Empower students to make their schools and communities safer, more equitable, and inclusive.

The Federation of Canadian Secondary Students / Fédération des élèves du secondaire au Canada (FCSS-FESC) is an entirely non-partisan youth-led charity that aims to inform, educate, and ultimately empower high school students to foster social justice initiatives in their schools and local communities.

We use a mutual aid model where students are at the centre of our programs and initiatives. We encourage students to challenge systems of power that perpetuate social disadvantage and actively ground our work in an anti-oppressive and intersectional framework. 

The Executive Director serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the FCSS-FESC and should have knowledge of the Federation's programs, services, and operations. The Executive Director is responsible for day-to-day leadership, management of the Federation's operations, programmes, human resources, finances, communications, and public relations and should have working knowledge of these areas.

Candidates should be strong leaders with efficient time management skills in order to effectively manage the organization and its programmes and services. As a registered charity, the FCSS-FESC is subject to regulations under the Income Tax Act, Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, and Canada Revenue Agency guidelines. As such, candidates should have at minimum working knowledge of these regulatory structures.

Candidates should also have a firm understanding of the existing problems in education and how the organization's programmes and services address these barriers, which include mental health, equity and accessibility, utility, post-secondary transition support, and empowerment for self-advocacy.

Basic Eligibility Requirements

• Be an individual (i.e., not a corporation, society, or agency);

• Be a resident of Canada (i.e., a Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident of Canada, or a person granted refugee protection under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act);

• Be a resident of the province of Ontario;

• Be enrolled in an Ontario publicly funded school board (i.e., public non-denominational or public Catholic) in either English or French;

• Be entering grades 10, 11, 12, or 13 in September 2025;

• Not have been declared incapable by a court in Canada or in another country; and

• Not be in bankrupt status.

A strong candidate for the position of Executive Director does not need to possess all of these attributes. A willingness to learn new skills, acquire knowledge, and openness to new experiences is all that is required of applicants. The below sections highlight important attributes for the position of Executive Director but candidates are not expected to have acquired or mastered them at the time of application.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of leadership and management principles as they relate to non-profit/charitable organizations
• Knowledge of federal and provincial legislation applicable to voluntary sector organizations including: employment standards, human rights, occupational health and safety, charities, taxation, etc.
• Knowledge of current community challenges and opportunities relating to the mission of the organization
• Knowledge of human resources management
• Knowledge of financial management
• Knowledge of project management

Skills

• Adaptability: Demonstrate a willingness to be flexible, versatile and/or tolerant in a changing work environment while maintaining effectiveness and efficiency
• Behave Ethically: Understand ethical behaviour and business practices, and ensure that own behaviour and the behaviour of others is consistent with these standards and aligns with the values of the organization
• Build Relationships: Establish and maintain positive working relationships with others, both internally and externally, to achieve the goals of the organization
• Communicate Effectively: Speak, listen and write in a clear, thorough and timely manner using appropriate and effective communication tools and techniques
• Creativity/Innovation: Develop new and unique ways to improve operations of the organization and to create new opportunities
• Foster Teamwork: Work cooperatively and effectively with others to set goals, resolve problems, and make decisions that enhance organizational effectiveness
• Lead: Positively influence others to achieve results that are in the best interest of the organization
• Make Decisions: Assess situations to determine the importance, urgency and risks, and make clear decisions which are timely and in the best interests of the organization

Experience

• Interactions with different parts of the Canadian education system at the national, provincial, district/school board, and local school levels
• Understanding of the organization’s programmes, services, and mission
• Past involvement with the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association (OSTA-AECO) or the Minister’s Student Advisory Council (MSAC)
• Past experience with youth-led organizations and not-for-profit groups, as well as charities
• Involvement with equity-related organizations including social activism, advocacy, and social justice groups
• Knowledge of budget preparation, bookkeeping, grant writing, and effective time management in leadership roles

• Work location: remote/from home
  • Note: some occasional travel to Toronto and Ottawa may occasionally be required when required for FCSS-FESC purposes
• Term: 2025–2026 academic year (1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026)
• Hours: 10-12 hours per week (average)
• Compensation: An honorarium of $4,340.00 (less taxes and deductions) may be paid after successful completion of the term, dependent on available funding at the time
• Deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. EDT on 21 April 2024

Equity Statement

At the FCSS-FESC, we are committed to building and fostering an environment where our Members, volunteers, and staff feel included, valued, and heard. Our belief is that a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion enables us to make our student advocacy work and services better for everyone. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, Black and other racialized people, people with disabilities, people from gender and sexually diverse communities, linguistic minorities in their respective province/territory, and/or people with intersectional identities.