Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) one of the world's premier sports and entertainment companies, owns the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL), Toronto Raptors (NBA), Toronto FC (MLS), Toronto Argonauts (CFL), Toronto Marlies (AHL), Raptors 905 (NBA D-League), TFC II (USL) and Raptors Uprising Gaming Club, the Toronto Raptors Esports franchise in the NBA 2K League. Its charitable arm, MLSE Foundation, focuses on funding initiatives to support youth through sport and recreational programs. In 2017 MLSE Foundation, with support of community and corporate partners, built MLSE LaunchPad, a 42,000-sq. ft. space dedicated to programming that support its four Pillars: Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Ready For School and Ready For Work.

MLSE’s common purpose is to unite and empower employees to deliver extraordinary moments to our fans and each other.

Who We Are

We celebrate the diversity, individuality, and personality of our peers, striving to be the best in class, in every class. We believe in Respect, Resilience, Commitment, and Ambition. We work for, with, and around the people that inspire us to try, persist, and achieve more.

Our work goes beyond games, seasons, trophies, and tours. Our success is measured by more than a scoreboard. Our team is stronger when we stand united. We create, we celebrate, we build, and we become better!

What we choose to do next, means everything! It defines greatness, builds character, makes history, and brings the world to its feet.

So, are you in?

About MLSE Launchpad

MLSE LaunchPad is a 42,000 sq. ft. Sport For Development facility where youth facing barriers use sport to recognize and reach their potential. Supported by MLSE’s professional sports teams- the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Argonauts and Toronto FC, it is the first facility of its kind in North America. As a collaborative space promoting social change by leveraging sport, education and research, our programming is focused on four pillars: Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Ready for School and Ready for Work. To learn more visit MLSELaunchPad.org.

Position Summary

You will be leading an upbeat, dynamic and entrepreneurial team that creates opportunities for over 5,000 youth across the GTA to engage in sport every year. This team prides itself on creating the best experience for our participants, and puts our ‘youth first, always’ value at the core of its work.

As Director, Partnerships & Engagement you will be responsible for leading MLSE LaunchPad’s corporate partnerships, brand, content and community engagement portfolios. You will also serve as part of the MLSE LaunchPad’s leadership team to provide strategic direction on building purpose driven partnerships and working alongside MLSE’s brands to enhance impact.

If you have experience leading and developing teams, partnerships and collaborations, and are excited by the opportunity to deepen impact in the community then we think you’ll enjoy the Director, Partnerships & Engagement role.

Your team

Partnerships & Engagement is a team sport. In this role, you’ll have two (2) Managers, reporting directly to you, and by extension leading and supporting a team of six (6) MLSE LaunchPad staff.

What you’ll be doing:

• Contribute as a core member of the MLSE LaunchPad Leadership Team
• Lead fiscal strategy planning for portfolio that contributes to the overall organizational business plan.
• Develop, monitor and administer all aspects of departmental budget, staffing, policies and program logistics that serves both corporate and charitable priorities.
• Report to MLSE LaunchPad Board of Directors on a quarterly basis.
• Make strategic decisions on brand, growth, program scaling, and improvement opportunities.
• Ensure the organizational commitment to equity, diversity & Inclusion is reflected in all programs.
• Recruit, train, coach and lead a diverse team of full-time and hourly programming staff.
• Represent the organization as a presenter at national and international conferences.
• Build, manage and steward purpose driven partnerships.
• Collaborate with MLSE & MLSE Foundation on new funding opportunities to support MLSE LaunchPad operations and growth.
• Build strategic engagement plans to effectively lead and represent corporate partners.
• Work closely with the Research and Evaluation team to ensure key outcomes and results are reported to corporate partners.
• Lead all content and storytelling connected to corporate partnerships using a strengths-based, youth centric approach.
• Remain up-to-date on new research and best practices on purpose driven partnership.
• Lead MLSE Foundation & MLSE LaunchPad’s brand communications strategy.
• Lead the development of MLSE Foundation & MLSE LaunchPad’s brand architecture, positioning and strategy.
• Lead collaborations with MLSE teams and marketing department on community impact content and storytelling.
• Build MLSE Foundation & MLSE LaunchPad’s brand as leaders in Sport For Development.
• Grow MLSE LaunchPad’s impact through important community engagement.
• Lead collaborations with MLSE’s Teams to enhance community impact through programming, experiences and athlete integration.
• Lead MLSE LaunchPad’s community engagement strategy to create meaningful opportunities for youth, parents and communities both in and outside of MLSE LaunchPad.
• Remain up-to-date on best practices for community engagement and key issues and barriers for youth.

You’re a great fit for this job if:

• You have strong experience leading a team.
• You lead by example and are confident turning ideas into actionable strategy. You enjoy supporting, and coaching staff and understand how to operationalize decisions. Your work aligns with all relevant policy and legislation including but not limited to workplace standards and policies, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
• You believe in the power of sport.
• You’re an advocate for the importance of sport engagement in the lives of youth. You’re familiar with our core four sports of basketball, hockey, soccer and/or football, and can imagine and communicates ways in which these activities positively impact young people.
• You have an understanding of core principles in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion:
• You are comfortable applying an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion lens to partnerships and youth engagement initiatives. You have a good understanding of the communities we serve and familiarity with applying anti-oppressive and anti-racist principles to your work. You are committed to engaging in continued learning in these areas.
• You are collaborative.
• You work well in a highly collaborative environment. You are ready to lead and to pitch in. You’re excited to collaborate with partners and participants on projects both big and small.
• You are a clear, confident and thoughtful communicator.
• You have strong verbal and written communication skills. You coach staff towards success, and are comfortable working across partners, participants and community members of varying ages, cultural backgrounds and lived experiences. You engage both internal and external partners in ways that invite their insights and report on work in ways that support transparency and accountability.
• You are a creative problem solver.
• You bring forward exciting ideas for new and impactful partnerships and programming. You can imagine the multiple ways participants engage with a program, and use data and research to support your thinking.
• You are well-organized.
• You create efficient systems that enable you to work quickly, solve problems proactively, and produce exceptional quality work. You’re comfortable managing significant budgets and ensuring alignment with forecasts and expectations. You’re confident using tools like Microsoft office to support your productivity, and are comfortable adapting to changing priorities as needed.

Please apply by: March 28, 2022

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Partnership will provide reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in the job application process. If you have difficulty using our online application system and you need an accommodation due to a disability, please email [email protected]. Please note this email is only for accommodation requests. Resumes sent to this email address will not be considered.