Chief Executive Officer

Position: Chief Executive Officer

• Mandate: The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight to advance the Organization’s mission and vision by guiding operations, ensuring legal and fiscal compliance, fostering an inclusive and high-performing culture, supporting and developing the Leadership Team, and maintaining accountability and transparent communication with the Board of Directors and key stakeholders.
• Term: One year, renewable up to two consecutive years, commencing August 1 of the year they are appointed until July 31 of the following year. At this point, the incumbent CEO may seek to renew their position for an additional year following a performance review from the Board of Directors in consultation with the Leadership Team (formerly the “Executive Council” or “EC”)
• Reports to: Board of Directors
• Direct reports: Chief Operating Officer (COO) & Leadership Team President
• Time commitment: 15+ hours per week
• Honorarium: $8,000 in two instalments of $4,000 (once per academic term)

Mission

OSTA-AECO empowers and advocates for the students of Ontario and provides rich, tailored professional development to student trustees across the province so that they are well-equipped to represent the needs of their local communities.

Role and Responsibilities

• • Develop, implement, and refine the Organization’s mission and vision with the Board of Directors.
  • Identify and develop strategies that achieve short- and long-term organizational objectives.
  • Build a highly inclusive culture to ensure the organization thrives.
  • Advise the COO and the Leadership Team President as needed.
  • Advise the Leadership Team if requested by the COO or the Leadership Team President
  • Sit on the Board of Directors as a voting member and participate on Board committees as required.
  • Provide the Board of Directors with strategic updates and maintain open communication within the organization.
  • Oversee operations and business activities to ensure they produce results consistent with the organization’s overall strategy and mission.
  • Ensure the Organization adheres to legal guidelines and in-house policies, including filing all legal and regulatory documents in compliance with laws and regulations.
  • Build and maintain strategic alliances and partnerships with other organizations and industry professionals.
  • Oversee and advise the COO regarding Education Interest Group, Advocacy Interest Group, and departmental
  • Provide ongoing professional development for the Leadership Team alongside the COO.

The successful candidate will be required to attend OSTA-AECO’s three annual conferences, as well as any onsite professional development sessions.

Eligibility

Any applicant for the CEO must: 

• Be an OSTA-AECO alum who completed their Student Trustee term with a school board in Ontario.

• Have completed their term as a Student Trustee at least one year before the term of the CEO begins.

• Be the age of majority by the commencement of their term on August 1.

Qualifications

This is an extraordinary opportunity for an individual passionate about OSTA-AECO’s mission and with a track record of board and community leadership. Selected candidates will have achieved leadership stature in business, government, philanthropy, or the nonprofit sector. Their accomplishments will allow them to attract other well-qualified, high-performing Directors. Only former student trustees in the province of Ontario are eligible to apply.

OSTA-AECO is an equal-opportunity organization committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage people with lived experiences as members of Indigenous, Black, or equity-seeking groups to apply. Disability-related accommodations during the application process are available upon request.

Ideal candidates will have the following required skills:

• Ability to make informed decisions while balancing and mitigating a variety of risks
• Experience leading diverse teams and managing individuals with varying skills and capabilities.
• Ability to motivate, organize, and respond to employees and volunteers of many different areas of expertise
• Strong business acumen
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Strong conflict management skills
• Strong organizational and time-management skills
• Ability to adapt to changing environments
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills
• Ability to work as an independent contributor and as part of a team
• Excellent analytical and planning skills
• Task delegation and prioritization skills

Other preferred qualifications include:

• Experience on the Leadership Team or similar.
• Coordination and management of a team’s workloads and their respective projects.
• When required, be prepared to undertake necessary certification classes (e.g., ASIST and CPR-C + AED)

Applications (comprising a résumé and cover letter) will be accepted until April 15th, 2026 at 11:59PM EDT. We thank all applicants for their time applying for this position; however, only applicants chosen for an interview will be contacted.

If you have any questions about this posting or the application process, please email Arpita Savaliya, Chair of the Board.