Commitment: 8 months, 35 hours/week (You are expected to work primarily out of the LEDlab offices in downtown Vancouver on a 9-­4 schedule, although flexibility can be given to students finishing course work.)
Start date: September 6, 2016
End date: April 28, 2016
Compensation: $20,000, non­-negotiable (Funding for this position is provided by Mitacs Canada and stipends are fixed. You must be a graduate student at a Canadian university to apply. No exceptions. This is not an employee position. Candidates are expected to have their own laptop.)

The Local Economic Development Lab (LEDlab), initiated and closely supported by Ecotrust Canada and RADIUS SFU, incubates community­-driven social enterprise for a more vibrant and inclusive local economy in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. We do this by partnering with local organizations and leaders, resourcing them with talented full­-time graduate students, and working collectively with experts in a ‘Lab’ format to develop shared skills and knowledge, collaborate, and test new ideas to change the local economic system over time.

Our intended outcomes are to:

1. Catalyze new economic activity that benefits the local low-­income community;
2. Equip local individuals, organizations, and networks with the tools, methods, processes and agency to advance future ideas on their own; and to
3. Build stronger networks and opportunities for collaboration and coordination amongst inner city organizations, residents, funders and other stakeholders.

Community Partner: ReBuild

Project: Social Procurement at Scale

ReBuild is a social enterprise that provides professional construction, renovation, and restoration services throughout the Greater Vancouver Area. ReBuild is an expanding initiative of Simpson Society, a non­profit society acting in partnership with the charitable organization Community Builders. Simpson Society specializes in creating employment opportunities for individuals facing multiple barriers to employment.

ReBuild is in its very early incubation stage. The organization has successfully completed jobs for housing organizations like RainCity and Community Builders, and has turned an initial profit while providing employment to residents of the Downtown Eastside. ReBuild has a vision to be the City of Vancouver’s largest social employer in the construction sector.

The organization is positioned to grow quickly and indefinitely with the City’s ever­-increasing push for social procurement. While the Vancouver construction industry continues to grow, there is an “ongoing and increasingly labourious labour crunch” as reported by the Vancouver

Your role will be to:

• Study, test, and implement efficiencies in the ReBuild business model
• Develop policies, processes, and tools that support the work
• Complete a thorough case study on the business and document its potential for use in other places
• Assist with strategic development and growth of ReBuild, including new contract acquisition

Is this you?

• You’re an operations manager, you’re fired up about backend process development and you want to use your business-­skills for good
• You’re familiar with hybrid for­-profit/­non-­profit business models, are willing and interested to conduct research on legal structures, and document their successes and possible pitfalls
• You are self-­aware, and can work alongside a diversity of stakeholders, including individuals with barriers to employment
• You are fascinated with new economic models, and think the economy is something that should work for people

Deliverables:

1. Case study of Simpson Society/Community Builder’s social procurement model for social enterprise, including economic analysis and governance recommendations
2. Sharable infographics and/or other community engagement tools to help easily disseminate learnings online and at community events
3. A minimum of two blogs about your experience as an LEDlab Project Coordinator

How to Apply:

Apply by sending a cover letter, CV, and a writing sample to Kiri Bird at info at ledlab.ca by midnight, Sunday June 12th, 2016. Identify which position you are applying for in the subject of the email.

In your cover letter, address the following questions:

1. Why do you you want to join the LEDlab team? (100 words)
2. Tell us about the skills you have to get the job done (150 words)
3. Tell us about an experience that has profoundly changed you (150 words)
4. Tell us about a time you tried something and failed, what happened next? (150 words)

SOURCE: The Local Economic Development Lab (LEDlab)