Employment opportunity – Senior Program Officer , BC

Be a part of positive social change

Imagine working for an organization that’s core mission is to advance equality, social justice and respect for human dignity. Imagine your work aligning with your personal values and being a part of creating positive social change every day through transformative human rights education programs. Alongside 60 liked-minded employees based in Canada, you could contribute to the empowerment of people to address inequalities and discrimination, and work to build more inclusive and rights-respecting communities with Equitas.

The Opportunity

Equitas is seeking a highly motivated Senior Program Officer with a passion for human rights, equality and inclusion and experience in project management. The Senior Program Officer is accountable for the strategic development and overall management of the Equitas programs portfolio and regions under their responsibility. They are also accountable for the planning, execution and evaluation of these programs.

Reporting to the Director of the Canadian Programs, the Senior Program Officer should have a strong understanding of the racial and social justice issues and trauma-sensitive approaches. They understand the importance of guiding systems to change. They manage relationships with key partners and stakeholders as part of the project(s) they are responsible for.   They have an overview of the project and are accountable for developing and overseeing the project from conception to completion.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Program/Project Development

• Leads the strategic development of the program portfolio under their responsibility in line with Equitas strategic and annual Plans
• Manages and supervises the annual planning and budgeting process for the program under his/her responsibility, coordinating the planning and implementation between projects within this portfolio
• Leads the participatory process of project conceptualization: facilitating organizational input throughout the development process; conducting research; consulting with contractors; drafting concept papers in line with the overall program strategy; drafting and negotiating funding proposals; developing project budgets; etc.
• Builds and manages a network of relationships: liaising with actual and potential partners, government officials, NGO’s, resource people, funders, and other allies and other key stakeholders.
• Ensures a contextual watch (human rights, socio-political context, security, situation of defenders, stakeholders …) for the region they are accountable for. Identifies risks and mitigation strategies related to context as required

Project Implementation

• For the program portfolio he/she is responsible for:
• Leads planning and implementation meetings to ensure coherence and timely delivery of the projects that make up the program and portfolio responsible for
• Works closely with the Education Unit, other program staff, interns, volunteers, outside consultants, and in consultation with partner(s), on all aspects of the design and delivery of projects
• Responsible for risk monitoring, including security issues for the programs under his responsibility and identifying mitigation strategies
• Collaborates with the Education Specialist on the analysis of evaluation data and on the preparation of activity reports; is accountable for signing off of reports and for its delivery to internal and external stakeholders including funders

Fundraising

• Establishes and maintains good relationships with existing funders and actively explores new funding opportunities, for the region under his/her responsibility.
• Develops and implements a fundraising strategy and secures funding for their program portfolio or country/subregion.
• Leads fundraising activities for the program portfolio for which he or she is responsible

Financial Management

• Ensures effective financial management of all program activities and accountability to donors.
• Consolidates annual program portfolio budget, activity budgets and budgets for funding proposals in close consultation with the Finance team and with input from the Project Teams (especially the Education Unit regarding the education component)
• Participates in negotiation of the allocation of human resources to various projects that make up a program as an integral part of developing the budgets

Support Communications and Knowledge-Building and Sharing Activities

• Works with the Communications team to develop communications strategy and plans for the program portfolio under his/her responsibility.
• Contributes to documentation of good practices and the implementation of knowledge sharing strategies

Organizational Support

• Contributes to the development of Equitas Annual Plan by identifying activities, priorities related to their program
• Actively participates in and supports Program Unit processes (planning and monitoring meetings, team-building activities, etc.) and organizational processes (planning and budgeting processes, staff meetings, etc.)
• Performs other duties as determined in consultation with the Director of Programs.

What about you?

You’re passionate about human rights and social justice. You’re motivated by and have strong commitment to Equitas’ mission, vision, and values. You’re motivated by challenges and you have proven experience developing project proposals, securing funds and managing relationships with donor agencies. You have excellent communication abilities in English.

What is essential for role

• Eligibility to work in Canada and be based in
• Deep commitment and understanding of the racial and social justice issues.
• Experience with BCs education system youth engagement.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in project management and implementation and partnership development.
• Undergraduate degree in a related field such as Political Science, Social Studies, International Development, etc.
• Knowledge of human rights – including human rights education and/or social justice issues
• Strong skills in information management (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Experience working in the NGO sector is an asset

What we offer

• We offer the chance to be a part of and make up a diverse and engaged team who are all meaningfully contributing to positive social change in Canada and around the world in their own
• We value self-care, inclusion and empathy towards all team members and place a strong emphasis on work-life balance. In addition to vacation time, we offer 2 weeks off at the end of the year.
• We’re all about learning and offer all employees the opportunity to participate in Learning Committees based on their interests and participate in a workplace culture that is constantly looking for ways to improve and
• We have an office in Vancouver
• We believe in trust and openness and offer a flexible work
• We believe in creating space for everyone to lead and offer opportunities within our governance structure to allow for individuals in all roles to take on opportunities for leadership.
• We offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes a competitive salary for the NGO sector, 3 weeks paid vacation (4 weeks after 3 years), paid personal days, medical, dental and life insurance, a group RRSP and much more!

Join us!

Given the nature of our work, Equitas strongly encourages applications from any candidates who have experienced marginalization, in particular, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, LGBTQ2I people, and people living with disabilities. Candidates who wish to do so may self-identify in their application.

At Equitas, we do not tolerate harassment, discrimination, violence, or abuse of any form. All employment offers are conditional of the signing of Equitas’ Human Resources Policy, our Policy on Preventing Sexual Violence, Harassment and Discrimination and satisfactory references.

Equitas thanks all applicants for their interest. However, only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.

For further information about Equitas consult our websites at www.equitas.org and www.Speaking Rights.ca

 

How to apply?

Please send 1 attachment (cover letter and C.V.) with your name and title of the position Program Officer in the subject line by July 29, 2022  to:rhequitas@equitas.org

(Applications analyzed upon receipt)