Engagement Director English applicants only

TITLE: Engagement Director 

TERMS:  Permanent / Fulltime  

LOCATION: Flexible; proximity to one of our three offices in Vancouver (xmkym Swxw7mesh and slilwta territories) Montreal (Kanienkeh:ka territory) or Toronto (Tkaronto the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit the Anishinaabe the Chippewa the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples) is preferred. 

REPORTS TO: Executive Director 

SALARY: 107 110k per year 

NUMBER OF DIRECT REPORTS: 46 (subject to change) 

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Sunday January 19th 2025 

DESIRED START DATE: April 2025 

THE ROLE 

DSF seeks an experienced collaborative new Engagement Director who is excited to lead passionate skilled staff through a period of change. Responsible for the overall effectiveness of DSFs communications public engagement and digital engagement this role will play a pivotal role in unifying and implementing DSFs engagement strategy. This leadership position requires a strategic thinker and skilled collaborator with strong experience managing people and projects and a background in public interest advocacy or campaigning. Reporting to the Executive Director this role oversees senior managers/associate directors and collaborates closely across teams to foster a shared vision and operational effectiveness.  

Similarly to many environmental organizations DSF has undergone significant changes since 2020 and this newly constituted role will assume responsibilities from interim leadership of multiple teams. This role will be best suited to a leader with skill and interest in leading teams through iterative change and organizational development. This role will also manage newly unionized staff. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

1. Strategic & Organizational Change Leadership 

• Lead efforts to unify and implement DSFs engagement strategy.  

• Ensure that communications public engagement and digital engagement teams are supported to collaborate effectively with programmatic staff development staff and others as needed.  

• Represent the engagement team in leadership team discussions supporting shared understanding and alignment with organizational goals and crossteam efforts. 

• Lead organizational change initiatives within communications public engagement and digital engagement teams. 

• Ensure systems processes and structures in engagement efforts are effective efficient and grounded in organizational values.  

2. Engagement and Communications Leadership 

• Oversee public narrative media engagement storytelling organizing grassroots advocacy volunteer engagement and public education efforts to advance the organizations mission. Strengthen DSFs overall unique voice presence and public/brand identity. 

• Ensure engagement strategies are inclusive and bilingual effectively reaching English and Frenchspeaking audiences throughout Canada. 

• Support effective prioritization of engagement efforts supporting team members to liaise effectively across teams as needed. 

• Oversee planning budgeting and reporting efforts for the communications public engagement and digital engagement teams. 

• Ensure that risks related to engagement work are appropriately identified and proactively managed.  

• Partner with leadership team Board of Directors and key stakeholders to provide strategic insights and recommendations. 

• Handle sensitive and confidential issues with discretion sound judgment and solid ethics. 

3. Leadership and Team Development 

• Mentor and coach a diverse professional team fostering a culture of accountability collaboration and iterative improvement with a strong justice equity diversity and inclusion (JEDI) lens. 

• Model an inclusive relational and emotionally intelligent leadership style adept at navigating moments of difficulty conflict and ambiguity. 

• Cultivate trust and engagement across teams serving as an advisor mentor and role model.  

Other related duties as required. 

Qualifications :

QUALIFICATIONS 

• 3 years of experience in a team leadership role. 

• 5 years of experience managing people and projects ideally in an advocacy and/or campaigns context. 

WHAT YOU BRING TO THE ROLE 

• Strong judgment related to engagement work and public relations including how technology powerful storytelling content marketing volunteer engagement new and traditional media and different forms of engagement work can strategically complement each other; proven ability to think strategically and make timely sound decisions based on data and collaboration. 

• Strong commitment to DSFs work and ability to adeptly build and maintain relationships with a variety of partners including social movement Indigenous governmental and other stakeholder groups; strong convening facilitating and movement building skills in an advocacy context.  

• Proven ability to lead and implement strong strategy development and prioritization processes; ability to work effectively across teams balancing multiple priorities while fostering collaboration and alignment.  

