Community Engagement Coordinator
Full-time / flexible, 20-35 hrs/wk

Local Investment Toward Employment (LITE) is a registered charity that creates job and training experiences for people experiencing social or economic barriers to employment. In addition to creating jobs, we offer action-oriented economic development opportunities for individuals and social enterprises in Winnipeg. LITE partners with 20+ community-based organizations, as well as independent contractors, volunteer associations and businesses every year. 

The Community Engagement Coordinator works alongside LITE partner organizations and their community members to support job experience opportunities. 

This position will primarily support the micro-scale making of products to be sold on LITE’s online store, shop.lite.mb.ca. This position will support an estimated 160 job experiences over the next year, and it help distribute goods and hampers made by community members to charities as well as people living on very low-incomes.

In addition to working with partner organizations and their community members, the Community Engagement Coordinator engages LITE volunteers from across Winnipeg to support community-based job experiences, and organizing group and individual participants in support of our social enterprise activities.

Duties include:

• Work with LITE organizational partners to organize job experiences with their community members. 

Circulate opportunities and book times/places to make products.

• Support partner organization staff to set up, organize and pack up work spaces during set times.
• Work with the LITE team and organizations to identify project ideas.
• Work with LITE partner organizations to organize, pack and distribute up to 450 hampers in December. 
• Coordinate drop-offs of goods.
• Support packing and delivery. 
• Ensure completion of paperwork.
• Coordinate individuals and/or groups to make products to be sold on LITE’s online store (see shop.lite.mb.ca) and later donated.
• Organize work spaces for participants of various sizes (1-15 people) to engage in making products for LITE’s online store (including buy-to-donate options). 
• Ensuring each participant understand the instructions, safety protocols and terms of the job experience.
• Following the product preparation instructions, and teaching it to others.
• Ensuring quality control of products.
• Creating a welcoming, caring, and non-judgemental space.
• Supporting the completion of required paperwork and payment to participants.
• Engage LITE volunteers to support work experiences at LITE and/or at LITE partner organizations.
• Coordinating work times with volunteers.
• Sharing and modeling expectations around welcoming and creating non-judgemental work spaces.
• Collecting required paperwork.

Qualifications:

• High school diploma plus some post-secondary.
• Previous community-based experience, including volunteer experiences, considered an asset.

On the job learning:

• Documentation and use of Excel and Asana
• Practice of verbal informed consent
• Concepts and practice of community economic development and social enterprise
• Knowledge of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (in relation to LITE’s work), and Neechi Community Economic Development Principles

Candidate attributes:

• Friendly and kind
• Values honesty and integrity
• Interested in learning, growing, and sharing knowledge
• Willing to engage all people
• “Crafty”  / good with their hands
• Able to work independently and in groups

Candidate qualities:

• Friendly, positive attitude, motivated to learn and works well in a team environment is a must.
• Willing to engage strangers, including busy community workers and volunteers.
• Ability to prioritize tasks. 
• Interest in community economic development, social enterprise or local economies 
• Able to engage in record keeping and organizing small amounts of data.

Employment terms
Priority hiring for Indigenous, New Canadians or Visible Minority candidates.  Applicants are asked to self-identify in their cover letter. 

• This is a full-time, flexible position with a regular schedule to be agreed on upon at start date. Regular office hours are between 8:30AM to 4PM, Monday to Friday, with flexible hours and start/end times for the right candidate. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required throughout the year.
• Wage range is $14.75-16.50/hr, commensurate with experience. A health benefits package is available after three months of employment.

Please state in your cover letter how your experience is relevant to the position, and what you think you have to offer to the organization.
What is a flexible position? Full-time hours are available (35hr/wk) but this position can allow for less hours to accommodate parenting/caregiving or post-secondary studies. 

This position is an entry-level, career- and skill-development position. 
You are encouraged to apply if you are:

• New or returning to the workforce, and
• Can speak to 3 or more of the candidate attributes and qualities, and
• Want learn, work and contribute to community wellness and poverty reduction

Work experience benefits
After six months in this position, the staff person should be qualified to:

• Work in a small to mid-sized organization in a coordinating role.
• Be comfortable creating Excel documents to track activities and outcomes.
• Be comfortable using Asana to coordinate with a team of staff.
• Have an introductory understanding of community economic development and social enterprise.
• Have an intermediate understanding of working with volunteers, community members or organizations.
• Learn to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines while respecting needs of partners/community members.

After one year in this position, the staff person should be qualified to:

• Have a good understanding of working with volunteers, community members or organizations, including setting expectations, tracking contributions and supporting engagement.
• Have experience presenting information and/or instruction in community learning settings.
• Understand the importance of documentation and record-keeping.
• Have an introductory understanding of how community groups or organizations (including social enterprises) finance their work through grants, donations or sales.

Career prospects
This employment experience can prepare you to:

• Work in community-based settings or the non-profit sector
• Develop a range of skills valued in: social work, health care, education, and administration

TO APPLY 
Resumes and cover letter may be submitted by email, mail or hand delivered by end-of-day, Wednesday, July 28, 2021 to: 

Dr. Tyler Pearce [she/her] 
Executive Director 
Local Investment Toward Employment  
203-765 Main Street 
Winnipeg, MB 
Ph: 204-942-8578 
Email: info@lite.mb.ca – please put position you are applying for in the subject line. 

We thank all applicants, but only those selected for interviews will be contacted.  
COVID-19 workplace protocols are in effect and will be reviewed during the interview process.