The Neighbourhood Land Trust (NLT) is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the affordability, diversity, and equity of Parkdale by bringing land into community ownership and control. NLT works to acquire and manage land, leasing it at affordable rates to eligible charitable partners who provide community benefits including affordable and supportive housing. Visit www.pnlt.ca for more information.
Job Application Deadline: July 23rd, 2021 at 5:00 pm EST
Job Title: Community Development Coordinator
Reports to: Executive Director
Work Week: 37.5 hours/week
Contract: 1 year W opportunity for renewal
Start Date: September 6th 2021
Salary: $50,000 - $62,000 + benefits
A. OVERVIEW
The Neighbourhood Land Trust (NLT), the charitable arm of the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust (PNLT), seeks a Community Development Coordinator to undertake to lead the community development activities of the non-profit Community Land Trust (CLT). The role involves coordinating a broad set of activities including: tenant engagement and leadership development, communication, community-based governance, and special community-based research and education initiatives. These tasks are the key building blocks of the NLT’s community-based model, embodied in NLT’s purpose, vision and values.
This new role is indispensable for supporting the Land Trust’s organizational growth as Toronto’s first neighbourhood-based CLT. First incorporated in 2014, NLT’s accomplishments include acquiring 87 Milky Way as a community-owned urban agriculture space (2017); acquiring a 15 unit at-risk rooming house for affordable housing (2019); and acquiring a 36 unit apartment building as affordable housing (2021). Most recently the City of Toronto announced that in early 2022 it will transfer 82 single family homes and small buildings with a total of 154 units currently owned by Toronto Community Housing to the Land Trust.
In the coming years NLT hopes to increase its impact. In late 2020 the NLT membership approved a new five-year Strategic Plan that charts a path to bring 300 units of affordable housing under community ownership and operation by 2025. As NLT grows, the Community Development Coordinator will play an essential role in supporting tenant engagement and leadership development, democratic governance and special initiatives.
In the coming years in particular, the focus of the Community Development Coordinator will be communications and engagement of tenants of the new single family home portfolio. This will include but not be limited to coordination of a Tenant Advisory Committee, as well as communications and accommodation planning for tenants impacted by capital repair projects planned for their buildings.
This position also allows for being part of the wider systems change and movement building underway! The Community Development Coordinator will work as part of a small, dynamic and interdisciplinary team. Supporting the development of local ground-up leadership, working closely with residents and local organizations, we are a people's movement that is at the front lines of the fight against predatory development and displacement. Our work is firmly embedded within praxes of anti-oppression, radical social justice and Systems Change. Experience first hand, what it is like to work directly for a grassroots community-controlled organization!
The ideal candidate will be an early or mid-career community development professional with experience working with tenants and a strong commitment to neighbourhood inclusiveness and social equity.
We strongly encourage applications from residents of Parkdale and or equity-seeking groups. Due to the uniqueness of this role on the job training will be provided as needed.
This position requires attendance of an average of two evening meeting per week.
B. RESPONSIBILITIES
- Member Engagement, Consultation and Leadership Development
- Core member engagement
- Coordinate Tenant Advisory Committee for single family home portfolio.
- Coordinate with Property Asset Manager and other staff to implement communications and accommodations for tenants impacted by capital projects taking place at their buildings.
- Coordinate regular (annual and or quarterly) core member engagement and consultation activities for each of NLTs projects / portfolios.
- Community member engagement
- Organize community workshops and or forums on community ownership and affordable housing.
- Oversee volunteer management.
- Core member engagement
- Community-based Governance
- Assist the Board of Directors to organize and implement regular board meetings, including planning for accommodations required for all Board members to participate meaningfully.
- Coordinate Board committee meetings.
- Coordinate Board engagement, consultation and leadership development activities.
- Coordinate the Annual General Meeting and nominations process.
- Coordinate anti-oppression and other equity training for the Board of Directors and staff.
- Collaborate with the Governance Committee to draft, review and improve organizational equity policies.
- Community-Based Research & Education
- Coordinate special projects including community-based research, education initiatives, and community benefits initiatives.
- Oversight of part-time staff employed to implement community-based research, education initiatives, and community benefits initiatives.
- Draft funding proposals and manage budgets for community-based research, education, and community benefits initiatives.
- Communications
- Collaborate with the Communications and Community Engagement Committee to develop and implement a Communications and Community Engagement Plan for the Land Trust.
- Coordinate communications to members and the public
- Coordinate social media communications (mailchimp, facebook, instagram, twitter)
- Support NLT’s media interactions
Other duties as assigned.
C. QUALIFICATIONS
- Required:
- 3 years of related work experience or equivalent;
- 2 years of tenant engagement experience or equivalent;
- Strong verbal and interpersonal skills;
- Strong written and online communication skills;
- Strong group facilitation skills;
- Strong capacity to use Gmail, Microsoft Word, Excel, Google Drive, Powerpoint/sheets and Zoom;
- Strong track record of establishing positive internal/external relationships;
- Commitment to working from an anti-oppression and social justice framework;
- Ability to work within a diverse community (including working with seniors, youth, people with different abilities and different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds).
- Preferred:
- Well organized and able to manage multi-phase engagement projects;
- Education and or experience in non-profit community development, adult education, property management, or equivalent;
- Experience planning tenant temporary relocation and other accommodations required during renovations of a residential unit;
- Working knowledge of the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA);
- Working knowledge of affordable housing operating models;
- Mental health & addictions training;
- Conflict resolution training;
- Ability to speak a language relevant to the neighbourhood is an asset.
D. SUPERVISION & WORK ENVIRONMENT
- Will work under the supervision of the Executive Director.
- Will often work independently and must be able to think critically.
- Regular use of confidential information.
- Occasional outreach to buildings and access to occupied apartments.
- Will work as part of a small staff team that works collaboratively to complete organizational priorities.
- NLT staff meetings are held weekly to assure all members of the team are informed of the general progress of key projects.
- Normal office environment with periods of light physical activity
- COVID-19 public health guidelines apply to all work. During periods to high-risk and or mandated lockdowns, staff may work from home.
- In regular circumstances staff are expected to work from the office no less than 3 days a week.
- Some degree of physical skill and coordination required (for example; basic keyboarding)
- Work may be a little uncomfortable and may lead to minor injury or illness
E. HOW TO APPLY
Please submit an application by email to info@pnlt.ca with the following documents attached as one word document or PDF:
- Application form
- Resume
NLT is committed to employment equity and encourages applicants from equity-seeking groups. We aim to foster a workplace that reflects the diversity of the community we serve.
No phone calls please.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: July 23rd, 2021 at 5:00 pm EST
