il Centro has been the home of the Italian-Canadian community in British Columbia for close to fifty years. From our facility on Slocan Street in East Vancouver we run banquet and event space, a restaurant and hospitality operation, museum and library collections, recreation and meeting space, and a year-round program of cultural, educational and community activity. We are a registered non-profit society, member driven, and connected to Italian institutions in Canada and in Italy.

We are now recruiting our next Executive Director. This is an opportunity to shape an organization at a turning point. The Board is advancing facility renewal and long-term site planning, pursuing opportunities to grow and diversify revenue, and modernizing the organization’s systems and operations. We are looking for the executive who will lead that work.

The Executive Director leads an organization with approximately $6 million in annual revenue, 120 employees across hospitality, cultural programming, facilities and administration, and a substantial multi-use facility serving over 500 members and thousands of guests and community participants each year.

THE ROLE

The Executive Director is the chief professional officer of il Centro, reporting to the President on behalf of the Board of Directors. The Board governs and sets direction. You manage the organization, lead the staff and deliver the results.

The role is built around eight areas of accountability, and each year you and the Board will agree on a written scorecard of measurable objectives under them. You will have broad authority to run the organization, and a clear framework against which your performance is assessed.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

- Strategy and Board governance. Turn Board direction into an annual operating plan, and give the Board accurate, timely, decision-ready reporting and professional advice.




- Financial and commercial performance. Own the budget, forecasting and financial results, and drive the performance of every revenue stream, including food and beverage, banquets and rentals, membership, programming, sponsorship and grants.
- People and organizational leadership. Hire, lead, develop and hold accountable a management team and a mixed full-time, part-time and casual workforce, and build a respectful, high-performance culture.
- Programs, culture and community. Deliver programming that serves the mission, and understand both the cultural impact and the economics of every program we run.
- Fundraising and external relations. Personally lead the development of donor, sponsor, grant and government relationships, working in partnership with Board leadership where appropriate.
- Facilities, operations and capital strategy. Maintain the building to a high standard and support the Board through facility renewal and redevelopment, including consultants, government and funding.
- Brand, marketing and growth. Be accountable for the marketing, communications and audience development strategy, with execution delegated to qualified staff and specialists.
- Technology, AI and organizational efficiency. Lead the practical implementation of artificial intelligence and other technologies that reduce administrative workload, improve reporting, strengthen organizational accountability and increase productivity across departments,



supported by appropriate governance, policies and staff training.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

- Significant senior management or executive leadership experience, ideally eight or more years, with meaningful accountability for budgets, staff and operating results, including experience working with or reporting to a board.
- A demonstrated ability to lead organizational change: modernizing systems, establishing accountability, improving processes and bringing staff along through periods of transition.
- Strong financial capability: budgeting, forecasting, reporting, cost control and revenue growth.
- A track record of leading and holding accountable a management team, and of addressing performance and conflict directly.
- Demonstrated fundraising, sponsorship or grant results.
- Practical, hands-on knowledge of artificial intelligence and business technology, with real examples of implementing these tools in an organization and training others to use them.
- Sound judgment on employment, privacy and safety matters, and the discipline to document decisions.
- Excellent written and spoken English, and the presence to represent us publicly.
- Availability to work evenings and weekends as the event calendar requires, and eligibility to work in Canada.

Strongly preferred:

professional working proficiency in spoken and written Italian, and the demonstrated ability to engage credibly with Italian institutions and the Italian-Canadian community. Experience in a cultural, membership or non-profit organization, in hospitality or venue operations, or in capital projects and facility redevelopment, will all be valued.

Pay: $110,000.00-$135,000.00 per year

Perks:

- Dental care
- Extended health care
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- RRSP match

Work Location: In person

📌 Executive Director (Canada)
🏢 Italian Cultural Centre
📍 Canada