Social Enterprise & Entrepreneurship Northern Region Partnership

Social Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (SEE) Northern Region Partnership is a NORDIK Institute led collaborative with a number of organizations across Northern Ontario currently delivering entrepreneurship and enterprise development services. Social enterprises have a mission to address social, environmental or cultural challenges by reinvesting profits above operational expenses back into their missions, and using a triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) to measure their success. Social enterprises take many forms, including sole proprietorship, non-profits, and co-operatives to name a few. The Indigenous Social Enterprise Development Specialist shall develop and integrate resources and services to support further development of social enterprises and social entrepreneurs across the region. The collaboration is funded for a one-year period.

The Indigenous Social Enterprise Development Specialist will engage and build capacity for social enterprise development within the Ontario Network of Enterprises (ONE) members (i.e., Regional Innovation Centres, Small Business Development Centres, Campus Linked Accelerators/On-Campus Enterprise Accelerators) specifically, and other service providers such as Economic Development Officers and Community Future Development Corporations, generally. The person will also engage and support aspiring and existing social entrepreneurs in their development and scaling up.

Under the direction of the Director of NORDIK and in collaboration with SEE project staff and Steering Committee, the Indigenous Social Enterprise Development Specialist will be responsible for:

• Participating in recruitment, hiring, and training and project staff;
• Developing work plans in collaboration with project staff to ensure that all project outcomes are met;
• Building relationships with service providers across the region through dialogue and collaborative learning;
• Developing resources and support materials and deliver advanced training on social enterprise for ONE members and service providers;
• Providing direct coaching for social enterprise scale-ups in collaboration with ONE members and service providers;
• Building capacity of the Social Enterprise Development Interns to deliver introductory social enterprise training;
• Collaborating with ONE members to facilitate partnerships and network expansion and training as needed;
• Collaborating with the Community Development Corporation of Sault Ste. Marie and Area in developing Peer Lending Circle framework
• Participating in NORDIK research team meetings as available.

Qualifications and Requirements:

The candidate shall demonstrate previous experience in collaborative project leadership within the Social Economy sector, including budget and staff management. A demonstrated knowledge of Community Economic Development, Social Entrepreneurship, and social entrepreneurship and social enterprise development in rural, Northern and First Nation communities is required.

The candidate shall possess the following skills:

• Strong communication skills including excellent written and verbal skills and a high degree of comfort in a technology-mediated environment;
• Financial management and proposal writing;
• Experience working with diverse strata in society, including business and economic development as well as those engaged in the social economy;
• Staff management and supervision;
• Networking and interpersonal skills;
• Knowledge of First Nations and Indigenous communities’ economic development
• Post-secondary graduate, ideally in Community Economic and Social Development or another Social Science or a Business Degree;
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team environment;
• Strong organizational time management skills;
• Experience in event planning, organizing and training program delivery;
• Knowledge or familiarity of an Indigenous language(s) is an asset.

Position Status: 35 hours/week; externally-funded 1-year position. This position requires travel across Northern Ontario.
Location: Northern Ontario (Parry Sound to the Manitoba border)

Application Instructions:

Only candidates considered to be qualified for the position will be contacted for an interview.

Applications are required by April 4, 2018

Letters of application and resumes can be emailed or mailed to the following address:

Jude Ortiz
Research Coordinator
NORDIK Institute
1520 Queen St. E. Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2G4
E-mail: jude.ortiz at algomau.ca

Website: www.nordikinstitute.com