Manager, Customer Support in Toronto

Recognized as one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures, the Ontario Trillium Foundation is also one of Canada’s largest granting foundations and an agency of the Government of Ontario. With a budget of over $100 million, the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) awards grants to some 700 projects every year to build healthy and vibrant Ontario communities.

Reporting to the Director, Granting Operations, the Manager, Customer Support oversees outstanding customer service in the delivery of OTF’s Granting programs. The Manager is responsible for having a sound understanding of stream guidelines and granting policies, processes, and procedures. Ensuring effective and efficient standards are met is key to this role, as is oversight to providing granting information in a clear, concise, and transparent manner. Oversight includes full responsibility for the OTF Support Centre, including oversight of its general functionality and a team of customer-facing Program Administrators. The Manager will work collaboratively to deliver granting streams and to operationalize the OTF Business Plan.

What Can I Expect to do in this Role?

• Leads collaboratively within the department and across the organization to ensure accurate and clear delivery of stream, process, and policy information in proactive and reactive situations and to deliver a high level of customer service.
• Oversees and analyzes daily Support Centre metrics to ensure effective resource planning and to maximize the productivity of all available support center resources.
• Guides policy interpretation, from time to time handling escalated program enquiries, and ensuring that staff implement granting procedures consistently and in accordance with the established policies.
• Collaborates on department direction and planning.
• Develops and implements strategies for ensuring excellent customer service including timely delivery of regular support webinars.
• Understands business risk and puts in place sustainable measures to mitigate identified concerns while ensuring accountable and accessible granting.
• Champions the strategic direction of the Foundation.
• Provides strategic advice to the Director, Granting Operations on customer service and Support Centre trends.
• Effectively manages changes on an ongoing basis.
• Provides input and information as required to internal and corporate reports and requests.

Talent Management

• Managing a high performing team, works collaboratively with Granting Directors and other department leads to successfully deliver OTF granting.
• Works independently to oversee the Support Centre team.
• Supports the Granting department and customer Support Centre to provide efficient, effective services and excellent customer service.
• Provides ongoing guidance, feedback, recognition, and coaching to Support Centre staff.
• Supports development opportunities for the Support Centre team.
• Engages direct reports in performance discussions using the OTF performance management tools.
• Conducts semi-annual performance reviews with direct reports.
• Supports the development and maintenance of a strong team.
• Encourages appropriate professional development and learning for staff.

Skills and Attributes

• Management and supervisory skills with the ability to provide guidance and direction to staff team and external contractors as appropriate.
• Excellent understanding of OTF’s granting guidelines, policies, and processes.
• Understands and maneuvers the complexities and opportunities of a grantmaking support centre.
• Analytical, problem solving and organizational abilities.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Sound judgment and ability to make appropriate decisions independently.
• Ability to maintain a positive and collaborative approach amongst team members.
• Ability to generate a high level of performance, both personally and on the part of others, and to find and solicit ways of working more efficiently and effectively, including provision of performance feedback.
• Ability to collaborate in a changing environment.
• A "digital first" mindset to enable efficient business processes using technology.

Core Competencies

• Accountability, Excellence & Agility.
• Create a Vision for the Future.
• Nurture Growth.
• Lead Change.
• Be Decisive.

How Do I Qualify?

• Post-secondary degree in a relevant discipline.
• Five to seven years’ progressive and relevant experience or an acceptable equivalent in education and experience, including supervisory, Call Center and customer service experience.
• Experience with CRM.
• Experience working within a high-performance culture.
• Experience handling unpredictable and tricky customer calls.
• Experience building and managing teams in a dynamic environment.
• Experience managing a geographically dispersed team.
• Experience with decision-making and managing change.
• Knowledge of/experience with the diversity of OTF’s clientele and stakeholder groups.
• Bilingualism English/French is an asset.

How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility

We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions. Learn more about the work OTF is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace: OTF is committed to accommodating applicants with disabilities throughout the hiring process, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). This job posting falls under the Public Service of Ontario Act, 2006. The use of AI is not used to screen, assess, or select applicants. While we thank all applicants for their interest, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.