Vancouver Athletic Football Club (VAFC) is one of Vancouver’s largest and most successful community sports organizations – offering both recreational and high performance soccer programs to over 3,000 youth and 150 adult players. Vancouver Athletic FC was founded in 2013 as the amalgamation of three youth soccer clubs: Douglas Park Soccer Club, Grandview Legion Football Club (founded in 1952), and Vancouver Girls Soccer Club. VAFC also partners and works closely with TSS Rovers for our high performance programs.
VAFC offers inclusive programming for soccer at all skill levels and has some of the highest participation rates of girls and grassroots programming within Vancouver. In addition, with our extended partnership with TSS Rovers, we are the only club in Vancouver to offer a complete high performance pathway from U3 to BCSPL and BC League 1. With over 700+ volunteers, we have an engaged volunteer community supported by our technical and administrative team. Programs run year around with a focus on the Fall/Winter and Spring league season in addition to development programs.
The Board is seeking an inspirational, visionary and experienced leader to join us as our Executive Director to help expand our programming excellence and implement our strategic plans. The position is full-time and is based in Vancouver.
The Executive Director serves as the spokesperson for the organization and is responsible for the overall management, operational success, sustainability, and implementation of the Board strategic plan for VAFC. The successful applicant will report directly to the Board of Directors (BOD), work closely with our Technical Director and our program partners, and operate within the constitution, bylaws, guidelines and policies of VAFC.
Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Managing Risk & Operational Effectiveness: oversees club resources including financial management, staff & stakeholders (ie. staff, volunteers, members, officials) and facilities. Leads the organization through continual improvement and growth, providing quality programs and ensuring future viability.
- Strategic Leadership & Governance: works collaboratively with the BOD to execute VAFC’s strategic plan. Establish an annual business development plan in collaboration with the BOD that delivers on the goals and objectives of the strategic plan. Provide transparent, timely reporting to the BOD on organizational performance, risks and opportunities. Ensure the organization operates in compliance with relevant policies, regulations, and agreements. Facilitate BOD meetings providing the necessary materials and information for the BOD to make effective, strategic decisions.
- Club Alignment: aligns VAFC committees, resources and membership to ensure that operational and strategic goals are delivered within budget. Provides advice on strategic direction, interpretation of rules, procedures and guidelines as set out by the leagues we participate in, with BC Soccer and with the Canada Soccer Association.
- Employee Leadership: develops organizational structure, oversees all aspects of talent management from attraction/hiring, development, definition of roles/responsibilities, performance management, and succession planning and recognition. Schedules and actively participates in regular team planning/ strategy sessions with follow up and execution of planned activities. Establishes regular routines with club staff to focus on key activities. Fosters a positive, inclusive and collaborative organizational culture.
- Community: be present in the community, uphold club values and promote club brand. Build/maintain an external network in support of the club in the local marketplace.
- Communication: ensures effective communication with all club members, community partners and government/non-government groups. Oversees marketing, sponsorship/fundraising and public relations.
Qualifications/skills:
- Post-secondary education and a minimum 5-years of senior management experience in a related field. Proven leadership experience in a non-profit, community, or sport organization required.
- Knowledge, prior involvement and love of the game essential
- Knowledge of Federal and Provincial legislation for not-for-profit societies
- Experience in creating and managing large operating expense budgets and business administration
- Experience in creating strategic plans, setting goals, action plans and delivering against strategic plans
- Not-for-profit and/or Board experience is an asset
Key attributes:
- Collaborative: able to collaborate with diverse work groups and teams to achieve best results
Integrity: acts with complete integrity, living the values of VAFC - Decisiveness: able to make timely, important decisions, set direction and implement
- Managerial competence: experience of managing an organization and/or running a business. High degree of organizational skills required
- Leadership: able to inspire others, enhance organizational performance and the vision to develop strategic goals. Acts as a role model and leads with a growth mindset. Earn engagement and inspire greatness through your personal example
- Relationship building: able to establish and maintain a variety of strong relationships with Board, employees, volunteers, vendors, sponsors, etc.
- Communication: able to passionately communicate at various levels; strong written, verbal and presentation skills required
- Accountability: high level of accountability to self and others
Salary and Benefits
Salary will be in the range of $120,000 – $160,000, paid bi-weekly, depending on experience. Cell phone allowance and administrative expenses are included. Vacation will be 4 weeks paid leave. The successful candidate will be expected to work at home during core hours in addition to those occasional tasks that require field visits or in person meetings with Board, staff, or other stakeholders.
How to apply:
Send cover letter and resume to: humanresources@vafc.ca no later than July 6, 2025. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and will be subject to a criminal record check. Applicants must currently be legally entitled to work in Canada in order to fulfill commitments of this position.
VAFC is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming workplace. We strongly encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, abilities, identities, and experiences.