Supervisor, Programs Design (Proposal Writing)

DEPARTMENT: Program Design

COMPANY: Skills for Change

LOCATION: 791 St. Clair Ave West, Toronto ON

REPORTS TO: Manager, Program Design & Partnership Development

CONTRACT TYPE: Contract (Management)

HOURS: 35 hours per week (Monday-Friday, with occasional evening and/or weekend hours)

START DATE: Immediately

END DATE: 1 year from start date

COMPANY:

Located on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, Skills for Change is working towards advancing the Sustainable Development Goals for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

Named Charity Village's Best Non-Profit Employer - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and winner of the 2021 Canada Volunteer Awards for innovation, our organization is committed to reducing poverty, improve mental health, eliminating gender-based violence, building community, eradicating systemic racism, and settling and creating sustainable communities for all immigrants, refugees, and underserved communities.

Start your career with SfC and join our 40-year history of creating innovative programming to build welcoming and equitable communities.

GENERAL ACCOUNTABILITY:

Founded in 1982, Skills for Change is a leading non-profit organization serving immigrants and refugees in Canada. Our mission is to build welcoming and equitable communities. Skills for Change is known for pioneering programs that respond to shifting immigration and workplace trends and lead to employment. We create skills development opportunities for immigrants and refugees to access and fully participate in the workplace and wider community. Our Agency has played a major role in uplifting immigrant and equity-seeking communities for 40 years. As one of the leading holistic service providers in our sector, Skills for Change offers more than 25 programs and services, and annually serves 16,000 people who are newcomers, immigrants, and equity-seeking groups in services around employment, integration, mental health, leadership, entrepreneurship, and more.

Skills for Change is working to:

  • Reduce Poverty through Decent Jobs

  • Settle newcomers to build a life in Canada

  • Improve Mental Health and Wellbeing

  • Build skills to promote increased labour market freedom

  • Advocate for environmentally sustainable and healthy communities

  • Combat social and professional isolation through mentorship and networking

  • Help underserved seniors to make friends and be digitally safe

  • Empower entire communities to work towards eradicating systemic racism

  • Provide youth with equal access to opportunities

  • Promote gender equality

PROGRAM NATURE AND SCOPE:

Drive change with your proposal prowess! Join us as the Supervisor of Programs and Proposal Development at Skills for Change and make a lasting impact on our sustainability plan.

The Supervisor of Programs and Proposal Development will manage the day-to-day of the Program Design’s proposal-writing responsibilities, including tracking funding opportunities, coordinating with program teams, and driving the program design process. This role is a crucial part of Skills for Change’s sustainability plan as it will be the go-to source for program- and project-specific funding proposals, keeping the organization in motion and maintaining the foundation upon which the larger strategic goals will be built. The role entails idea generation, building cost and staffing models, creating, and maintaining core foundational materials for proposal writing, and keeping an overarching view on program objectives and funding opportunities. The Supervisor, Program and Proposal Development may also take on key time-bound projects to support Skills for Change across work streams in collaboration with the Manager, Program Design, VP Corporate Communications, and/or CEO or to support other Program Managers/Directors leading certain efforts.

The ideal candidate has:

  • Deep knowledge of the non-profit funding environment – its current challenges, opportunities, and trends – in Ontario and across Canada.

  • Expertise spanning the range of funding competition models, from the well-established to the emerging and innovative.

  • Proven experience in written communication – including editing and creating concise explanations of complex materials.

  • Experience in managing multiple projects, expanding programs, and enhancing the quality of existing programs.

  • Excellent written, oral, and visual communication skills (public speaking, presentation, proposal, letter, and report writing)

  • Experience in identifying, developing, and managing innovative program proposals, strategic alliances and relationships both in the private and public sectors.

  • Ability to work effectively with others at varying levels of an organization and to consistently display a high level of professionalism in all interactions including experience with maintaining confidentiality as needed

  • Successful history of designing all aspects of funding competitions to meet program specific as well as organizational goals.

  • In-depth computer skills in Google and Microsoft Office Suite.

Specific Accountabilities

  • Supervise the day-to-day activities of the Program Design process – specifically the Master Grants Tracker and all upcoming Grants. This includes prioritizing upcoming opportunities and identifying which funding opportunity matches the right program for the right idea.

  • Supervise all assigned staff, from scheduling, assigning, and reviewing work, to ensuring effective teamwork, high standards of work quality and organizational performance, continuous learning and the delivery of effective case management, employment, and development initiatives.

  • Document service levels, including developing reporting frameworks and administrative processes, develop, administer, and monitor assigned budgets, and control expenditures.

  • In collaboration with the Manager, Program Design, lead the design of new program models through concept papers and proposals that draw from the Skills for Change approach, research, and best practice to meet strategy goals and the needs of partners and community

  • Develop related budget models and staffing plans that meet the needs of new programs with an eye towards sustainability.

  • Promotes relationships with community partners (agencies and organizations) to identify business development opportunities.

  • Plan and implement initiatives expanding/supporting the Agency’s community visibility.

  • Conduct prospect research, develop proposals, write grants or other forms of solicitation to raise funds for new programs

  • With the support of the Manager, Program Design, develop related budget models and staffing plans that meet the needs of new programs with an eye towards sustainability in collaboration with leadership team with guidance from the Strategy & Operations plan

  • Oversee the hiring, orientation, probationary and annual performance evaluations, supervision, and discipline of staff members

  • Continually work at building and maintaining a strong team and ensure smooth communication amongst all the team members

  • Ensure that staff remains motivated and engage in ongoing learning and skills enhancement to better serve the needs of clients

  • Perform research into new opportunities and partners, conduct landscape analyses and collaborate with key internal and external experts necessary to inform program design

  • Coordinate and review/edit proposal input from a variety of stakeholders, typically involving contributions from program managers and finance.

  • Ensure successful project design and implementation planning for new partnerships, with an eye towards ensuring a process of broad input and collaborative decision-making

  • Write or support the creation of materials highlighting projects for internal and external audiences (may include PowerPoint presentations, short articles, fact sheets, white papers

  • Manage full cycle of performance management including developing and setting goals, coaching for performance and conduct performance appraisal for direct reports

Requirements and Qualifications:

  • At least five (5) years of experience working in non-profit, philanthropy or in government in a similar role is required

  • Bachelor's degree in a related field is required. Master’s degree is considered an asset.

  • A clear vulnerable sector check is required

WORK WITH US AND ENJOY:

  • 100% employer paid comprehensive health, dental & wellness benefit

  • Generous paid sick days and attractive vacation package

  • Employer matched RRSP contributions

  • Professional development workshops, training & development opportunities

  • Companywide wellness initiatives, staff awards and retreats.

PLEASE SEND YOUR APPLICATION TO: hr@skillsforchange.org

Skills for Change provides learning and training opportunities for immigrants, refugees and equity seeking groups to access and fully participate in the workplace and wider community to persons with disabilities to newcomers to Canada (including refugees) to Indigenous peoples to members of a visible minority to children or youth to seniors to the LGBTQ2 community. Skills for Change offers accommodation for applicants with disabilities in each stage of the hiring process. If you are contacted regarding a job opportunity, please advise if you require accommodation. This document is available in alternate format on request.

We thank all applicants for their interest in this position, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted.