National Director, Canada - Right To Play

Job Title: National Director, Canada

Location: Toronto, Canada (Only candidates who are eligible to work legally without work visa sponsorship in Canada will be considered.)

Contract Type: Full-time (40 hours per week), Permanent

Hiring Salary: CAD 149,741 – 179,690 per annum (before taxes, commensurate with experience)

Target Start Date: As soon as possible

Application Closing Date: September 6, 2026 23:59 EDT - Please note that we will begin reviewing applications on a rolling basis from late August.

This job advert is for an existing vacancy.

About Right To Play:

For more than 25 years, Right To Play has been protecting, educating, and empowering millions of children each year to rise above adversity through the power of play. 

We offer programs in 13 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and North America, reaching millions of children each year in some of the most difficult places on earth, helping them to stay in school and learn, overcome prejudice, heal from trauma, and develop the skills they need to thrive. We do this by harnessing play, one of the most fundamental forces in a child's life, to teach children the critical skills they need to dismantle barriers and embrace opportunities, in learning and in life.

This work is supported by our two global offices in Toronto, Canada and London, UK; and seven National Offices in North America and Europe. 

Benefits Highlights: 

• Connect and collaborate with a global team who are passionate about protecting, educating and empowering children and youth using the power of play!
• Culture premised on our Culture Code (accept everyone, make things happen, display courage, demonstrate care, and be playful)
• Paid leaves (20 days annual leaves, 3 personal days per year)
• Competitive benefits such as medical and health insurance, group RRSP plan, and gym membership
• Learning opportunities and 5 learning and development (L&D) days per year
• More information on what we offer is available on our website.

Application Method:

Apply with your resume and cover letter in English via the application link: https://righttoplay.hiringplatform.ca/246038-national-director-canada/1118890-application-form/en

Please note that we will begin reviewing applications on a rolling basis from late August, you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. 

Right To Play provides equal employment opportunities to employees regardless of their gender, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation or marital status. We strongly encourage groups who have been historically disadvantaged with respect to employment to apply for positions at Right To Play. 

As part of our selection process, final candidates will be required to complete security checks and Vulnerable Sector Check or equivalent criminal record check as a condition of the offer. More details about our recruitment process are available here. Safeguarding information is available here. 

As part of our recruitment and selection process, Right To Play uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) - assisted tools to support the assessment of candidates or applications. This may include but not limited to generating and editing of job adverts, assessment and interview questions, scheduling, translation, transcription, note taking, etc. Our Applicant Tracking System (ATS), VidCruiter, also use AI-powered ChatBot to answer candidates' enquiries. These tools are used only to assist human reviewers in evaluation and do not make selection or screening decisions. All hiring decisions are made by human reviewers. All AI-assisted processes comply with applicable privacy and data protection regulations, including GDPR and PIPEDA. For more information, please refer to RTP AI Policy and our Best Practice: Use of AI in Recruitment.

We value and promote a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We are committed to providing accommodations to candidates with disabilities during the recruitment and selection process, and thereafter. Please reach out to the People & Culture team by email at careers@righttoplay.com. All information provided will be treated as confidential and used only to provide an accessible candidate experience.

Job Description:

Purpose: 

The National Director leads Right To Play’s office in Canada. The role will grow revenue across major donors, corporates, foundations, institutional, and mass-market channels, ensuring outstanding stewardship, team leadership, and strategic fundraising for Right To Play. The position reports to the Chief Development Officer and works the primary staff partner to the Canadian Advisory Board.

Accountability & Responsibilities:

Fundraising and Development (60%)

• Lead a fundraising team to achieve annual and multi-year revenue goals for the Canadian National Office with accountability for achieving revenue targets for both global and Indigenous Program funding targets. 
• Lead efforts to identify and secure major gifts and grants from corporates, foundations, government (for Indigenous Programs) and mid- and major donors, including both restricted (grant) funding and unrestricted funding. 
• Coordinate with the Global Partnerships team on their efforts to manage and grow our Global Affairs Canada grant portfolio
• Oversee donor stewardship ensuring high-quality supporter and donor experience.
• Serve as the relationship lead for key major donors and partners.
• Develop and execute fundraising campaigns and events.

