development, youth-serving, or social impact sectors.
• French language skills are an asset.
• Experience developing scalable programs, curricula, learning experiences, implementation models, or participant-centered initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience applying Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) principles to program design, continuous improvement, and organizational learning.
• Experience developing programs in collaboration with community, education, government, corporate, funder, or sector partners.
• Experience developing digital-first, hybrid, experiential, or credentialed learning models is considered an asset.
• Eligibility to work in Canada.

Skills & Attributes

• Strong program design, research, innovation, and continuous improvement capabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively as part of a team, build trust, share knowledge, and support collaborative ways of working across functions and priorities.
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Excellent project management, planning, and organizational skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare reports, presentations, and program materials.
• Strategic and adaptive problem-solving skills with the ability to balance innovation, scalability, and operational realities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), collaboration technologies, learning or program design tools, AI tools, and emerging digital technology.
• Commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and participant-centered practice.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Salary commensurate with experience.
• Lieu-time eligibility for occasional evening and weekend work in support of organizational initiatives or events.
• Comprehensive employee benefits package, including Health / Drug / Dental coverage, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, and STD/LTD benefits.
• Three weeks’ vacation, plus winter closure.
• Paid Time Off (PTO).
• Group RRSP with matching employer contributions.
• Opportunities for professional development and career growth.

HOW TO APPLY

Submit your cover letter and resume in a single PDF to View email address on ca.talent.com. Subject line: “Senior Manager, Program Development”. Applications accepted until Sunday, June 28 at 11:59 EST.

TKTC is committed to inclusive and accessible hiring. We welcome applications from diverse communities, and accommodations are available upon request. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.