Job Description

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:

Director of Advancement & Operations (6-12 months)

Position Title:

Director of Advancement & Operations

Location:

Lycee Francais de Toronto, 2327 Dufferin St, ON (Dufferin & Eglinton)

Employment Type:

Full-time

Duration:

6-12 months contract with potential for permanent role

Schedule

: 37.5 hours per week on site####

About the school

The Lycee Francais de Toronto (LFT) is a Toronto private school offering a rich French education to students from preschool through high school. We pride ourselves on delivering a rigorous academic curriculum that integrates the best of French and Canadian educational traditions.


At LFT, we are committed to fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and supportive school environment where students are encouraged to excel academically, socially, and personally. Mental health and well-being are core pillars of our students' success. We are dedicated to providing holistic support for our diverse community of learners.


We are seeking a compassionate and dedicated

Director of Advancement & Operations

to join our school-based team.

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Position Overview:

Provide strategic leadership across Admissions, Marketing & Communications, Fundraising/Advancement, and Capital project planning. Oversee HR and legal compliance in coordination with our existing teams. Strengthen student recruitment and retention, elevate the school's visibility and positioning, and support long-term financial sustainability (including preparation for a major capital campaign).
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Key Responsibilities:

1. Admissions & Enrollment Strategy

Develop and execute a comprehensive admissions strategy, including open houses, presence at private school fairs, testing protocols, and admissions processes.

Lead family engagement initiatives to attract, inform, and convert prospective families. Oversee exit interviews and retention interviews to identify areas of improvement and support retention efforts.Ensure staff participation and ownership in admissions activities to reinforce a community-wide recruitment culture.

2. Marketing & Communications (MarComm)

Oversee website design, content, and user experience, aligning it with admissions and community engagement goals. Design processes for effective communication with staff, students and parents, ensuring clarity, accessibility, and consistency. Create and implement a cohesive social media strategy to enhance LFT's visibility and brand reputation. Develop strategies for student orientation and university transition/orientation support.

3. Yearly Fundraising Scope

Develop and implement an annual fundraising plan aligned with LFT's strategic priorities. Cultivate, solicit, and steward donors, sponsors, and grantmakers (in Canada and in France) to strengthen recurring revenue streams. Oversee donor communications, acknowledgements, and recognition programs. Support annual fundraising event and campaigns, ensuring clear goals, budgets, and outcomes.

Track fundraising performance against targets and provide regular reports to the Board Strengthen alumni and parent engagement as part of the donor pipeline.

4. Preparation of a Potential Capital Campaign

Build a robust prospect pipeline, focusing on major donors, foundations, and corporate partners. Coordinate campaign materials (prospectus, brochures, digital content) with consistent messaging and brand alignment. Establish governance structures for the campaign (steering committee, campaign cabinet, volunteer roles). Ensure readiness of systems for gift tracking, pledge management, and donor stewardship to ensure transparency and accountability. Advise on campaign launch strategy, including a quiet phase and public launch.

5. Legal & Compliance

Accreditation: Support the CAIS accreditation process by coordinating documentation, ensuring compliance, and aligning communications with accreditation standards. Provide oversight on contractual agreements, ensuring alignment with LFT's mission and compliance with Canadian and French legal requirements. Liaise with external legal counsel as needed to mitigate risk and ensure best practices in governance. Ensure policies and procedures are up to date and legally compliant.

6. Human Resources

Ensure fair, consistent, and legally compliant practices across recruitment, onboarding, and employee relations.

Support performance management processes,and professional development planning Collaborate with the Head of School and Board to ensure HR policies align with LFT's values, strategy, and compliance standards.

7. Deliverables

Admissions strategy and annual recruitment plan, with metrics for conversion and retention. Social media and web strategy with content calendar and implementation roadmap. Communication process design for students and parents. Yearly Fundraising: Delivery of an annual fundraising plan with clear targets, donor engagement activities, campaign execution, and progress reports to the Board of Directors Capital Campaign Preparation: Delivery of a comprehensive campaign framework, including a robust prospect pipeline, coordinated campaign materials, governance structures, systems for gift tracking and stewardship, and a launch strategy (quiet and public phases). Interim and final reports to the Head of School/Board on progress against objectives.

8. Qualifications & Competencies

The Interim Director must be fluent in both French and English to engage effectively with all stakeholders and campaign materials. Have 10+ years of experience in leadership positions Demonstrated experience in school development, marketing, fundraising, related strategic leadership roles. Strong knowledge of admissions processes and parent/community engagement. Proven ability to secure grants and lead fundraising campaigns including knowledge of capital campaigns. Experience in stakeholder engagement, including government and educational institutions. Strategic thinker with excellent communication, networking, and organizational skills.
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What We Offer:

Competitive compensation A supportive and collaborative school community Free parking Community events

Lycee Francais de Toronto is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment.