Community Leader (Executive Director)

L’Arche is an organization in which people with and without intellectual disabilities share life together, rooted in relationships, belonging, dignity, and the belief that every person has gifts to offer. We live, work, and learn together in our 30 communities across Canada. Founded in 1964, L'Arche strives to shape a more human and just society where each person’s gifts are known and celebrated. Position: Community Leader (Executive Director) Location: Wolfville, Nova Scotia Term: Permanent Salary: Commensurate with experience Hours: Full Time (40 hours per week) Responsible to: L’Arche Homefires Board and L’Arche Canada Regional Director L’Arche Homefires is a diverse, dynamic, and busy community based in Wolfville and the surrounding Annapolis Valley. Through our homes, programs, and supported independent living, people with and without intellectual disabilities share daily life, build meaningful relationships, and contribute to the wider community. We are looking for a strong, compassionate, and grounded Community Leader who can lead Homefires into its next chapter. This is a significant leadership role. We need someone who understands that good leadership requires clarity, consistency, calmness, listening, collaboration, accountability, and follow-through. Our community is looking for someone who can hold the bigger picture while remaining genuinely connected to the people who make up our community. We want someone who can listen carefully, make hard decisions, support others to lead, address difficult issues when necessary, and get things done. Above all, we are looking for a leader who will keep core members at the centre of Homefires and who genuinely wants to be part of community life. About the Role: The Community Leader provides overall leadership for L’Arche Homefires and is responsible for ensuring that our mission, values, commitments to core members, and organizational responsibilities are lived consistently across the community. The Community Leader works closely with the Senior Leadership Team, Board of Directors, Regional Leader, core members, assistants, families and guardians, employees, government partners, and the wider L’Arche Federation. This role combines community leadership with executive responsibility. The successful candidate must be equally comfortable spending time in our homes and programs, listening to core members and assistants, supporting leaders, reviewing budgets and organizational priorities, working with the Board, managing change, and representing Homefires externally. The Community Leader does not need to personally make every decision or manage every operational detail. They do need to ensure that the right people have clear authority, expectations, resources, support, and accountability, and that important matters are followed through. W hat We Need and Want From Our Community Leader Our community has been very clear about the kind of leadership it wants. We are looking for someone who: Keeps core members at the centre, making decisions with core members and ensuring their choices, dignity, relationships, safety, and wellbeing remain central to the work of Homefires. Is present and involved, spending meaningful time in our homes and programs, participating in community life, and getting to know every core member, including those who communicate in different ways. Is authentic and approachable, enjoys people, listens carefully, builds trust, and is willing to work alongside others rather than leading from a distance. Provides strong and competent leadership, understanding that a healthy L’Arche community also requires sound financial management, effective operations, strong people leadership, appropriate systems, and regulatory compliance. Communicates clearly, honestly, and consistently, ensuring people know what they need to know, understand decisions that affect them, and can trust that commitments will be followed through. Listens and remains open to feedback, including being able to say when they do not know something, ask for help, learn, admit mistakes, and accept the same accountability expected of others. Supports without micromanaging, giving leaders clear responsibilities and authority while providing regular supervision, practical support, coaching, and accountability. Is fair and courageous, able to address difficult behaviour, resolve problems, manage conflict, and make decisions based on what is right for the community rather than what is easiest or most popular. Brings people together, strengthening relationships between our homes, programs, office, families, Board, wider community, and the broader L’Arche movement. Sets and protects the culture of Homefires, recognising that culture is shaped not only by what leaders say, but also by what they allow to continue. Provides stability, with a genuine desire to invest in Homefires for the longer term and remain alongside the community through periods of celebration, growth, challenge, and change. Finds joy in community life, spending time with people because relationships and belonging matter, not simply because being present is part of the role. Brings vision, energy, and hope, helping Homefires continue to rediscover and strengthen its joy, spirituality, community life, and sense of direction. Major Duties and Responsibilities Community, Mission, and Core Members Lead Homefires in living the Identity, Mission, and values of L’Arche in practical, everyday ways. Ensure core members are listened to, respected, and meaningfully involved in decisions affecting their lives and the community. Maintain a visible and genuine presence across Homefires' homes, programs, gatherings, and community activities. Foster a welcoming, inclusive community rooted in mutual relationships, belonging, celebration, and respect. Support meaningful community traditions, celebrations, spirituality, reflection, and opportunities for people to come together. Ensure high standards of support, health, wellbeing, dignity, choice, and inclusion for core members. Build positive and respectful relationships with families and guardians and ensure they are appropriately included and informed. Leadership and People Lead, support, and develop the Senior Leadership Team, providing clear expectations, regular supervision, coaching, and