Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Reports to: Director, Lead Agency
Employment Status: Full time permanent
Bargaining Unit Status: Excluded
Annual Salary: $72,862.40 – $87,547.20
Language requirements: Full professional proficiency in both English and French
Bona Fide occupational
requirement (BFOR): None
Schedule: Hybrid, Monday to Friday, 40 hours per week
Competition Number: 26-057
Closing Date: July 5th, 2026
Posting Stage: Internal / External
Existing vacancy: Yes
About us:
Founded in 1960, the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa (YSB) is one of the largest and most comprehensive non-profit agencies in Ottawa and a registered charity. It provides mental health services, employment programs, emergency shelter, community, health and housing services, and justice programs to youth in the Ottawa area, serving between 2,500 and 3,000 at‑risk individuals aged 12+ and their families every month. YSB employs 350 caring professionals in a unionized environment in over 21 locations across Ottawa.
Reporting to the Director, Lead Agency, the Child and Youth Mental Health (CYMH) Project Specialist is responsible for championing and driving effective system management for the CYMH system in the Ottawa service area. The role works collaboratively with children, youth, families/caregivers, core service providers, sector partners, the Ministry of Health (MOH), Children’s Mental Health Ontario, and the Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions. The CYMH Project Specialist leads the planning and implementation of complex projects and initiatives, providing project management or project support, analysis, and facilitation. Key responsibilities include supporting continuous quality improvement with service providers and community partners, managing project timelines and resources, preparing and monitoring budgets, contributing to data collection efforts, organizing community consultation activities, and providing regular updates to funders and stakeholders.
What you will do:
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Supports projects and initiatives within the Lead Agency mandate that contribute to system improvements for child and youth mental health
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Leads projects and initiatives, taking independent responsibility for planning and implementation with appropriate support
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Applies an equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and anti-racism lens to all aspects of project planning, implementation, evaluation, and partners engagement
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Partners with children, youth, families, core service providers, sector partners, and MOH to plan and implement local initiatives effectively
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Leads projects from planning through to completion, coordinating resources and stakeholders to achieve successful outcomes
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Facilitates group discussions to advance initiatives, collaboration, problem-solving and achieve shared goals
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Understands and uses appropriate data collection methodologies to collect relevant planning information; and performs basic analyses of quantitative and qualitative data to identify gaps and make recommendations on planning priorities
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Identifies system level continuous improvement opportunities
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Stays current on best practices and methodologies in mental health planning to identify and recommend best planning approach
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Contributes to written communications, including Board of Director reports, presentations, analytical documents, meeting notes and project management tools and reports
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Delivers presentations to partners on initiatives, outcomes, and support engagement
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Performs tasks and assignments as delegated by the Director
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Ensures safe work practices are followed within standards set by the Youth Services Bureau
This opportunity may be right for you if you have:
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Master's degree in a relevant field preferred (e.g., Social Work, Psychology, Public Administration, Health Policy, or a related discipline). A combination of Bachelor's degree and demonstrable experience may be considered in lieu of the Master's degree requirement
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Certification or training in project management, Lean methodology, continuous improvement, and change management is an asset
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Relevant experience managing projects, engaging stakeholders, and building strong collaborative relationships to improve services and systems
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Demonstrated experience, working knowledge, or expertise in child and youth mental health care in administrative and/or clinical contexts. This role requires both project management skills and specialized knowledge of the child and youth mental health sector.
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Demonstrated knowledge of equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, anti-oppression, and anti-racism principles and their application within child and youth mental health systems and community services
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Proven experience managing multiple projects, including planning, implementation, and successful completion.
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Experience in planning child and youth mental health or social services programs, including program development and evaluation – preferred
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Proven experience with facilitation techniques and processes
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Strong diplomatic skills and the ability to work effectively in politically complex environments, balancing competing priorities while maintaining constructive relationships
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Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in a non-profit or community-based social services environment
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Demonstrated knowledge of lean foundation elements, continuous improvement and change management
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Ability to recommend and apply multiple planning methodologies as appropriate
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Demonstrated capacity for handling ambiguity and complexity
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Strong project management skills, including resource coordination, timeline management, and outcome delivery
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Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in service and project delivery
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Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including preparing and delivering reports and presentations
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Full professional proficiency in both English and French
Additional Qualifications:
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Successful applicants will be required to provide a clear Criminal Record Check obtained within the past six (6) months, as a condition of employment with YSB.
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To confirm language proficiency required for this position, successful candidates may be requested to undergo an oral and written assessment conducted by a third-party provider, arranged by YSB. Candidates must meet the minimum required linguistic profile before their employment start date.
Disclaimer: This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be asked to perform other duties as required.
What we offer:
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15 days of annual vacation + 2 personal days;
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100% YSB-paid group health benefits
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Pension plan from Day 1;
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A team where you get to be yourself everyday and where you have the freedom to innovate.
Additional compensation:
This position may qualify for overtime at 1.5 rate after 40 hours worked per week, as determined by YSB polices;
Please be advised that the number of overtime hours is not guaranteed, varies by position and is determined based on each program’s operational needs, YSB policies and Collective Agreement in place.
Join us!
If you think this vacancy is a good fit, we would love to hear from you. Please visit the career section of our website to submit your resume and one-page cover letter. Don’t just tell us what we want to hear, tell us your story and why you would make a great addition to our team.
We know applying to a job takes time and thank all candidates for their interest. While we are not able to get back to every candidate, we will ensure shortlisted applicants are aware of their status and will do our best to provide feedback if that can be helpful. Please be advised that although ADP has embedded AI functions YSB does not use this AI function to make hiring decisions. All recruitment decisions including the screening of applications are made by our hiring team, who review each application with care and consideration. We value the individuality and potential of each applicant and strive to create an inclusive hiring experience. If you have any questions about our recruitment practices, we encourage you to reach out to our Talent Acquisition Coordinator.
At YSB, we are committed to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of our community. We encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, racialized people, people with disabilities, people from the LGBTQ community and/or people with intersectional identities. Accommodation will be made available for applicants with a disability throughout the hiring process, kindly make your needs known in advance.
All interested candidates are encouraged to apply. In the event a qualified candidate is not found, candidates that do not meet the qualifications indicated on the posting may be considered. Qualified candidates may be contacted at any time throughout the application window, upon the closing date.
