Toronto environmental organizations, Leadership

Hiring: Executive Director
Organization: Toronto Environmental Alliance
Location: Toronto, Ontario / Hybrid

Toronto’s leading environmental organization seeks an Executive Director.

Attention non-profit leaders and changemakers: The Toronto Environmental Alliance, a nationally recognized leader at the intersection of local environmental advocacy, social inclusion and well being is recruiting for a new permanent, full-time Executive Director to lead the organization into its next phase.

About TEA:

For over 37 years, TEA has campaigned locally to find solutions to Toronto's urban environmental problems. TEA is a not-for-profit that is recognized Canada-wide for advancing successful municipal policies on climate change, waste reduction, and intersecting issues that are critical to health and well-being of Toronto residents. We work with communities across Toronto to build a greener, healthier, and more equitable city. TEA is a non-partisan organization.

The Opportunity:

TEA is entering an exciting phase of finalizing a strategic plan to guide our work forward. We are seeking a leader who will seize this unique opportunity to work with TEA’s board and staff to shape and implement the future directions of TEA’s work.

TEA is looking for an Executive Director who is passionate about environmental justice and engaging the public in local environmental policy. We wish to hire a leader with significant experience working in the not-for-profit sector or comparable community sectors, who understands how change happens politically and socially.

The Executive Director is a hands-on leader, who manages a staff team, oversees the internal operations of the organization, ensures strategic alignment across projects, and works with the team to develop and execute sustainable and mission-aligned fundraising strategies. The Executive Director cultivates and maintains TEA’s excellent reputation at Toronto City Hall, and builds relationships with supporters, partners, donors and funders.

Applying a strong equity analysis and intersectional approach, along with prudent non-profit leadership, the Executive Director is responsible for the following areas of work:

Strategy, leadership and organizational development

• Lead the development and execution of TEA’s external-facing work, impactful environmental and social justice campaigns and communications, in collaboration with the staff team.
• Work with the Board to finalize TEA’s new Strategic Plan which will set the direction of the organization for success in a rapidly changing economic and political environment.
• Develop donor and grant based fundraising strategies that will build and maintain relationships that contribute to organizational sustainability.
• Maintain and expand TEA’s leadership within the broader network of agencies and groups in the environmental advocacy ecosystem.

Fundraising and financial planning

• Ensure TEA has effective strategies in place to achieve its annual fundraising targets and grow diverse revenue streams, including individual giving and institutional and philanthropic grants.
• Lead TEA’s annual planning and budgeting process, and support the staff team to develop and monitor quarterly work-plans.
• Manage organizational finances, oversee TEA’s annual audit, and ensure compliance with government not-for-profit requirements.

People-management, operations and governance

• Lead TEA’s staff team of 8 campaigns, communications, and finance personnel, and provide direction, coaching, and performance evaluation to direct reports.
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the organization in line with TEA’s goals, strategies, policies and procedures, and develop and maintain workflows, project management and decision-making processes.
• Support the work of the Board of Directors, by providing regular, open communication, and working collaboratively to develop and implement organizational policies and procedures.
• Support a healthy and dynamic working environment for all team members.

Partnerships and External Relations

• Oversee TEA’s communications strategy across all areas of work, the development and stewardship of strategic partnerships and relationships with ally organizations, community groups, funders and decision-makers.
• Represent the organization externally as a primary media spokesperson at City Hall, external forums and meetings, and making public presentations.
• Proactively seek opportunities for TEA to support and stand in solidarity, with Indigenous nations, organizations and community members, trade unions, and equity-owed residents in advocating for environmental justice.

About you

The ideal candidate will demonstrate a combination of the following competencies and qualifications:

Competencies:

• Ability to deliver on goals and provide leadership in a complex, multi-stakeholder non-profit environment.
• The necessary knowledge to deliver on the job responsibilities, and the judgement to seek new knowledge when they need it.
• Strong analytical skills and experience bridging strategic goals with operational and tactical execution.
• A collaborative, respectful, and adaptable leadership style.
• Works comfortably with technology and has experience with cloud-solutions, electronic workflows and virtual collaboration as part of a “hybrid” organization with staff sometimes working remotely and off-site.
• Compelling communication, with excellent, audience-appropriate oral and written skills.
• Strategic thinking; excellent judgment and political acuity.
• Excellent record keeping, financial management, organizational and time management skills including the ability to set priorities and balance competing deadlines and pressures.
• Demonstrated commitment to environmental justice, social justice and equity.

Qualifications:

• Significant experience (at least five years) in a management role in the not-for-profit or trade-union environment.
• Direct, relevant experience with advocacy, municipal government relations, and strong knowledge of government policy-making processes.
• Directly relevant skill and experience in human resources, non-profit finance, governance and compliance.
• Excellent track record of building collaborative and reciprocal partnerships with community organizations and grassroots groups across sectors.
• Demonstrated track record of fundraising to achieve annual targets and donor/funder stewardship through philanthropic and public-sector grants and individual giving programs.
• Post-secondary degree in at least one of the following disciplines: environmental studies, environmental sciences, political science, not-for-profit management, communications, equity studies, or a related discipline (or equivalent lived and professional experience).

Terms and Conditions of Employment

TEA offers competitive, non-profit compensation. This is a full-time position with a starting salary of $104,000 per annum plus benefits.

TEA provides health benefits and generous vacation and paid holiday provisions including a December office closure between Dec 25th and Jan 1st.

The Executive Director will have flexibility to work both in office and remotely. In-office attendance (depending on operational needs) at TEA’s office near Queen and Spadina is a requirement of the position. The Executive Director will also be required to attend on-site meetings at Toronto City Hall as well as with funders and stakeholders across the Greater Toronto Area on a regular basis. Given the local focus of the organization and the on-site requirements for the role, the Executive Director is required to reside within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

The position requires regular evening and occasional weekend work.

TEA is filling an upcoming vacancy

How to apply

Review of applications will begin on February 19, 2026 and continue until the position is filled.

To apply, please upload a cover letter and resume by completing the application form at this link. https://forms.gle/BZGrEBkVnxSJKyU79. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and early applications are encouraged.

Please mention you saw this at GoodWork.ca.

TEA is committed to providing accommodation for applicants at any stage of the application and hiring process upon request by contacting chair@torontoenvironment.org .

TEA is committed to employment equity. We encourage Indigenous people, Black people / people of African descent, racialized people, people with disabilities, people who identify as 2SLGBTQI+, non-binary people and women, to apply. Applicants are encouraged to self-identify their equity-owed identities in their application and/or via email to support us in recognizing the inclusion of diverse identities in our hiring process.

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

TEA does not use Artificial Intelligence tools in its recruitment process.