Chief Executive Officer
Founded in 2002 and taking on the name CivicAction in 2010, the organization has, for more than two decades, brought together leaders from business, government, and community to drive coordinated action and change across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). Since its inception, CivicAction has activated focused initiatives tackling some of the region’s most intractable issues, including transit, affordable housing, youth employment, and greening Greater Toronto. In collaboration with a network of more than 15,000 co-creators, and through flagship programs such as DiverseCity Fellows, the Emerging Leaders Network (ELN), and the Summit, CivicAction continues to strengthen civic engagement and inspire innovation across the region.
CivicAction is at an exciting stage of evolution, with a vision to scale and grow its reach and impact as it contributes to solutions for some of the GTHA’s most urgent and complex social issues. This moment creates an exceptional opportunity for a visionary leader to shape the organization’s next chapter of civic leadership and impact. It is in this context that CivicAction is seeking a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to guide this pivotal phase of growth and amplify its influence across the region.
Reporting to an engaged Board of Directors, the CEO will provide strategic, operational, and external leadership to ensure CivicAction continues to thrive as a catalyst for collaboration, innovation, and civic impact. The CEO will lead a passionate and skilled team, fostering programs and partnerships that unite diverse stakeholders to drive meaningful and lasting change across the region. As a trusted ambassador and catalyst, the CEO will ensure organizational sustainability, champion innovation and growth in both unrestricted and program funding, and inspire confidence among funders, partners, and the broader civic community.
The CEO will play a central role in revitalizing CivicAction’s brand and reasserting its influence as a trusted and non-partisan convener that sparks dialogue and mobilizes action on the issues shaping the GTHA’s future. This includes reimagining the role of the CivicAction Summit and other convening platforms to strengthen partnerships, broaden reach, and amplify the organization’s voice on critical urban challenges. The CEO will also deepen collaborations with corporate and community leaders and expand the impact of leadership programs such as the Emerging Leaders Network and the Diversecity Fellows. As a leader who can tap into and nurture the rich diversity of our city, the CEO will ensure CivicAction’s work reflects and engages the full breadth of voices and experiences that define the GTHA. A strategist and storyteller, the CEO will articulate a compelling vision for inclusive city-building while turning ideas into measurable outcomes.
As the ideal candidate, you are an inspiring, collaborative, and forward-looking executive with a record of mobilizing people and resources toward shared purpose. You bring proven experience leading complex, purpose-driven organizations, ideally within a cross-sector, civic, or public policy context. You are deeply attuned to the challenges and opportunities facing cities and communities and have the strategic agility to navigate them. You understand the dynamics of fundraising, partnerships, and stakeholder engagement, and you thrive on building trusted relationships across sectors. You are a natural communicator, credible with senior business and public leaders, relatable to community stakeholders, and inspiring to emerging changemakers. You are values-driven, inclusive, and comfortable balancing vision with execution. Above all, you believe in the power of collaboration, collective wisdom, and civic leadership to drive meaningful change.
To apply for this position, please submit your application and related materials to Nick Chambers (nchambers@boyden.com) and Alain Pescador (apescador@boyden.com). Please include “CivicAction CEO” in the subject line of your email.
We thank all applicants for their interest. However, only those under consideration for the role will be contacted.
CivicAction is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and accessible work environment. We welcome applications from individuals who reflect the communities we serve, including Indigenous peoples, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and those from LGBTQ2S+ communities.