accountability. Build a leadership culture in which authority is appropriately delegated and people are trusted to make decisions within their roles. Ensure leaders and employees receive the training, support, feedback, and development required to perform their roles well. Foster healthy communication and collaboration across homes, programs, departments, and leadership levels. Address performance concerns, difficult behaviour, conflict, or unhealthy workplace dynamics promptly, fairly, and respectfully. Support succession planning and the continued development of future leaders within Homefires. Foster a culture in which questions are welcomed, mistakes are learned from, and people are encouraged to grow. Organizational Leadership and Operations Ensure Homefires has effective structures, systems, policies, procedures, and resources to support the community and meet its responsibilities. Maintain oversight of the quality and effectiveness of homes, programs, and services. Ensure organizational priorities are clear, realistic, communicated, and followed through. Lead change in a thoughtful and organized way, ensuring people understand what is changing, why it is changing, and what is expected of them. Ensure applicable government requirements, licensing expectations, health and safety standards, policies, and legal responsibilities are understood and met. Promote continuous improvement, identifying areas where Homefires can strengthen its practices and ensuring agreed actions are completed. Maintain strong relationships with relevant government departments, regulators, community partners, and professional services. Financial and Resource Stewardship Maintain overall accountability for the financial health and sustainability of L’Arche Homefires. Work closely with the Board, Finance team, and other leaders on budgeting, financial planning, reporting, and responsible resource allocation. Ensure organizational resources are used effectively in support of core members, community life, employees, programs, and strategic priorities. Support fundraising, grant opportunities, donor relationships, and longer-term sustainability initiatives. Ensure Homefires' buildings, vehicles, equipment, and other assets are appropriately maintained and planned for. Board, L’Arche, and External Relationships Be accountable to and work collaboratively with the L’Arche Homefires Board of Directors. Provide the Board with clear, timely, and accurate information to support good governance and decision-making. Maintain an effective working relationship with the Board Chair and L’Arche Canada Regional Leadership. The Board and Community Leader are responsible to understand and ensure compliance with the L’Arche Canada Membership Agreement. Represent Homefires with government, funders, donors, community organizations, families, and other stakeholders. Participate actively in regional and national L’Arche life and maintain strong connections with the wider L’Arche Federation. Advocate for the dignity, inclusion, rights, and valued contribution of people with intellectual disabilities within the wider community. Qualifications and Experience: We recognize that strong candidates may come to this role through different professional and life experiences. Previous L’Arche experience is an asset, but it is not essential. We are looking for someone who can demonstrate: Significant leadership experience, ideally within a community, non-profit, human services, disability support, healthcare, or similarly complex organization. Experience leading and developing a diverse team of leaders and employees. Strong judgement and the ability to make thoughtful decisions, including difficult decisions when required. Experience managing organizational operations, priorities, systems, and change. Sound financial understanding, including experience with budgets, financial reporting, and responsible resource management. Strong communication skills, including the ability to listen well, communicate difficult information clearly, and build trust. Experience working collaboratively with a Board, senior leadership team, government, community partners, or other stakeholders. An understanding of person-centred support and the rights, dignity, choices, and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, or a strong commitment to learning. The ability to remain calm, thoughtful, and effective during periods of uncertainty, pressure, or crisis. The ability to organize priorities, delegate effectively, meet commitments, and follow things through to completion. Comfort addressing conflict, accountability, performance concerns, and challenging interpersonal situations. Openness to feedback, personal reflection, learning, and continued growth. A genuine desire to build relationships and participate in the life of the Homefires community. Alignment with the mission, identity, and values of L’Arche. About Wolfville and L’Arche Homefires L’Arche Homefires is located in and around Wolfville, Nova Scotia, in the Annapolis Valley. Homefires is an established and active community with residential homes, supported independent living, programs, community activities, employees, volunteers, families, friends, and strong connections throughout the local area. This is not a leadership role that can be lived primarily from an office or from a distance. The Community Leader will be expected to be present across the community while also having the space and perspective necessary to provide strong executive leadership. For the right person, this is an opportunity to lead a community with a rich history, deeply committed people, significant strengths, and a genuine desire to grow, learn, reconnect, and move forward together. How to Apply: Please submit your résumé together with a cover letter describing why you are interested in leading L’Arche Homefires and what you believe you would bring to this community, to Coryn Stehouwer, Regional Director: <[email hidden]>. L’Arche demonstrates that with friendship, belonging, and the opportunity to contribute their gifts, people with intellectual disabilities flourish and their lives make a difference. They take a variety of valued roles – employees, volunteers, leaders, artists, teachers, friends, and family – contributing to the lives of their families, friends and communities.