Manager, Program Development

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

35

Union:

No

Work Shift:

Remote Type:

Duration:

December 16, 2026-

Job Description:

This is a full-time non-union position scheduled to work 35 hours per week

Reporting to the Chief Program Officer, the Manager, Program Development will work within the Program and Proposal Development and Grants Lifecycle Management function.

The Manager, Program Development is responsible for developing fundable program models and preparing compelling grant proposals, funding renewals, and procurement responses. In alignment with established program development and revenue-generation priorities, the Manager oversees the full funding lifecycle, ensuring submissions are compliant, competitive, accurate, and delivered on time.

The position leads the development of fundable program solutions that secure resources, strengthen service delivery, and advance COSTI’s organizational impact across the communities it serves.

The Manager, Program Development, plays a critical role in advancing COSTI's mission by developing winning grant proposals, collaborating with internal and external resources to coordinate their timely inputs, contributing to and supporting the agency's program development and government funding strategy.

This position contributes to the development of the program model, the design of new and renewed programs, oversees the full lifecycle of the agency’s response to Requests for Proposals (RFPs), develops compelling grant narratives, and manages the staff and processes that turn community need and program evidence into fundable, implementation-ready proposals.

This position writes the proposals for new grant opportunities and renewals on existing funding and it carries formal management accountability: it supervises program development staff and/or contract writers, has advisory input on the program model, contributes to the proposal strategy, prioritization, and program design recommendations brought by the team and Chief Program Officer.

This role contributes to the development of government funding strategy, uses information from needs assessments to inform program design, develops working relationships with municipal, regional, provincial and federal partners, and ensuring grant compliance and reporting integrity across the funding lifecycle.

The Manager, Program Development exercises independent judgment and decision-making authority in evaluating funding opportunities, interpreting procurement requirements, approving proposal strategies, and directing the staff and resources needed to strengthen and diversify the agency's funding portfolio.

This role reports to the Chief Program Officer (CPO). The candidate is based in Toronto and able to travel between COSTI offices as required.

Direct reports: Program Coordinator(s)/Proposal Writer(s), and contract or consultant proposal writers engaged for peak submission periods.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree; a graduate degree in a related field is an asset.

• Minimum five (5) years of experience in nonprofit grant proposal writing and program development, including at least two (2) years in a supervisory, team-lead, or people-management capacity

• Exceptional writing skills with the ability to translate program impact into compelling narratives for a variety of audiences.

• Experience with writing proposals for government grantors including IRCC, City of Toronto, and Ontario Health Team.

• Demonstrated experience managing multiple deadlines and complex proposal and reporting schedules across a team.

• Experience with public-sector procurement processes, including preparation of organizational responses to Requests for Proposals (RFPs).

• Demonstrated experience designing or developing nonprofit, settlement, employment, community, or human-service programs from concept through proposal, approval, implementation planning, or renewal.

• Strong understanding of program design methods, including needs assessment, environmental scanning, service-gap analysis, logic models, outcomes frameworks, and evaluation planning.

• Ability to use qualitative and quantitative data, research, community input, and program performance information to shape fundable program models and evidence-informed proposals.

• Financial literacy is sufficient to develop accurate proposal budgets, staffing assumptions, cost models, unit costs, in-kind contributions, and sustainability considerations, and to manage a functional operating budget.

• Commitment to serving the community with cultural humility and culturally responsive practices.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting to and advising senior leadership.

• High level of integrity, organization, follow-through, and sound judgment, including the ability to make and stand behind independent decisions.

• Demonstrated experience directly supervising staff and/or contractors: setting goals, assigning and prioritizing work, coaching, and conducting performance reviews.

• Ability to represent COSTI with public agency partners, funders, community stakeholders, Board members, and external partners.

• Ability to meet required screening and criminal record clearance requirements.

• Valid driver's license, reliable transportation, and compliance with organizational vehicle and insurance requirements, where applicable.

• Experience facilitating and directing collaborative planning with program leaders, partners, funders, evaluators, data teams, and operational stakeholders in a multi-program nonprofit environment.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Management

• Directly supervise Program Coordinator, Administrative positions, and contract writers: assign and prioritize work, set performance goals, coach, and conduct performance reviews.

