Ontario PIRG is hiring a Provincial Coordinator – Application Deadline is April 4th

We’re Hiring!

Position Title: ​ Provincial Coordinator
Details:​ 
  • 14 hours/week (Part-time)
  • One year contract position, with the possibility of renewal
  • Salary:​ $26.51/hour
  • Individual health benefits plan
Date Posting: March 14, 2023
Application Deadline: April 4, 2023 @ 6:00PM
Position Effective:​  May 2, 2023, until April 30, 2024.

OPIRG welcomes the contributions that individuals from marginalized communities bring to our organization, and invites Black, Indigenous and Racialized people, poor and working class people and those on social assistance, women, Intersex people, gay, lesbian, bisexual and queer people; transgender, nonbinary and gender diverse people, Two-Spirit people; single parents, members of ethnic minorities, immigrants, people from non-academic backgrounds, disabled, chronically ill or neurodiverse people, people with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) or AIDS-related illnesses, people with records of offences except where it relates to bona fide employment qualifications, people involved in or with experiences in sex work to apply. We encourage applicants to describe the contributions and experiences they would bring to the OPIRG organization in their cover letter. All applicants are asked for a brief statement on their views of power and oppression. 

Job Description  

The Organization: Established in the 1970s, the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) is a provincial charitable non-profit corporation whose membership consists of twelve chapter PIRGs in Ontario. Each PIRG operates independently in promoting campus and community-based research, educational activities, and action on a variety of social  justice and environmental justice issues. As the formal network to which all local PIRGs belong, the purpose of Ontario PIRG is to provide training, support, and foster cooperation between PIRGs on these issues. 

Employment Term:  May 2, 2023, until April 30, 2024.

Location: Remote position. Candidates living in Ontario will be prioritized. 

Job Specifics: This is a part-time one year contract position with the possibility of  renewal and/or increased hours contingent on funding availability and upon mutual agreement and the completion of a performance evaluation. The contract includes an average of 14 hours per week. The rate of pay will be in accordance with the base starting salary for all OPIRG staff, at $26.51 with annual increases based on cost of living. A small budget for expenses associated with the work including office supplies and transportation is also provided. 

The Provincial Coordinator reports directly to the Provincial Supervisory Committee but ultimately  to the OPIRG Board of Directors. The Provincial Coordinator is expected to provide their own computer, phone and workspace in order to carry out the duties of the position. Some expenses related to the performance of job duties, such as long distance phone charges, are eligible for reimbursement. Some evening and weekend  work is required, specifically attendance at the Annual General Meeting and Provincial Board Meeting, which typically occur in October and February. Travel to other meetings and to PIRG chapters within Ontario may be required on occasion and the costs related to such travel covered.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Provincial Coordinator has a range of responsibilities to the network including components of administration, coordination, and communication. On an annual basis, the Provincial Coordinator will develop with the Provincial Supervisory Committee a work plan with timelines and evaluation measures for the priority activities agreed upon for that year. 

It is also understood that the skills and background of the Provincial Coordinator will be considered when developing the work plan to maximize the conditions for success of the employee and the network. 

The Provincial Coordinator, along with the Provincial Bookkeeper will provide continuity and stability to the network which often includes many moving parts and chapter turnover. Working with the Board of Directors, they carry out critical tasks that maintain the integrity of the organization, assist individual chapters, provide connections to other activists and their organizations, and strengthen infrastructure. The work environment has little day to day supervision and requires initiative, the ability to develop structures and processes, and efforts towards consistent communication. The Coordinators work cooperatively with all members to ensure the goals of the organization are met. The following are the detailed responsibilities of the position: 

Administrative 

  • Develop a strong familiarity with the Collective Agreement, OPIRG by-laws, policies and any Operating Manuals to assist in adherence to these at meetings of the Provincial Board, its committees, OPIRG chapter Boards and Chapter Staff
  • Manage the Ontario PIRG email account, listservs, Slack, contact lists, wiki and provincial calendar (internal communication)
  • Keep provincial files (eg. resources, policies) organized, updated and accessible
  • Maintain information about chapters (how many staff, what challenges they might be facing, what initiatives they are working on, how many board members, etc)
  • Develop and maintain a supportive relationship with the Provincial Bookkeeper and liaise closely with them regarding matters including chapter staffing updates (e.g. Staff numbers related to Green Shield and Long-term Disability billings, context around Chapter levies, etc.)
  • Meet with all new chapter staff members to provide information regarding OPIRG Provincial related matters and processes, as well as help answer any outstanding onboarding questions
  • Meet monthly with the Supervisory Committee to report on activities and problem-solve  challenges. Participate in a yearly evaluation process, and maintain and submit to the  Supervisory Committee a record of hours worked. 

