COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OFFICER(REFUGEE RESPONSE)

The Community Development Officer role is instrumental in coordinating resources, stakeholders and services for the Refugee Response section. The role involves engagement with the community, clients, service providers and other levels of government, as well as other divisions and units at Toronto Shelter and Support Services. The role will develop and implement multi-faceted approaches to engagement and service delivery for the refugee service system, in conjunction with partners and stakeholders.

Major Responsibilities:

• Implements detailed plans and recommends policies/procedures regarding program specific requirements.
• Supervises, motivates and trains assigned staff and students, ensuring effective teamwork, high standards of work quality and organizational performance, continuous learning and encourages innovation in others.
• Develops, recommends and administers program and project budgets, ensuring that expenditures are controlled and maintained within approved budget limitations.
• Provides community development services within and for the community-based sector to elected officials; volunteers, other levels of government, managers and staff of incorporated and unincorporated groups; and community coalitions.
• Supports the division’s refugee sector priorities by developing multi-year plans, performance frameworks, and improvement strategies for service providers, including the use of data.
• Co-ordinates and/or provides management advice, project management and policy development support to the Council and community-based initiatives.
• Contributes - through, co-ordination and policy development - to the implementation of Council directives, the division’s workplan, including the implementation of a sustainable refugee service system.
• Demonstrates enriched capability and leadership in the field of community development by designing, delivering and administering board, executive and management, and community training and development programs (skill-building, knowledge enhancement and leadership development)within the community based sector (workshops on governance, membership, Board staff roles and responsibilities, effective meeting and evaluation); and with City divisional representatives.
• Creates programs and/or projects from conception as required and manages a portfolio of projects.
• Administers effective operational coordination among operational teams within the city of Toronto across all Divisions.
• Promotes, leads and/or co-ordinates from operational planning to implementation, integrated service delivery projects that includes senior managers from city services, funders, residents, educational institutions, business, and community agencies.

Key Qualifications:

1. Post-secondary education (i.e. social work, sociology, political science, or public policy) or equivalent work experience in a discipline pertinent to the job function or equivalent combination of education and experience.
2. Considerable experience in one or more of these areas: community development, community advocacy/engagement, stakeholder management, program development, as well as creating and implementing responses to address changing needs of communities within an anti-oppression framework including multiple stakeholders in the not-for-profit sector.
3. Considerable experience in problem-solving, and project coordination including the definition of project purpose and objectives, project activities, milestones and deliverables, monitoring and tracking progress, and communications with stakeholders.
4. Experience in planning and delivery of community engagement and consultation processes that considers operational implementation.
5. Experience developing and/or delivering frontline services, programs or related policy work to address community issues such as mental health, homelessness, substance use, community violence and/or harm reduction.
6. This high-impact role calls for a consensus builder with sound judgment in public/human relations and partnership development, strong conflict resolution, interpersonal and problem-solving skills, and the ability to recommend effective, strategic solutions at the community level to address systemic issues.
7. Knowledge of government legislation in the areas of information privacy, occupational health and safety, labour and human rights.
8. Demonstrated competency in written/oral communication and presentation abilities, in particular proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), and can develop events with a variety of stakeholders and manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment with high expectations and multiple deadlines.
9. Understanding of Canadian immigration policies and experience working with refugee claimants will be considered an asset.