Executive Director

Founded in 2006, the Vimy Foundation is a national charitable organization based in Montreal. Its mission is to preserve, share and promote Canada’s WWI legacy, of which the Battle of Vimy Ridge, in April 1917, remains the most powerful symbol. The Foundation is recognized as a leading voice in WWI commemoration in Canada.

The Foundation has delivered several landmark projects. These include a $5 million fundraising campaign, matched by an equal contribution from the Government of Canada, to establish the Visitor Education Centre at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, which opened in 2017. In November 2018, the Foundation inaugurated Vimy Foundation Centennial Park, which it owns and which is adjacent to the Memorial. The park features 100 commemorative trees, including repatriated Vimy Oaks. In Montreal, the Foundation operates the Canadian Centre for the Great War, its museum housed in the historic Maison Louis-Joseph Forget on Sherbrooke Street West. The Centre is home to one of Canada’s most significant private collections of WWI artefacts. The Foundation is also a long-standing partner of Veterans Affairs Canada, which holds an observer seat on its Board of Directors.

Through its youth programs (the Beaverbrook Vimy Prize, the Vimy Pilgrimage Award and Vimy Inspires Tomorrow), its educational resources and its commemorative initiatives, the Foundation keeps this memory alive for current and future generations. Beyond military history, it also tells a Canadian story of boldness and creativity, embodied in Walter Allward’s Memorial, Canada’s most impressive war memorial, on French soil.
The Vimy Foundation is entering an exciting new chapter and is seeking an Executive Director with the vision, leadership and ability to inspire and mobilize others to advance its mission. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will lead the implementation of the current strategic plan, help shape the Foundation’s next strategic direction and position the organization for long-term impact over the decade ahead.

April 9, 2027, will mark the 110th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Commemorations, including a major gathering in France and activities across Canada, will provide an important opportunity to showcase Centennial Park and its Vimy Oaks as living symbols of remembrance and Canada’s enduring legacy at Vimy. At a time of renewed Canadian interest in our history and deepening ties with France and Europe, Vimy 110 offers a unique opportunity to strengthen the Foundation’s profile at home and internationally. The incoming Executive Director will play a pivotal role in bringing this milestone to life, mobilizing staff, government and diplomatic partners, military communities and donors around a shared vision for commemoration and the Foundation’s future.

Why this opportunity may interest you
 

• You are looking for a meaningful role, where your connection to the cause matters as much as your skills;
• You want to champion a national mission, deeply rooted in Canadian history and memory, at a time when both are attracting renewed interest;
• You want to lead the organization at a pivotal stage in its development and orchestrate the Vimy 110 commemorations in April 2027, for which preparations are already under way with the Board’s support;
• You are drawn to the heritage, educational and artistic dimensions of the mission: a museum in the heart of Montreal, recognized youth programs and a Memorial that stands as a work of exceptional creative boldness;
• You enjoy being both the organization’s strategic and public spokesperson and the hands-on manager of a small, committed team supported by many volunteers;
• You are energized by a pan-Canadian mandate that has you represent the organization to government partners, including Veterans Affairs Canada, donors, diplomats, French partners, and military and regimental communities;
• You value the flexibility of a position that can be carried out in a hybrid arrangement for the successful candidate, with regular presence alongside the team in Montreal;
• You value a well-supported transition, working alongside the current Interim Executive Director, who brings a strong understanding of the organization, and an engaged Board that actively supports fundraising and is committed to setting its next Executive Director up for success.

Your day-to-day challenges

You will hold a role that is both strategic and public, serving as the Foundation’s principal representative to the Board of Directors, government partners, including Veterans Affairs Canada, donors, diplomats and French partners, while directly managing a small team of about ten people, based in Montreal and supported by a network of volunteers.
Your main responsibilities will be to:
 

• Represent the Foundation with confidence, judgment and effectiveness in both official languages, given its head office in Quebec, its francophone partners and its national mandate;
• Lead the preparation and delivery of the Vimy 110 commemorations on April 9, 2027, including programming, government and diplomatic partnerships, mobilization of donors, military communities and the Foundation’s networks, media outreach and the showcasing of Centennial Park;
• Grow and diversify the Foundation’s philanthropic revenue, working closely with the Board Chair and the Finance Committee on major donor and foundation solicitations, and cultivating relationships with current donors;
• Complete the implementation of the current five-year strategic plan and help shape the next one, in close collaboration with the Board of Directors;
• Ensure the growth and quality of the educational and youth programs, the commemorative activities and the Canadian Centre for the Great War, including the supervision of the volunteers who contribute to them;
• Manage, motivate and develop a professional team working in a hybrid arrangement;
• Build and maintain strong relationships with Veterans Affairs Canada and federal partners, France’s diplomatic representatives, the French partners of the Vimy Memorial and military communities, particularly in connection with Centennial Park and the Vimy Visitor Education Centre;
• Ensure a successful, structured transition with the Interim Executive Director and the continuity of the Foundation’s activities and relationships.

What you need to succeed in this role
 

• A sincere commitment to the Foundation’s mission and to passing on Canadian history and memory;
• Demonstrated ability to represent an organization with confidence and effectiveness in both official languages;
• Experience as an executive director or senior leader in a charitable organization, a cultural or museum institution, a public or military organization, or an organization with a comparable mission;
• Experience in fundraising and the development of financial partnerships, or a clear willingness to build these skills quickly with the active support of the Board;
• Ability to organize major events and to rally multiple partners around a shared project;
• Ease in acting both as a strategic spokesperson to a Board of Directors and to government and diplomatic partners, and as the direct manager of a small team;
• Experience in strategic planning and governance, in collaboration with a Board of Directors;
• A strong interest in and sensitivity to Canadian military history, heritage and education, as well as the commemorative and artistic dimensions of the Foundation’s work.

Our employer promises
 

• A meaningful mission and a historic moment to orchestrate: the Vimy 110 commemorations;
• Competitive compensation for the sector, with benefits;
• Anticipated start in early 2027, ahead of the Vimy 110 commemorations;
• Flexibility regarding the place of work, in a hybrid arrangement for the successful candidate, with regular presence in Montreal;
• An office and a museum in the heart of Montreal, in the Maison Louis-Joseph Forget on Sherbrooke Street West;
• A structured transition and the support of a Board of Directors committed to the success of its next Executive Director.

The Vimy Foundation is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of Canada.
Interested candidates are invited to submit their application (cover letter and résumé) to claude.martel@morganphilips.com.

All applications will be treated in strict confidence.
Application deadline: November 15, 2026.

Interviews are planned for early December 2026.