Department Service Programs

Reports to Group Head and EVP, e-mental Health Transformation & Clinical Services

Job type 12 month contract, Hybrid 2-3 days per week

Posting period 2025-09-10

The opportunity Are you motivated by the chance to help ensure all young people in Canada can access mental health support and Feel Out Loud? Kids Help Phone (KHP) is Canada’s Unlock The Hope Youth Charity. We’re the first and only 24/7 e-mental health service in the country and a global leader in innovation for youth and their well-being.

We’re looking for a full-time, 12-month team member to join our Service Programs team in a hybrid role (two days per week in the office) to help give more young people’s feelings a place to go. Reporting to the Group Head and EVP, e-mental Health Transformation & Clinical Services,the successful candidate is responsible for the consistent achievement of portfolios’ goals and strategy. Their primary mandate is to ensure the growth and scalability of both, current and new Applied Research activities.

The Executive Director will be a core member of the KHP Innovation and Applied Research Accelerator for Youth Mental Health (AcceleratorKHP), working closely with the ED, Technology and Data and ED, Innovation and Product as well as the Head of Product, Head of Innovation Operations and Sr. Director Technology and Implementation. The Executive Director will also liaise regularly with KHP’s clinical leadership to ensure research and evaluation are being leveraged in all clinical practices. Additionally, this role requires a deep knowledge about all aspects of applied research from developing and testing AI/ML research models that inform product prototypes and services to working with partners to generate evidence to answer immediate and long-term research questions. It’ll take courage, collaboration, innovation, resilience and trust.

If you’re interested in transforming e-mental health solutions with KHP, you can explore this opportunity today!

The Responsibilities Applied Research

• Lead 1-2 projects applying co-design principles to develop digital tools and interventions (including ML models and Generative AI products) that improve mental health access and outcomes for youth and frontline workers, while evaluating their effectiveness
• Leverage KHP’s datasets to design, conduct, and execute on 3-4 retrospective analyses that improve the effectiveness, equity, and impact of KHP’s services and programs
• Lead planning and execution of a national datathon, with academic collaborators

Thought Leadership & Knowledge Translation

• Support implementation of KHP’s Thought Leadership Strategy, including submitting 3 conference abstracts, publishing 2 peer reviewed journals, and representing KHP at key events.

Partnership & Service Innovation

• Cultivate and strengthen current partnerships across academic institutions and build 2 new partnerships within academia, healthcare, and technology, collaborating with KHP legal and privacy advisors as needed
• Collaborate with product and clinical teams to validate and refine services based on evidence, logic models, and evaluation questions.
• Liaise with KHP IT and data teams as needed to set up technical environments to support partnerships and projects

Funding & Operational Management

• Pursue research funding through leading grant writing for Tri council, governmental and foundation funding
• Manage portfolio budgets, monitor KPIs, and report on performance to variety of stakeholders including KHP board, executive leadership, and funders.

Organizational Leadership

• Lead in alignment with KHP’s values and IDEA strategies.
• Provide co-supervision to 3-4 postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate students
• Oversee change management, stakeholder engagement, and communication of research outcomes.

The Qualifications

• PHD in a relevant discipline is required.
• 8+ years’ experience in applied research, including AI/ML model development and large dataset analysis; youth mental health experience an asset.
• Proven track record in academic collaboration, knowledge translation, and scaling new programs.
• Strong leadership, communication, and presentation skills; ability to simplify complex concepts.
• Experience managing budgets, KPIs, and cross-functional teams.
• Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Bilingualism (English/French) is a strong asset.

Don’t meet every qualification listed? Studies often report equity-deserving people are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every requirement. KHP is dedicated to building a more diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role, but your experience doesn’t align with every qualification, we welcome you to apply anyway. You may have the qualifications / experience for this role or other opportunities at KHP!

The application process To apply for this opportunity, you can tap the “Apply” button on this page and follow the on-screen instructions.

About KHP, Canada’s Unlock The Hope Youth Charity KHP is Canada’s first and only free, multilingual and confidential e-mental health service that’s always open, offering youth from coast to coast to coast support and a non-judgmental space to Feel Out Loud. Since 1989, KHP has been the empowering, trusted changemaker that helps give young people’s feelings a place to go through unparalleled e-mental health solutions. With innovation in our DNA, KHP integrates data, technology, clinical expertise and more to help deliver a personalized well-being experience for all youth, so they can thrive in their world, no matter where life takes them. For more information and opportunities to help young people let their feelings out, you can visit KidsHelpPhone.ca .

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) KHP has a role to play in effecting social change and advancing equity. This is why the practice of IDEA is critical to us. KHP has a long history of celebrating and advancing IDEA through our tailored programs, services, policies, initiatives and task forces with contributions and leadership from teams across the organization. We will not waver on these commitments and will continue leading the way in making the workplace, and the world young people live in, more inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible.

We believe it’s critical that our services empower everyone who interacts with us to bring their authentic selves to an environment of mutual respect. An open and diverse community can foster the inclusion and amplification of voices that have been, and continue to be, underrepresented.

As such, we welcome applicants from equity-deserving communities (e.g. [ST1] Indigenous Peoples, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women, 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, etc.). We strongly believe that alleviating the underrepresentation of equity-deserving groups will help create a stronger KHP and help us better support the needs of youth from coast to coast to coast.

To learn more about how we are committed to advancing IDEA, you can explore KHP’s IDEA 2023–2027 Strategy and Action Plan .

Accommodations KHP welcomes applications from people living with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request during any phase of the application / hiring process. If you’re contacted about an opportunity, you can reply and let us know if you require accommodations at any time.

Compensation And Benefits Salaries at KHP are determined by candidate experience, qualifications and specific skill sets, as well as market and operational considerations. Potential additional benefits at KHP include:

• Hybrid work model
• Comprehensive Employee Benefits Program
• Emergency Travel Assistance
• CAAT Pension Plan
• Wellness programs
• Recognition awards
• Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)

Candidate verification The successful candidate for this opportunity will be asked to complete a background screen, which may include criminal, credit, employment and educational checks. All offers of employment are conditional on the receipt of satisfactory results of any applicable check.

Privacy KHP cares about your privacy! We’re required to save select information about opportunities, applications and interviews for set periods of time. To learn more, you can explore KHP’s Privacy Policy or contact us using our general form .

Message to agencies KHP doesn’t accept unsolicited phone calls, referrals and / or resumes from any source other than directly from candidates. KHP won’t consider unsolicited phone 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 unsolicited referrals and / or resumes by anyone other than a candidate directly to KHP is deemed gratuitous. KHP won’t 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.