25 Oct
Kids Help Phone
Toronto
Job Title: Senior Director, Head of Innovation Operations
Department: Innovation and Data
Reports To: Vice President, Innovation and Data
Salary: $115,000 to $155,000
Job Type: Permanent Full-Time
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Hybrid Position 2-3 days in-office
Job Posting Closing Date: November 6th, 2024 11:59PM
Our Story
Young people consistently tell us that they aren’t taken seriously when it comes to their mental health. They’re told to “toughen up.” Half of our service users say that if they hadn’t reached KHP’s services, they would have ignored the issue or hoped it went away. We are seeing an emerging trend where young people are seeking help outside of clinical services,
like asking ChatGPT “what should I do?”. Mental health data is siloed, old, or from an institutional setting like a hospital or a school and so applied research relies on data that doesn’t represent young people in their everyday lives. These are the major factors that have contributed to the growing mental health crisis in Canada and these are the things that we are focused on solving.
A 13-year-old who is having panic attacks because they are being bullied at school shouldn’t have to know how to describe their new feelings or exactly where to go for help. We have developed an ML model that can translate youth language into a clinical context so young people can describe their feelings in their own words and get personalized recommendations to the right service for their needs, identity, no experience necessary. Our dream is to build personalized recommendations to clinical services into platforms where young people already spend their time – social media, gaming, school, etc.
Imagine that same 13-year-old coping by scrolling or watching videos on their go-to platform and our personalized recommendations meet them where they are to unlock the hope they need to thrive in their world.
On the other side of that interaction is our frontline staff – the heroes who answer the phone or the text in the middle of the night when young people have no where else to go. The irony is that the people on the frontlines are last in line for new technology. They are forced to use technology that was designed for sales or customer service agents. We have invested in purpose-built technology that meets the unique needs of a helpline so that administrative tasks are automated and counsellors can stay focused on their clinical expertise in high risk conversations.
Our dataset is one of a kind.
It represents young people in their everyday lives, reaching out to our services from the bus seat, the bathroom stall, or under the covers in their bedroom. Our Data Hub holds more than 21M interactions since the start of 2020, more than 45M messages from service interactions, 40K+ resources and referrals across Canada, and more than 1M de-identified transcripts that are labeled by both frontline staff and service users. This data is stored in a modern data lake house to support the development of AI/ML models, dashboards, and insights reports. We have set up the dream state for applied research.
Transformational innovation within the charity sector is rare. It requires a unique combination of factors – support from the CEO and the Board of Directors, dedicated funding,
a scalable data infrastructure, a wide range of services, trust with your users, and momentum. KHP is the only youth mental health organization in the world that isn’t missing any of these key factors.
The status quo is not working for young people or for frontline staff. The Mental Health sector needs disruption. It has to be us. It has to be KHP.
Position Overview
This role will lead the development and execution of the innovation strategy for Kids Help Phone, driving user-focused innovation that will transform the future of mental health for young people and our frontline staff. This role reports directly to the VP Innovation & Data and works closely with the Head of Product and the Data Team.
Under your leadership,
our team will inspire collaborators in the innovation and tech sectors to solve the biggest challenges in mental health. As a leader, you will contribute to the culture of innovation internally at KHP by setting the tone for data-driven results and measurable impact within your first 90 days while building relationships with internal stakeholders so that the value of our innovation practices are clear to everyone across the organization. You will be empowered to create opportunities to celebrate wins and show off our work physically in our Toronto office space and through our acceleratorKHP microsite.
Lead Service Innovation: Drive the development of new services and enhancements to existing services from ideation to launch, using human-centered design principles in collaboration with clinical and service operations.
Collaborate Across Functions: Lead cross-functional communications and change management processes to ensure stakeholders are invested and informed throughout the design and launch of new services.
Business Model Innovation: Work with CEO, Executive Team and VP, Innovation to drive the creation of new business models that leverage our assets and data to create impact and potential opportunities for revenue generation.
Co-create with Youth: Engage directly with young people and other stakeholders to create solutions that address their evolving needs in the mental health and wellness ecosystem.
Partner and Stakeholder Management: Collaborate with partners in innovation, academia, healthcare,
and technology sectors leveraging resources and partnership frameworks that are mutually beneficial (in-kind, fee for service, joint venture, SaaS, etc). Ensure that all departments internally are aligned with goals and strategy, fostering a unified approach to business objectives. Work with partners, vendors, marketing, fundraising, and IT, to ensure alignment and effective communication throughout the innovation and design lifecycle.
Champion Data: Leverage our extensive dataset to inform and shape service offerings and innovations.
Influence Product Design: Collaborate with Head of Product and product development vendors to ensure that new services are scalable and user-friendly, incorporating feedback from user testing and UX design.