• A transparent emotionally intelligent and relational leadership style that brings out the best from team members and builds trust within a complex organizational structure; demonstrated strength in coaching and developing a diverse engaged and committed team. 

• Ability to lead teams through a period of structural and cultural change; capable of supporting teams through moments of difficulty conflict and ambiguity. 

• Deep understanding of environmental and social justice JEDI principles and best practices with the ability to operationalize those values across teams and initiatives; strong communication skills to model and convey JEDI values effectively to diverse audiences. 

• Aware and engaged with (or ability to rapidly get up to speed with) environmental justice climate and conservation issues impacts within frontline sectors and communities organizational partners and social movements. 

• Strong understanding of how to connect scientific research traditional ecological knowledge innovative policy and legal environmental solutions communications and public engagement efforts in an environmental nonprofit context. 

• Strong written oral and interpersonal communication skills in English and/or French (conversational abilities in both languages highly preferred) in person via phone and video call and using common office and collaboration technology (e.g. MS Office Teams etc).  

• Ability to oversee effective bilingual (French English) engagement strategy and organizational communications.  

• Highly organized with the ability to adjust priorities rapidly when required. 

• Strong process design facilitation and leadership skills. 

• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with integrity. 

• Ability to undertake some travel e.g. for leadership team retreats. 

The following are considered additional assets (we do not expect candidates to demonstrate all of these): 

• Extensive experience in any of the core requirements listed above particularly in effective collaborative strategy development and implementation. 

• Leading and managing in a unionized environment. 

• Experience developing and/or ability to develop strong relationships with Indigenous organizations and communities (as an Indigenous or a settler/newcomer organizational leader).  

• Knowledge gained through lived/living experience of environmental racism and/or other forms of marginalization.  

• Significant experience driving structural and cultural change in a collaborative valuesaligned manner. 

• Experience with public interest advocacy in a Canadian and/or Indigenous context.  

• Postsecondary education or equivalent experience in communications environmental sciences or policy marketing organizational management law public policy public health human rights technology and/or another field related to the position. 

• Experience working or volunteering with other environmental and/or advocacy nonprofits. 

• Experience working in one of more areas of engagement work e.g. print and online communications content strategy media relations science communication grassroots organizing volunteer management public education production and design marketing data analysis brand development etc. 

• Strong relationships related to the role e.g. in environmental organizations and movements amongst media etc. 

Additional Information :

WHAT WE OFFER 

• Fourday workweek 
• Competitive salary and generous benefits package 
• Hybrid work opportunities 
• Supportive work culture 
• Chance to make a difference and help improve the health of our planet and all life on it 

HOW TO APPLY 

Application Instructions: 

The application deadline is Sunday January 19th 2025 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Please submit your cover letter (max. 2 pages) and resume Please send PDFs named in the format LastNameFirstNameCoverLetter and LastNameFirstNameResume. In your cover letter please tell us about your ability to lead DSFs communication public engagement and digital engagement teams through our next chapter particularly your ability to oversee strategy development manage structural and cultural change within an organization and navigate external relationships. 

The hiring team may adapt the recruitment process as needed in order to understand candidates potential to succeed in this role. Currently we anticipate that this selection process will include: 

• Shortlisting likely involving a short phone screening call 

• A timelimited practical round (modest honorarium offered) 

• One or two interviews which will be via video call 

• Reference checks (please be prepared to provide the names and contact info for three references who can speak to your experience and potential for this role) 

The hiring team has engaged an external consultant to support our recruitment process and intends to contact all candidates who submit a complete application with updates on their progress through our selection process. If you have any questions about the recruitment process please contact Maggie Knight at . 

Early applications are encouraged and appreciated. Thank you to all who apply. 

The David Suzuki Foundation is strongly committed to equity and diversity and to creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace. We especially encourage applications from equitydeserving groups; specifically Indigenous and racialized people members of the LGBTQIA2S trans and genderdiverse communities women and people with disability chronic illness and/or neurodiversity.