• Contribute to the decision-making authority over proposal strategy, program-design recommendations, and prioritization of competing funding opportunities, escalating only significant risks or resource conflicts to the CPO.

• Lead and manage the program development function's operating budget, including staff time allocation, contract/consultant writer engagement, and cost-benchmarking research.

• Champions a high-performing program development team: establish workflows, quality standards, templates, and tools for proposal development, program design, and reporting.

• Represent the program development function on agency leadership/management tables and cross-departmental planning committees.

Funding Strategy, Compliance & Proposal Development

• Monitor municipal, regional, provincial, federal, and other government funding portals to identify upcoming RFPs, RFQs, and grant opportunities aligned with organizational priorities.

• Advise and make recommendations regarding funding opportunities, risks, compliance requirements, and strategic considerations.

• Collaborate with program leadership to participate in strategic discussions with government partners and funders regarding program outcomes, service needs, improvement opportunities, and future funding prospects.

• Track grant requirements, deliverables, contract obligations, and reporting deadlines across the team's portfolio.

• Automate the full grant proposal process from pipeline to execution using project management technology and including schedules, notifications/alerts, audit trail to ensure an efficient and effective process.

• Assign and oversee proposal-development tasks across internal subject matter experts, direct reports, and stakeholders, and hold the team accountable for quality and deadlines.

• Interpret grant requirements, regulations, procurement rules, and funding guidelines, and direct the team's compliance response.

• Develop, implement, and maintain processes that ensure compliance with grant obligations and reporting requirements.

• Monitor awarded grants and contracts and advise leadership regarding performance outcomes, renewal opportunities, and funding sustainability. Follow up on unsuccessful funding submissions to solicit feedback and identify opportunities to strengthen future applications.

• Lead and coordinate proposal development for new programs and renewal opportunities, including preparation of narratives, program descriptions, outcomes, evaluations, logic models, and supporting documentation.

• Serve as a strategic resource to executive leadership by researching program development opportunities, emerging funding trends, and potential funders.

• Maintain awareness of sector trends, government priorities, and best practices through active participation in relevant professional and industry associations.

• Direct contract administration and reporting activities to ensure expenditures and program performance remain aligned with funding requirements.

• Develop and maintain relationships with funders, government representatives, community partners, and external stakeholders to strengthen funding opportunities and organizational visibility.

• Ensure proposals align with existing programs and services while identifying potential extensions of programs and services that strengthen the continuum of care for COSTI clients.

• Ensure proper costing of funding opportunities, including background research on relevant websites to identify comparable programs, services, pricing models, and cost benchmarks.

• Coordinate and actively manage a proactive program renewal schedule, identifying required partner inputs, contributions, approvals, and signoffs, and maintaining timely notifications and alerts to support on-time submissions and renewal readiness.

Program Design & Evaluation

• Works collaboratively with team to develop a program development strategy in alignment with the strategic plan and including inputs such as needs assessments, environmental scans, and service-gap analyses to identify new program models, priority populations, geographic opportunities, and funder-aligned service innovations.

• Works collaboratively with the team to translate community needs, program evidence, outcome data, and stakeholder input into fundable program concepts, implementation plans, service models, and proposal-ready designs.

• Supports and contributes to the development of logic models in collaboration with the General Manager, Program Performance and Impact,

• Develops theories of change, performance indicators, evaluation frameworks, and outcome-measurement approaches that demonstrate program impact and support funder reporting.

• Facilitates and directs cross-functional program design sessions with program, finance, data, evaluation, operations, and partnership leads to ensure proposed services are feasible, costed, measurable, and implementation-ready.

• Prepares and finalizes concept notes, briefing materials, program charters, implementation workplans, and decision documents that support executive review, funder engagement, and internal go/no-go decisions.

SALARY RANGE:  $75,000 - $88,000 per annum plus benefits  

We currently do not use artificial intelligence or automated systems to screen or evaluate job applications.

Pay Range:

COSTI encourages applications from individuals reflecting the diversity of our community. COSTI is committed to fair and accessible employment practices and when requested, will make reasonable effort to accommodate people with disabilities during the recruitment and assessment processes when filling positions.