Social Enterprise. What does it mean? The words are used a lot these days, and they've come to imply everything from a business model to a life ethos to a movement for social justice and change. We try not to get too caught up in the all the definitions and debates about them; it is early days in the social enterprise world in Canada and it is all of the above; and we’re comfortable with some ambiguity!

At Urban Matters CCC, we believe in the concept of social enterprise, from its broadest interpretation to its simplest definition, and everything in between. So much so that we've set up our entire business as a social enterprise. We’re using social enterprise concepts and practices as tools in the journey towards change and better outcomes for everyone. In doing so, we’ve created a bit of demand for our work, and we need help! So, we aim to hire a Social Enterprise Catalyst, initially on a one year contract, but if things go well we see this evolving into a permanent position.

So what is a Catalyst? As a young Company, really just in later stages of startup, activities will vary widely and will change and grow. We definitely need administrative, accounting, coordination, marketing and communications based support across all of our projects and activities in 2017, so we’ll be starting there. In particular this year, we’ve partnered with Buy Social Canada (www.buysocialcanada.ca) to support the development and roll out of a National marketing and member recruitment campaign, and this position will help lead in its implementation. Like Urban Matters CCC, Buy Social Canada CCC is committed to fostering a robust social enterprise ecosystem, and is focused on enhancing procurement/purchasing practices to ensure a growing demand for social enterprise goods and services.

Beyond 2017, as our business and your career evolve, we’d hope to see this role grow into project and initiative leadership, market development, convening, facilitation and thought leadership activities. We’re looking for an emerging leader, preferably Vancouver-based, with established credibility in and around the social enterprise sector.

About You

• You are a motivated self-starter. Our Teams are working across the Country, we don’t need or want to convene in a central office location for daily direction, we run virtually, we communicate frequently and are committed to each other and to our clients and partners. We get things done without a lot day to day oversight.
• You are an implementer. We have strategists and thinkers and visionaries all around us. Its great. Nothing changes without implementation though. Sweating the details and making sure the right things happen. From organizing a community event in Saskatoon to making sure our social media feeds and website are in top shape to ensuring our reports and communications are of absolute top quality; you’ve got it covered.
• You are coachable. You are eager to learn, you listen well and respond to feedback. You want to grow into the social enterprise economy with us and are prepared to take advantage of all that we can bring you.
• You are a natural communicator. Working virtually in complex areas of social and community need, with fast moving practitioners, requires our internal and external communications to be top shelf, and always improving. You deeply appreciate the value of effective communications, and you are comfortable leading it yourself. This position will include public speaking and facilitation engagements.
• You are mobile. A Vancouver-based team member is our preference at this point in time, but we work all over Canada. You will need to be comfortable with and capable of travel, which can sometimes be frequent.
• You are educated. We aren't going to be too specific on post secondary academic requirements at this point in time, as we have come to appreciate that social enterprise and the space we work in are inherently cross-disciplinary. First and foremost, you need to ‘get it’. Beyond that we expect post-secondary education in a related area as a starting point, such as degrees in community economic development, or communications/marketing, or business administration.

Abous Urban Matters

Well our website says that Urban Matters CCC is one of Canada’s new C3 social enterprises; a Community Contribution Company. Our business is to strengthen and scale the efforts of leading social entrepreneurs and organizations, to break new ground in community development and social innovation. With the heart of a community organization and the ethos of a business, we are your implementation partner to help make the big ideas happen.

We stress that our ambitions are to be impactful in the practical and applied sense. This is action oriented, we use lots of verbs, we aspire to get things done and make the changes happen. We believe that many of the great ideas that begin to address many of our toughest issues are already out there, and the challenge lies in scaling and implementation.

We are based in Western Canada, but can and do work Nationally. We would not prioritize international work at this point in time, we know there are plenty of issues that need our attention right here in our own backyard. We work virtually, and recognize that sitting in offices isn't going to make change happen. Most of our Catalysts live where they need to live, and accept that they need to be where they need to be to create the outcomes we seek together. Sometimes that involves travel, and sometimes a lot of it. Compensation will be commensurate with experience.

Does this sound like you? If so, we'd love to hear from you. Please reply in confidence to info at urbanmatters.ca by 4pm PST on Tuesday, February 28th, 2017.

SOURCE: Urban Matters