Provincial Board Development and Training

  • Coordinate Provincial Board development opportunities, eg. board training school, strategic planning sessions
  • Onboard new Provincial Board members by orienting them to the network structures, policies, processes, and collectives
  • Develop infrastructure and supports through the provincial organization to create  opportunities for cross-chapter collaboration on joint research, education, or organizing  projects and ensure local chapters are aware and able to access them

Fundraising

  • Work with the Provincial Board of Directors to create a fundraising priority list 
  • Research and develop a fundraising strategy (revenue options, timelines, action plan) for OPIRG Provincial
  • Develop base fundraising materials for OPIRG Provincial (e.g., case for support, granting foundations document, etc.) 
  • Develop and draft funding and sponsorship applications, when applicable

Policy Development

  • Work with the Collectives to develop and update policies and protocols to share with the network in an accessible format 

AGM and PBM

  • Provide updates for both the annual Provincial Board Meeting (PBM) and Annual General Meeting (AGM) including a staff report to update the provincial network on your tasks and projects
  • Support the Internal Development Collective with planning the PBM & AGM including but not limited to the registration form, agenda callout and preparation, putting together the package, ensuring roles such as facilitator and minute-taker are filled, etc.

Collectives

  • Attend monthly All-collectives meetings to stay connected to the operations of the network
  • Hold regular office hours where Collective members can drop in and work with you if needed

Job Requirements

  • Regular access to a computer and a reliable internet connection
  • Willingness and ability to travel within Ontario if needed

Qualifications

  • Education and Experience
    • Experience coordinating meetings (including day and multi-day), trainings, strategic planning sessions including hiring external facilitators
    • Experience facilitating workshops and meetings of various sizes
    • Experience mentoring and supporting people coming into new roles
    • Experience and ability to navigate and work within social justice organizations
    • Understanding and experience with policy development
    • Knowledge of an intersectional anti-oppressive framework and understanding of social and environmental justice issues and concepts
    • Experience fundraising 
  • Communication and Collaboration Skills
    • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English 
    • Excellent interpersonal skills (sensitivity to others, ability to work respectfully and cooperatively with a diverse group of people) 
    • Ability to resolve conflict constructively and appropriately
    • Ability to be assertive while balancing working independently with engaging others in collective and consensus-based processes 
    • Demonstrate understanding and experience of consensus-based decision-making
    • Good boundaries and just-say-no capacity
  • Computer Skills
    • Proficiency and skills with various information technologies including Google Suites (Sheet, Drive, listservs), WordPress, Slack, Zoom, Jitsi, When2Meet, and Doodle
  • Coordination and Organizational Skills
    • Strong organization skills, excellent time management, and ability to regularly update timesheets
    • Ability to deftly navigate complicated structures and timetables 
  • Traits/work style
    • Diplomatic, with the ability to mediate between varying personalities
    • Approachable
    • Sense of humour but takes the work itself seriously
    • Driven and ability to work collaboratively
    • Highly motivated and self-directed with exemplary organizational, administrative and time management skills
    • Proven ability to prioritize work and manage numerous tasks simultaneously within an unstructured and loosely supervised work environment
    • Assertiveness in taking on tasks and self-directed in a non-hierarchical way

Assets

  • Knowledge of OPIRG Provincial 
  • Some knowledge of the difference between the OPIRG chapters 
  • Willingness and ability to travel in Ontario
  • Understanding of the Ontario Not-for-profit Corporations Act  and ability to keep up to date on any new or existing duties that OPIRG must be abiding by or upholding under Provincial legislation
How to Apply:

If you have a passion for social and environmental justice and feel that this may be the position for you, our hiring committee requests you send an application package containing:

  • your cover letter expressing this passion and relevant experience
  • a brief statement (250-500 words) on your views of power and oppression, and how these relate to your lived experience and to this position
  • a resume or CV
  • two references

Please make this into one document saved as a PDF and send it to opirgprovincialhiring@gmail.com before Tuesday April 4, 2023 at 6:00PM.