Lead Contract Negotiations:
Ensure compliance and successful outcomes in contract negotiations with research and technology partners.
C-level Briefings and Presentations: Prepare briefing notes for the CEO and Board, and deliver presentations at conferences, Board meetings, and to C-level partners.
Qualifications
- Experience: At least 5 years of experience in innovation operations where you've solved complex problems using analytical, data-driven, and technology-enabled solutions. Management consulting or strategic roles in a startup or related field are considered relevant experience.
- Track Record: Proven success in working with product or engineering teams/vendors to deliver technology solutions emerging from service innovation sprints and business insights.
- Partnerships: Demonstrated ability to manage partnerships across various sectors, including tech, academia, government, and more.
- Data-Driven: High level of data literacy, with experience using quantitative and qualitative data to build, evolve, and evaluate services over time.
- Leadership: Experience leading cross-functional teams to execute high-impact projects with a focus on solution-oriented action and strong problem-solving skills.
- Communication: A natural storyteller who can translate complex concepts into simple, understandable language for diverse audiences.
- Autonomous: Comfortable dealing with ambiguity and working independently with minimal guidance.
- Education: Bachelor's degree in business, a design-related field, or psychology is preferred, along with expert proficiency in using innovation management software.
Our Commitment To You
We want to help our employees build a secure future for themselves and their loved ones. As an employee, you have access to a defined benefit pension through the CAAT Pension Plan that provides you with a predictable lifetime retirement income, survivor benefits, early retirement options without the stress of managing it yourself and making investment decisions.
Additional Benefits
- Accidental Death Insurance
- Hybrid Work Model
- Life Insurance
- Wellness Programs
- Pension Plan
- Flex Time
- Employee Family Assistance Program
- Health Care
- Dental Care
- Vision Care
- Emergency Travel Assistance
Inside Our World
It is an exciting time at Kids Help Phone. We are on a transformational journey, one that will reshape the landscape of youth mental health in Canada.
In March 2023, we launched Feel Out Loud, a historic, national movement anchored by a fundraising campaign with a goal of raising $300 million by the end of 2024 to reach young people in every corner of Canada with expanded access to e-mental health services.
We’re adding to our innovative fundraising team who will help fuel this mission. If the thought of making a positive impact on the mental health of young people in Canada inspires you, this could be for you.
The Small Print
The above is not an exhaustive list of duties and you may be asked to perform different tasks as necessitated by your changing role and the overall business objectives of Kids Help Phone. Don’t meet every single qualification and requirement? Studies have shown that women and racialized people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Kids Help Phone we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role, but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles that our organization is recruiting for.
Accommodation Statement
Kids Help Phone welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities, as such reasonable accommodations are available upon request from a candidate with a disability, thus ensuring you can take part in all aspects of the recruitment and selection process. If, as a qualified job applicant, you make an accommodation request, we will consult with you and provide reasonable accommodation according to your accessibility needs. If you wish to make a request for accommodation, please provide details in your cover letter when applying for this position.
Background Check
The successful candidate to this role will be asked to complete a background screen, which may include criminal, credit, employment, educational checks and/or COVID 19 vaccination checks. All offers of employment are conditional on the receipt of satisfactory results of any applicable check.
Statement On I.D.E.A.
Kids Help Phone provides services in one of the most diverse countries in the world. The diversity of our communities takes many forms. It includes differences related, amongst others to race, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity, gender expression and presentation, sexual orientation, religion, age, ability, and socioeconomic status. We see diversity as an asset to our organization and communities and strive to be reflective of the communities that we serve. We commit ourselves to promoting better understanding and appreciation of our human diversity; a commitment which is best realized through our individual and collective effort.
We are professionally and personally committed to celebrating the rich diversity, equity and inclusion of people who work in our company, to those who live in our communities, and to those who access our services and resources. We believe that it is critical that our services empower freedom of thought and opinion in an environment of mutual respect. All our activities and interactions are enriched by accepting each other as we are and by celebrating our uniqueness as well as our commonality. We are guided by the principle that celebrating diversity, equity and inclusion enriches and empowers the lives of all people.
Message To Agencies
Kids Help Phone does not accept unsolicited telephone calls, referrals or resumes from any source other than directly from candidates. Kids Help Phone will not consider unsolicited telephone calls, referrals and/or resumes from vendors including and without limitation, search firms, staffing agencies, fee-based referral services and recruiting agencies. The submission of referrals or resumes by anyone other than a candidate directly to Kids Help Phone is not welcome. Unsolicited referrals and resumes sent to Kids Help Phone will be deemed gratuitous, and Kids Help Phone will not be obligated or bound in any way to pay a referral or any other fee if a person referred to us from a source other than a direct candidate is subsequently hired.