We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to increasing diversity in our workforce and inclusion in our organizational practices. We encourage candidates of all backgrounds and experiences to apply.

Context of Work:

The Empowered Communities division works within EMCN’s Community Engagement department to provide opportunities for ethno immigrant community leaders to flourish and strengthen the capacity of their communities.

This division delivers holistic and comprehensive programming to reduce isolation and promote individual and community socialization. The current programs in this area include (but are not limited to), Global Girls (youth leadership development), Community Garden, Global Cooking, Wintergration, and Putting Down Roots (ethnocultural community empowerment).

Job Purpose:

This job brings together facilitation expertise, participant relations coordination, and program development experience to deliver programming that is empowering, inclusive, and equitable.

Community Empowerment is driven by community members themselves and explicitly aims to create change. This approach represents a paradigm shift, away from community members and groups being only recipients of services and towards the self-determination of individuals and communities. Community empowerment builds a social movement where community members collectively exercise their rights, are recognized as an authority, and are equal partners in the planning, implementation and monitoring of programs and services.

This position is vital to ensuring programs are delivered through an empowerment lens.

What can you expect to do as a Community Empowerment and Facilitation Specialist?

• Iteratively develop and revise program plans and facilitation guides in response to community desires and feedback
• Work closely with the Empowered Communities Coordinator and team members to
  • contribute to the development and achievement of strategic objectives
  • proactively share needs for program delivery
  • collaborate on planning
  • capture successes and challenges with evaluation data
  • use personal and team insights for continuous program improvement
• Develop professional, empathetic relationships with program participants/community members to learn about their unique strengths and needs and to connect them to other programs and services as required.
• Liaise with team members to plan and execute program logistics, such as booking meeting space, calling participants, planning field trips, and coordinating guest speakers.
• Develop and implement communications strategies and materials for Empowered Communities programs, including posters, newsletter items, presentations, and social media.
• Support other areas of EMCN, as requested and required, to lend facilitation support and expertise around community empowerment.
• Develop and maintain equitable, relational, and respectful partner relationships

Qualification requirements:

The Community Empowerment and Facilitation Specialist may have a University Degree, College Diploma or work/volunteer experience in a Community-related field /Education/ Social Services/Business discipline with experience working with immigrants, refugees, volunteers, and families.

Knowledge

• Strong understanding of adult education and participatory facilitation techniques
• Knowledge of the context of work in the not-for-profit/charitable sector
• Knowledge of community development and empowerment (through both theory and practice)
• Strong understanding of program planning, logistics, and communications
• Knowledge of the history and key issues for refugee/immigrant communities in Canada is an asset

Experience/Skills

• Strong organizational and collaborative problem-solving skills
• Experience with conferring with and coaching program participants/ community members
• Collaborative work with diverse teams
• Effective oral and written communication skills with a variety of audiences, including EAL contexts
• Conflict management, including within diverse ethno immigrant contexts
• Program planning, including research and design
• Participatory facilitation in community contexts aimed at authentic and active engagement of participants
• Experience working with stakeholders who have varying knowledge and experience with the settlement and/or community empowerment contexts

Behavioural Competencies

• Communication – the ability to understand others and to respond in an appropriate and respectful manner
• A commitment to lifelong learning and the desire to invest in the development of the long-term capability of yourself and others; creating a safe environment where learning is considered a shared experience and where people can continue to develop new skills.
  • Challenge yourself to continually improve your planning and program development by learning from best practice literature; from colleagues (internal and external to EMCN); teammates; community members; and from on-going evaluation data.
• Openness to intercultural learning
• Self-awareness – the ability to understand oneself and the impact that one’s perceptions and attitudes have on others
• Focus on outcomes and plan/drive for results - maximizing resources to achieve results that are aligned with the goals of the organization, while maintaining accountability to each other and external stakeholders
• Agility – function as a role model of how to effectively work though change and how to adapt your approach, even in times of uncertainty

Additional requirements:

• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends
• Class 5 Driver’s licence and access to a reliable vehicle
• Police Clearance is required.

Application submission details:

Your application will be assessed based on how strongly your identified qualifications meet the criteria in this job posting. When applying, customize your application with your relevant skills and experience in order to address the job qualifications listed above.

** We will be holding an information session for interested applicants on Tuesday, June 26 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Please email asumaru-jurf at emcn.ab.ca if you are interested in attending. We invite applicants to attend this session to learn more about the position and to ask questions related to job duties, context of work, and alignment with their own experience and qualifications. We will try to provide a conference call option for those candidates who are not able to attend in person.**

Only those applicants who best demonstrate how they meet the qualifications outlined in the job ad will be contacted to advance to the interview phase via e-mail or phone once the posting has closed.

The successful candidate may be required to provide several references and undergo a satisfactory criminal reference check prior to the commencement of employment.

Please submit your résumé along with a cover letter. In your cover letter, please share your answer to the following question, “What two values are most important to you in community development and empowerment work?” (and explain why these values are important to you).

Please send your application to:

HR at emcn.ab.ca
Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers
11713-82 Street, Edmonton, AB. T5B 2V9

Deadline for submission is Wednesday, July 4, 2018 at 4:30 P.M. MST

We thank all applicants but only those shortlisted for an interview will be contacted. Résumés without a cover letter will be deemed as an incomplete application and will not be accepted.

Website: http://emcn.ab.ca/