Board Engagement, Management and Stewardship (10%)

• Steward and grow the Canadian Advisory Board.
• Cultivate a diverse pipeline of potential board prospects that bring diversity in expertise to the board.
• Support succession planning for key board positions.
• In partnership with the chair, organize Board Meetings, including committee meetings, by setting agenda and developing Board materials.
• Cultivate and steward all Board Members individually and as a group to build giving and engagement to the highest levels; as well as manage their donor referral networks, ensuring positive fundraising results

Strategy and Planning (10%)

• Create a sustainable fundraising strategy, including both channel and segment strategies/approaches.
• Refresh and implement the Canadian fundraising strategy and create corresponding annual operational plans and revenue and expense budgets. Oversee and report on their execution through regular reporting and forecasting processes.
• Maintain market knowledge, serving as the chief source for fundraising risks, trends, and opportunities in your market. 
• Contribute to global strategy development, offering a fundraising and development lens to global and functional strategies.

Marketing, Communications, and Brand Building (10%)

• In partnership with Right To Play’s global CEO, support organizational representation.
• Enhance RTP's brand in Canada by coordinating strategic communications activities and cultivating relationships, with media and other stakeholders, to position RTP as a leader in children’s learning and wellbeing
• Implement mass market fundraising (digital and traditional) and ambassador strategies.
• Perform other duties as assigned. 

Leadership (10%)

• Oversee operations and adhere to local legal requirements across all aspects of operations.
• Attract, retain, motivate and lead a small team of dedicated, hardworking professionals to support the goals of the organization
• Manage the national office resources and operations efficiently and effectively ensuring the best use of resources 
• Serve on Right To Play’s Global Leadership Team.
• Contribute to the advancement of Right To Play’s fundraising efforts by proactively contributing learnings and best practices to peers in other National Office.

Scope (geographical and/or functional), Impact and Autonomy

The National Director leads Right To Play’s Canada’s fundraising operations with dual accountability to Right To Play International and the Advisory Board. 

Leadership and Staff management

Direct leadership of a team of fundraising professionals. Responsible for recruitment, development, performance management, and fostering a high-performing team culture.

Information requirement for decision-making

The incumbent needs access to donor databases, market research, fundraising trends, and financial reports and must analyze data trends, forecast revenue, and adapt strategy accordingly using both established and new approaches. The incumbent can rely on information from the global strategy, brand guidance, programmatic information and fundraising models developed in peer offices.

Innovation and Improvements

Expected to introduce both tested and innovative fundraising strategies and operational models for revenue growth and market expansion, with major strategic shifts requiring board and international management approval.

Relationships & Communications: Internal / External:

Internal: Global Leadership Team, National Offices, HQ teams, Country Office team members where there are NO-led grants.
External: High degree of communication and engagement with board members, major donors, corporate/foundation partners, media, consultants, government officials, peer INGOs.

Expertise (Certifications / Education, Professional Experience/Language)

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Marketing, Management, or related field (Master's preferred).
• 10 years’ experience in fundraising, business development, or NGO/international development sectors.
• Strategic planning, advanced communication, relationship management, major donor stewardship, proficiency in CRM systems and MS Office.
• Fluent English speaker and writer.

Core Competences 

• Collaboration: Builds strong, respectful relationships internally and externally.
• Growth Mindset: Seeks continuous improvement and innovation; results oriented
• Resilience: Adapts to challenges and recovers quickly from setbacks.
• Professionalism: Maintains high ethical standards and accountability
• Management and Interpersonal Skills: Leads diverse teams effectively, inspires performance, and fosters an inclusive culture.

Additional Requirements:

Required to travel domestically and internationally (up to 20%). Flexibility to work occasional evenings or weekends as required.